Roper Steam Carriage, 1865

1865 Roper Steam Carriage at the Henry Ford Museum. Information on Roper is scarce. The best can be found in the book: “American Steam-Car Pioneers” by John H. Bacon. Here is a quote: “Sylvester Hayward Roper (1824-1896) was probably the first man in the United States to build several successful self-propelled road vehicles. He built ten.” The problem was more one of finding a market for these vehicles than in making them work well.

1865 Roper Steam Carriage at the Henry Ford Museum. Information on Roper is scarce. The best can be found in the book: “American Steam-Car Pioneers” by John H. Bacon. Here is a quote: “Sylvester Hayward Roper (1824-1896) was probably the first man in the United States to build several successful self-propelled road vehicles. He built ten.” The problem was more one of finding a market for these vehicles than in making them work well.
American Heritage.com