Haynes Apperson Festival 2009
Celebrating Kokomo's Automotive Heritage
Elwood Haynes
(1857-1925)
“A man’s work in life is not very great at best, when compared with the sum total of human effort, and after all, it is the good that we may be able to do for our fellow-men and not the glory of achievement that really counts.” --Elwood Haynes, Dec. 11, 1918
* PIONEER ELWOOD HAYNES *
Inventor, Scientist, Industrialist, Educator,
Philanthropist
Elwood Haynes (1857-1925) was born in Portland, Indiana with a scientific nature that was noticed at the age of 15 when he invented an apparatus for making oxygen gas. In 1886 Portland earned the
credit for drilling the first successful gas well in Indiana and Elwood Haynes was considered an authority on the subject of drilling, planning and measuring these new wells. Personally, Elwood
was considered a very quiet, good natured, religious man, but when experimenting with gas and metals it’s not always real quiet or safe. Safety was an issue
from the very start of the “Gas Boom” and many of Mr. Haynes’ early inventions were geared towards making natural gas safe to use. Kokomo and local businesses
continue to follow Mr. Haynes’ lead on making our area as safe as possible to work, play and worship for our constituents and visitors.
To many people Elwood Haynes has been referred to as the:
“The Father of the Natural Gas Industry in Indiana”
“The Father of Stainless Steel”
“The Father of the 1st Successful, Commercially Built, Gasoline Powered Automobile in the United States.
For more information about Elwood Haynes’ life and his accomplishments visit the
Elwood Haynes Museum located at 1915 S. Webster St. in Kokomo, Indiana