Patents are an important source of information about any object's history. This is particularly true of fire hydrants: since they were invented in the early 1800s, fire hydrants have undergone many crucial design changes, and many key points in the evolution of the hydrant are documented in patents. Unfortunately, the earliest patent pertaining to fire hydrants no longer exists, but many others are available for viewing.
Below are several patents pertaining to hydrants that are of historic importance. For each patent, the patent number, date, inventor, and some historical context are given. They are listed by date, earliest at the top. This resource is continually updated, whenever I find new patents that are not listed.
NOTE: This document currently features almost exclusively pre-1920 patents. I may expand this resource to also include more modern hydrant patents at some later time.
FireHydrant.Org links to relevant patents on several of their Photos & Historical Documentation pages, but no resource exists that has all historically relevant hydrant-related patents in one place - that is what this page aims to be. Patents here are compiled from the FH.O pages, as well as many from my own personal research, looking through patent databases and looking at old hydrants etc.
This resource was compiled by VOYAGER ANNELID. Please feel free to use this in your own research, but please attribute me and link back to this page so others can find it! Thank you. Page last updated on 02-11-2024
No. 909
Date: Sep. 8, 1838; Inventor: John M. Jorden (of Baltimore, MD)
This early patent features a wood cased hydrant, one of the earliest hydrant designs.
No. 17,538
Date: June 9, 1857; Inventor: William Bramwell (of New York, NY)
This patent was assigned to Samuel P. Ayers, a manufacturer of flip-lid hydrants. Ayers hydrants are embossed "patented 1857", referring to this patent.
No. 19,206
Date: Jan. 26, 1858; Inventors: Washburn Race & S. R. C. Mathews (of Seneca Falls, NY)
This is the earliest patent for Mathews hydrants. These were produced by the Niagara Mfg. Co./Race & Mathews of Lockport, NY, and later by R. D. Wood & Co. This patent was reissued July 18, 1871 (Reissue No. 4475) and April 30, 1872 (Reissue No. 4887).
No. 23,034
Date: Feb. 22, 1859; Inventor: Joseph L. Lowry (of Pittsburgh, PA)
This patent is for the Lowry Flush Hydrant. These hydrants found success early on, particularly in Massachusetts, but became obsolete in the late 1800s. Several companies produced variants of this design, including Boston Machine Mfg. Co. and A. Sylvester & Co.
No. 33,239
Date: Sep. 10, 1861; Inventor: Dewitt C. Cregier (of Chicago, IL)
This early Cregier patent has been found on a Cregier hydrant.
No. 37,466
Date: Jan. 20, 1863; Inventor: Richard Stileman (of Philadelphia, PA)
This is the first hydrant patent by R. Stileman. It features a stem seperate from the hydrant barrel, similar to Beaumont hydrants.
No. 44,439
Date: Sep. 27, 1864; Inventor: John McClelland (of Washington, DC)
Several early hydrant designs used in DC (Including one referred to as the McClelland hydrant) featured a hinged cover, as seen in this patent.
No. 48,504
Date: July 4, 1865; Inventor: William Bailey (of Troy, NY)
This patent is for an early design of hydrant produced by the Mohawk & Hudson Mfg. Co. The patent was revised in 1870.
No. 80,143
Date: July 21, 1868; Inventor: Zebulon Erastus Coffin (of Boston, MA)
This patent date is found on early Boston Machine Mfg. Co. post hydrants. The patent drawings contain a design of flush hydrant as well, meaning that this patent may have covered flush hydrants produced by the Boston Machine Mfg. Co. as well.
No. 90,540
Date: May 25, 1869; Inventor: Richard A. Hill (of Washington DC)
This patent covers hydrants produced by R. A. Hill. Little is known about these hydrants, but some documentation indicates they were used in New York City in the 1870s.
No. 94,749
Date: Sep. 14, 1869; Inventor: Birdsill Holly (of Lockport, NY)
This patent covers the earliest model of hydrant produced by the Holly Mfg. Co., Birdsill Holly's namesake company. Holly posessed many patents, for a variety of inventions. It is a common misconception that Holly invented the hydrant. This is demonstrably false.
No. 96,959
Date: Nov. 16, 1869; Inventors: Washburn Race & S. R. C. Mathews (of Lockport, NY)
This is the second patent for Mathews hydrants. These were produced by the Niagara Mfg. Co./Race & Mathews of Lockport, NY, and later by R. D. Wood & Co. This patent was reissued Feb. 26, 1884 (Reissue No. 10452).
