If ever a family had steam running in its blood, it would be the Somervilles of Mason, Mich. And with three households of Somervilles on the same road – and 11 engines between them – it’s no surprise that 13-year-old Jakob, son of Tim and Jodi, has been bitten by the steam bug.
Trained by his father and his grandfather, Jakob’s affinity for steam is natural; he ran his first engine when he was four, and has been at it ever since, as he was at the 2007 Michigan Steam Engine and Threshers Club show when Mark Corson snapped this photo of Jakob tending to the family’s 16 HP 1906 Advance.
A younger sister, Emily, is also learning to steam, and like Jakob she’s learning that “just keeping it safe, knowing what to do,” is the hardest part of steaming. And as Jakob’s learned, it’s also the best part.
