John Rumsey and Black Vultures



On our last visit to Rachael and John’s house, I walked around the corner to the Rumsey Monument at the end of Mill Street in Shepherdstown. This imposing granite column was erected in 1915 as a memorial to inventor James Rumsey. Mr. Rumsey was fortunate to attract the attention and support of many of the important leaders of the time, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, who set up the Rumsean Society in Philadelphia to support him.



In 1785, Rumsey moved his workshop to Shepherdstown and built a boat with an engine that was powered by steam. On December 3, 1787, Rumsey successfully demonstrated the boat against the current of the Potomac at Shepherdstown, 20 years before Robert Fulton's effort. In search of financing, Rumsey traveled to Philadelphia and England, where he built a 100-foot prototype of the steamboat. Unfortunately, he died suddenly after appearing before a London business group, and his competitor Robert Fulton-who demonstrated his boat on the Hudson River and got far more publicity-received credit for the first steamboat.




Sarah and I were driving through the Rumsey Monument park when we noticed several large birds perched on a tree on the cliff overlooking the Potomic. There were a flock of black vultures. We see Turkey Vultures often, but the Black Vulture is a more southern species. It is more social than the Turkey Vulture, often traveling in large flocks.

Black Vultures are scavengers that feed on carrion, but they also take weak, sick, or unprotected young birds and mammals. They soar in a group, alternately flapping and gliding, until one of them discovers carrion, whereupon all the others converge on the find. They are smaller but more aggressive than Turkey Vultures and will drive the latter from a carcass. Both species are often found perched in trees, on fence posts, and on the ground, or flying high overhead, especially on windy days, taking advantage of thermals or updrafts. Unlike Turkey Vultures, Black Vultures depend on their vision to find food.