Victaulic Celebrates Museum Selfie Day

National Museum of Industrial History in Bethlehem, PA

Victaulic Celebrates Museum Selfie Day

Posted on January 19th, 2022

Each year on January 19th, Victaulic celebrates Museum Selfie Day. Victaulic is proud to provide reliable solutions for piping systems in museums across the globe, including the National Museum of Industrial History.

What is #MuseumSelfieDay?

There is one day a year where museums across the globe turn into playgrounds. Since 2015, the third Wednesday of January is known as “Museum Selfie Day”. London blogger, Mar Dixon, is credited with starting Museum Selfie Day. She came up with the idea after visiting several museums with her daughter and wanted a way to showcase the people in the museums and the memories attached to them.

This day combines the ancient history of the world with the modern trend of taking selfies. Since the first Museum Selfie Day in 2015, the campaign has increased in popularity and participation. Many museums now dedicate the day for fans, curators, and museum managers to snap a photo of themselves in front of their favorite collections and share it on social media.

What is the National Museum of Industrial History?

The National Museum of Industrial History (NMIH) “interprets industry past, present and future through dynamic exhibits, hands-on interactives and engaging programs.” The Smithsonian Affiliate is in the former Electric Repair Shop of the Bethlehem Steel plant site in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

The NMIH’s vision is “to forge a connection between America’s industrial past and the innovations of today by educating the public and inspiring the visionaries of tomorrow.” The museum strives to share its vision by telling the story of America’s industrial achievements and the accomplishments of its workers, innovators, and entrepreneurs. The exhibits at the NMIH explore the national stories of how “industry transformed the American landscape, workforce, way of life, and global perceptions” through a local lens. Many of the exhibits have direct ties back to the Bethlehem area.

One of the main galleries of the NMIH, Machinery Hall, tells the story of American industry power on display at the 1876 Centennial in Philadelphia. This gallery includes 19 artifacts on loan from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. In many visitors’ opinions, the most significant artifact in the gallery is the massive 115-ton Corliss steam engine.

Victaulic Steam Engine

For years, NMIH staff and volunteers worked to restore the 115-ton stational steam engine to working order. Built over 107 years ago, the engine was used by the Snow Steam Pump Works, located in Buffalo, New York, for the York Water Company to pump eight million gallons of water per day. Even today, as the main focal point in the museum, the Corliss steam engine is still the most powerful operating waterworks steam engine in North America. The museum runs the steam engine once a quarter. The next time visitors can experience the engine in full action will be April 10th, 2022 from 1:30 – 2:30 PM.

NMIH and Victaulic

When the engine was first installed in the museum in 2015, the museum curators knew that they wanted to fully restore the Corliss steam engine to operating status. Many industry experts and community partners, including Victaulic, joined this mission.

Located less than 20 minutes from its Worldwide Corporate Headquarters, Victaulic was honored to support the restoration process of this prestigious display. During the restoration process, Victaulic helped to outfit the engine with a grooved mechanical joint for saturated steam systems. The Victaulic solutions eliminated the need for any hazardous welding on the piping system creating the perfect blend of old and contemporary.

To read more from ASME about the restoration process, including how Victaulic supported, click here.

Victaulic’s Aidan Niggel, Director, Product Development – Mining & OGC , Stephanie Madara, Marketing Specialist,  Megan Pildis, Vice President of Business Development (NMIH), and Mike Piersa, Historian (NMIH) celebrate Museum Selfie Day by taking a photo in front of the Corliss steam engine that is constructed with Victaulic’s mechanical grooved solutions. Victaulic is proud to support saturated steam and chemical service piping systems across the globe!

Victaulic Employees visit National Museum of Industrial History in Bethlehem, PA for #MuseumSelfieDay 1/19/22

To learn more about the Corliss Steam Engine and Victaulic’s involvement visit the National Museum of Industrial History’s website featuring “The Big Green Machine” book detailing all the facts.

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