Ant Trap. (open access)

Ant Trap.

Patent for a new and improved ant trap. This design consists "[i]n an ant-trap, the combination, with a trough formed with a top [that is] flanged . . . of a box connected thereto by a tube terminating in a disk . . . [and] of the connecting-tubes, box, and fence" (lines 62-68).
Date: November 24, 1885
Creator: Thompson, William Henderson
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Artificial Fruit, Foliage, and Flowers. (open access)

Artificial Fruit, Foliage, and Flowers.

Patent for a new and improved method of making artificial fruit. This design "consists in cutting out a piece of lace or netting of the desired shape, forming the lace or netting into a bag, stuffing the bag with cotton or wool . . . picking the cotton or wool up through the meshes of the lace or netting, cutting narrow strips of tissue-paper, and applying them in layers until a covering similar to pasteboard is formed, drying the article, painting the article, sinking the article in a bath of wax heated to a point beneath boiling . . . letting it drain off, and finally applying a paint finish" (lines 34-47).
Date: May 24, 1887
Creator: Eve, Emma H.
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Folding Ironing-Table. (open access)

Folding Ironing-Table.

Patent for an ironing-table that can be folded compactly while not in use and prevents accidental collapsing. The two legs at the narrower end of the table are a solid piece of wood until halfway, at which point they separate into separate legs and a fastening device is attached with a hinge. A brace can be attached with the fastening device that both sets of table legs in place. Both sets of legs and the brace fold up for storage.
Date: November 24, 1896
Creator: Rylander, James B.
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Brakes for Wagons and Cars. (open access)

Improvement in Brakes for Wagons and Cars.

Patent for "am improved brake for wagons, cars, and other vehicles which shall be simple in construction, convenient in use, and powerful in operation" (lines 19-22) including illustrations.
Date: June 24, 1879
Creator: Franklin, Mathew C. & Landrum, Nathaniel
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Texas Attorney General Opinion: MW-23 (open access)

Texas Attorney General Opinion: MW-23

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Mark White, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether a long-time county employee who was dismissed shortly before his wife took office as a county commissioner may be rehired.
Date: May 24, 1979
Creator: Texas. Attorney-General's Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History