Joseph Winters
Chambersburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
African American inventor who secured a U.S. patent for the first fire escape ladder and hose conductor in 1878. In 1879 Winters was issued a second U.S. patent for improvements to the original invention. Winters was active in the Underground Railroad. He resided in Chambersburg.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In the decades after the Civil War, Chambersburg was home to Joseph Winters, a Black inventor whose ingenuity turned a common danger into a solvable problem. In 1878 he patented a wagon-mounted fire escape ladder with a hose conductor, then improved on it the next year — innovations that helped firefighters reach upper stories and save lives. Before that, Winters had risked his own freedom and safety aiding those escaping slavery on the Underground Railroad.
Why it matters
Winters embodies the too-often-overlooked contributions of African American inventors to everyday American safety, and his Underground Railroad work ties one Pennsylvania town to the national struggle over freedom.
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