America's First Automated Traffic Signal
Carmel, Hamilton County, Indiana
Marker Inscription
First Traffic Signal America's first automated electric traffic signal was installed at the intersection of Main and Range Line in 1923. Invented by Carmel resident Leslie Haines, the signal was authorized for placement here by town officials. Within only a few years such signals were placed at thousands of American intersections. Haines built the signals for 10 years at a small factory two blocks from here on First Ave., NW.
The Story
In 1923 the intersection of Main Street and Range Line Road in Carmel received what this marker calls America's first automated electric traffic signal, invented by local resident Leslie Haines. Within a few years such signals appeared at thousands of American intersections as automobiles flooded the nation's streets. Haines built the devices for a decade at a small factory just blocks away.
Why it matters
It marks a small-town origin for a device that reorganized modern American life, taming the automobile age one intersection at a time.
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Related people
- · Leslie Haines
Themes & tags
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