As I See It: The most famous Newburyporter you've never heard of

Over 40 years before Henry Ford’s Model T burst onto the scene and changed the world forever, a Newburyport man invented one of the first automobiles.

Francis “Frank” Curtis held many positions in Newburyport, from superintendent of the gasworks to designing the sewers and waterworks. Most significant and unique, however, would be his automobile. Although Curtis himself never referred to his vehicle by such a hifalutin name. He termed it a “steamer carriage.”