Wire Tightener (open access)

Wire Tightener

Patent for new and improved construction of wire tightener allows for post in place while wire is being fastened.
Date: July 28, 1900
Creator: Short, William Andrew
System: The Portal to Texas History
Gate Latch. (open access)

Gate Latch.

Patent for a new and improved gate-latch. This design consists in "the rings loosely suspended on opposite sides of a central line, levers extended past such central line, and having their inner ends engaged with the rings on the opposite sides of the center from the handle ends, and partition-plates interposed between such levers and the rings past which they are extended" (lines 79-86).
Date: November 15, 1887
Creator: Charleville, George William
System: The Portal to Texas History
Hanging Bed. (open access)

Hanging Bed.

Patent for improvements in hanging or hidden beds by having “hangers pivoted at their upper ends to fixed supports and having upwardly-opening angular hooks at their lower ends, of a bed-frame, legs pivoted to the ends of the end bars thereof, pitman-rods extending inwardly from said legs, a piece to whose ends said rods are connected, an outward projection between the ends of said piece detachably engaging and closely fitting one of said hooks, and a pivot passing through the projection and piece and into the end bar, as and for the purpose herein before set forth.” (Page 2, lines 26-36) Illustration is included.
Date: November 24, 1891
Creator: Buell, Will M.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Disk Plow-Scraper. (open access)

Disk Plow-Scraper.

Patent for a disk plow scraper.
Date: November 15, 1910
Creator: Shackelford, James J.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cotton-Gin (open access)

Cotton-Gin

Patent for a cotton gin. Illustrations included.
Date: November 29, 1910
Creator: James, Walter W.
System: The Portal to Texas History