The George A. Rollins & Co. was founded in 1850 by George A. Rollins to manufacture metalworking machinery. That business was sold off in 1865, and the firm concentrated on steam engine production. It was incorporated as the Rollins Engine Co. in about 1890 and produced steam engines into the 1900’s.
In the early 1940's,Russell L. Sylvester took over ownership of the firm from his father and ran it until the early 1950's. The company no longer manufactured the engines after that time but stayed in business for maintenance and repair of existing machines. The company was run by it's Foreman from 1942 to 1945 while Mr. Sylvester served in the Navy. After the Boston Museum of Science purchased one of the Rollins Engines for display, Mr. Sylvester donated the original blueprints for the exhibit.Information Sources
- American Steam Engine Builders: 1800-1900 by Kenneth L. Cope, 2006 page 207
- Our thanks to Mr. Sylvester's daughter Nancy Bugler for information on the later years of this firm