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Welcome to our PTRC's Virginia History Page!
Here you will find some highlights of innovation from Virginia's history starting in the 1800's through the present. Interested in doing historical searches yourself? Be sure to check the resources page for ideas!
(From the Library of Congress, remember WVa & Va were once one state: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.ndlpcoop/glva01.lva00089)
Many think of Thomas Jefferson when they think of early inventors in the US, and Jefferson certainly did invent, but also helped draft the first US patent laws. Jefferson is also said to be the inventor/creator of the swivel chair (sat in during drafting the Declaration of Independence)!
Before there were national patent laws, states (and colonies before then) in the US did grant patents back as far as 1641 in Massachusetts. These were only issued by court proceedings for that purpose, so any inventor needed to make a special case to their regional governing body. With the development of the constitution, there were discussions on protection for inventors and James Madison of Virginia (along with Charles Pinckney of South Carolina) submit proposals. This resulted in Congress having the power to "promote the progress of science and arts by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries" (Article 1, Section 8). In 1790 when operations of the new US Government began, the first bill was passed for patents.
On to early patents: as Virginia and West Virginia were originally one state, historical patents from before 1863 will list cities and counties in Virginia that today might be part of West Virginia. Also, the earliest patents from 1790 to 1836 were only given dates before numbering and examination were introduced. Due to a fire in 1836 at the Patent Office, little is known about some of these early patents.
As one might imagine these early patents covered many of Virginia's key industries at the time, especially agriculture! From Burke's List (see the research tab for more information), only Virginians had tobacco-related patents for example:
Tobacco, curing: 6 patents by Robinson, Pendleton, Baker, Tuck (2), and Newbold from 1809-1831
Other common patents from this time in Virginia included (number of patents in parentheses) are below and see the side panel for a full spreadsheet:
Also notable for pre-1836 was Cyrus McCormick who invented the grain reaper, making it possible for farmers to harvest more grain (not who started McCormick spices - they were in Maryland).
After 1836 there are lists such as Leggett's Index and even spreadsheets thanks to patent librarians like Jim Shaw of Kansas (see side panel for list of VA utility patents). Many of these early patents did not even have drawings, although some did. Here are some early patents from when they were first numbered and examined (must be novel):
As the patent system expanded, more and more patents came out every year, and the patent office even designated a new type of patent, called design patents in 1842 for how something looks versus how it works. All the patents highlighted above are more of the classic invention type. Even with this split of patent types, utility patents still reached over 1,000,000 by 1911 overall in the US!
Here are some more early inventions by Virginians from the 1850's through 1900. Still plenty of emphasis on agriculture in this time, but more and more machines started to be developed!
In order of left to right and then top to bottom:
And a bonus: early design patents! 1880 - Tunstall designed specialized Picture Screws & 1859 - Peach Brand (now would be a trademark)
Throughout the 20th Century there were more and more businesses and companies leading the way with inventions, although sole inventors still existed for some products. With the addition of plant patents too, there were now 3 types of patents (utility, design, plant) plus trademarks for intellectual property.
Here are some classic and interesting inventions from the first part of the 20th century:
In order of left to right and then top to bottom:
As the 20th century progressed, more and more inventions were assigned (owned) by companies, some of which had multiple states of influence. Below are some later 20th century patents (even one into the 21st) by Virginia Companies (see the VA Museum of History & Culture's List of major businesses that owned these). Coca-Cola even had their Central Bottling Company out of Richmond during the 20th century, although the intellectual property was assigned elsewhere in the country.
And as a bonus and one of our PTRC's favorite innovation areas, here are some early patents from NASA Langley too!
Here is the patent list for above:
Starting in the early 1900's there is evidence of Black inventions in the patent system. The earliest invention per available information is a "File Holder" by Traverse B. Pinn of Alexandria, VA in 1880 (#231,355). Other early inventions include: a "Machine for Stemming and Cleaning Peanuts or Green Peas" in 1901 by Benjamin Hicks of Vicksville, VA (#688,519) and Nathaniel Alexander (Lynchburg, VA) for a "folding chair" in 1911 (#997,108):
Overall, there are only around 75 patents for patents through 2006, but there are some inventors with multiple patents (Benjamin Hicks had 3 patents for example). Earlier patents focused more on household goods, but later ones covered everything from sports through x-ray spectrometers!
Here are a few highlights:
Most recently, in 2023 Heman Bekele of Fairfax (born in Ethiopia) invented skin cancer treating soap and won 3M's Young Scientist's Challenge at the age of 14! There's not a patent (plans to use prize money for the patent fees), but be sure to keep an eye on this promising young inventor!
Know of more? Feel free to reach out to the PTRC representative - we would love to hear more about this underserved area!
Women were also involved early with patents in Virginia as far back as 1847! These are partly found from a (partial) list covering 1790 to 1888, compiled under direction of the Commissioner of Patents: some argue that the list is incomplete, including Khan's Democratization of Invention (listed on the Library of Congress's Women Inventors & Patent Holders collection)
What is especially interesting is women's early contributions to medicine as even those in the 1800's cover these areas (see below) in addition to what might be expected (kitchen and clothing).
For some modern women, be sure to check out the Virginia Women in History too:
Patents listed above:
Patenting in the USA has a long history - over 200 years since patents were first granted! There are several key dates to note that impact how patents were granted, so keep these in mind when searching:
How to search? Make sure to keep in mind historical events (West Virginia and Virgina were one state...) and try some of the databases listed in this guide too with specific queries like:
Here are some resources that can be helpful, including if you are looking for patents that will be harder to find electronically (i.e. pre-modern computer and internet systems):
PTRCA Historical & Specialized Patent Lists: compiled by librarians and others interested in this area, includes spreadsheet lists with filters by location and more
Burke's List: compiled and published list of patents 1790-1847, includes introduction sections on patent laws and litigation
Leggett's Index: index of patents from 1790-1873, split over 3 volumes and organized by patent name:
Official Gazette since 1872 (also in HathiTrust)
Check your local university or library as they will also be great resources for your searching (here at Virginia Tech, we celebrate inventors regularly)
Check out the National Inventors Hall of Fame and Museum at invent.org (lists of fellows and top inventors in the USA)
Use resources like the Library of Congress's Research Guide: Women Inventors & Patent Holders
For Virginia, check out the Museum of History and Culture to find businesses and more throughout history or the Library of Virginia's Changemakers Site
