First Patented Wire Fence
New Braunfels, Comal County, Texas
Marker Inscription
[Special fence design at top of inscription] Virgina native William H. Meriwether (b. 1800), an early Comal County plantation owner, ran a sawmill, cotton gin and gristmill at this site. As an agriculturalist, he was aware of the need for an economical and practical source of fencing material. His interest led to the development of smooth wire and board fence that effectively resisted the temperature changes that had been so damaging to earlier wire fences. His invention known as snake wire fencing, was awarded patent No.10211 on November 8, 1853. It was the first patent for wire fence issued in the United States. Although not widely accepted, Meriwether's fence was an important step in the development of an economical fencing material. It also played a role in later wire fence patent disputes. Meriwether sold his mill site to German native Joseph Landa in 1859 and moved to Tennessee, where he died in 1861. (1982)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Virginia-born planter William H. Meriwether ran a sawmill, cotton gin, and gristmill on this site — and, as a farmer, understood the desperate need for cheap, durable fencing. His answer was "snake wire" fencing, which combined smooth wire and board to resist the temperature swings that had wrecked earlier designs, earning U.S. Patent No. 10,211 on November 8, 1853, the first wire-fence patent in the country. Though never widely adopted, it figured in later patent battles before Meriwether sold his mill and moved to Tennessee.
Why it matters
Meriwether's obscure patent marks an early step toward the barbed and wire fencing that would ultimately enclose the open range and transform the American West.
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Related people
- · William H. Meriwether
- · Joseph Landa
Themes & tags
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