Found!

It is amazing to see the “forgotten” objects are being rediscovered in our collection. In 2009, I came across a large, folded document tucked away in a box. It was a U.S. patent issued to James Wardrop of Ampthill, Virginia on November 15, 1794. Mr. Wardrop, a merchant, had developed elastic flails that improved how a threshing machine processes wheat. The patent originated in Philadelphia, which was at that time the nation’s capital.

 

It is amazing to see the “forgotten” objects are being rediscovered in our collection.  In 2009, I came across a large, folded document tucked away in a box.  It was a U.S. patent issued to James Wardrop of Ampthill, Virginia on November 15, 1794.  Mr. Wardrop, a merchant, had developed elastic flails that improved how a threshing machine processes wheat.  The patent originated in Philadelphia, which was at that time the nation’s capital.

What’s so special about this bureaucratic record?  It was signed by George Washington, President, and Edmund Randolph, Secretary of State.

Ever the collector, Mann S. Valentine, II (founder of the Valentine Museum), purchased the patent in 1862 in Germany.

Meg Hughes
Director of Collections and Interpretation
Valentine Richmond History Center