No. 99,646
Date: Feb. 8, 1870; Inventor: James Curran (of Baltimore, MD)
This patent is for the Curran hydrant, a design widely used in Baltimore prior to 1903 or so. These hydrants were covered by a distict lid.
No. 107,434
Date: Sep. 20, 1870; Inventor: William Bailey (of Troy, NY)
This patent is a revision of Bailey's 1865 patent. This model was produced by the Mohawk & Hudson Mfg. Co. A later model that may or may not have been based on this same patent was also produced.
No. 148,749
Date: March 17, 1874; Inventor: Duane T. Perkins (of Holyoke, MA)
This patent covers the valve design of the exquisitely ornate "Perkins' Improved" hydrants produced by Pattee & Perkins. All Pattee hydrants are embossed with a March 17, 1874 patent date.
No. 154,878
Date: Sep. 8, 1874; Inventor: Henry G. Ludlow (of Troy, NY)
This patent covers the Ludlow's Patent hydrant, the first design produced by the Ludlow Valve Mfg. Co.
No. 158,622
Date: Jan. 12, 1875; Inventor: Marshall Burnett (of Hyde Park, MA)
This patent is an improvement on the design of the Lowry Flush Hydrant, originally patented in 1859 by Joseph Lowry. Unlike previous designs, this design features a "pilot valve", a smaller valve that opens before the mainvalve to relieve pressure (Lowry hydrants were often used in high pressure systems). This feature was put into place in Lowry hydrants used in Boston, MA.
No. 164,149
Date: June 8, 1875; Inventor: Dewitt C. Cregier (of Chicago, IL)
This design of Cregier hydrant was used widely in Chicago, and was produced by the Chicago Water Works. Examples of Cregier hydrants have also been found bearing an older 1861 patent date.
No. 166,904
Date: Aug 17, 1875; Inventor: Richard T. H. Stileman (of Philadelphia, PA)
This is the second patent by R. T. H. Stileman for a design of hydrant. this design features seperate standpipes for each outlet.
No. 173,768
Date: Feb. 22, 1876; Inventor: Dewitt C. Cregier (of Chicago, IL)
This variant of the Cregier hydrant design features an attached drinking fountain and trough. Currently, no examples of Cregier hydrants have been found with this attachment.
No. 192,062
Date: June 19, 1877; Inventor: William T. Garratt (of San Francisco, CA)
This patent covers the design of the flip-lid style hydrant produced by W. T. Garratt.
No. 208,072
Date: Sep. 17, 1878; Inventor: Charles Carr (of Boston, MA)
This patent covers the later model of Post hydrant produced by the Boston Machine Co. Hydrants are embossed with the date of this patent.
No. 224,061
Date: Feb. 3, 1880; Inventor: John Ward (of Lansingburgh, NY)
This patent is assigned to the Ludlow Valve Mfg. Co. It is the first patent for the Ludlow list 75 Slide Gate hydrant valve design. This patent date appears on the bonnets of some Ludlow list 75 hydrants.
No. 236,290
Date: Jan. 4, 1881; Inventor: Peter White (of St. Louis, MO)
This is the first patent for P. White's fire hydrant design. This patent date appears on P. White hydrants.
No. 242,243
Date: May 31, 1881; Inventor: William L. Adams (of Pottsville, PA)
This hydrant design was produced by the Tamaqua Mfg. Co. and referred to as the "Adams" hydrant.
No. 252,888
Date: Jan. 31, 1882; Inventor: Samuel R. C. Mathews (of Philadelphia, PA)
This patent covers the design of the Mathews Double Valve hydrants produced by R. D. Wood Co. The purpose of the design is to allow easy replacement of the hydrant without digging. R. D. Wood hydrants with double valves are marked "DV" on the bonnet.
No. 300,925
Date: June 24, 1884; Inventor: John Ward (of Lansingburgh, NY)
This patent is assigned to the Ludlow Valve Mfg. Co. It is the second patent for the Ludlow list 75 Slide Gate hydrant valve design. This patent date appears on the bonnets of many Ludlow list 75 hydrants.
No. 312,686
Date: Feb. 24, 1885; Inventor: Peter White (of St. Louis, MO)
This is the second patent for P. White's fire hydrant design. This patent date appears on P. White hydrants.
No. 330,377
Date: Nov. 17, 1885; Inventor: Zebulon Erastus Coffin (of Boston, MA)
This was Z. E. Coffin's second hydrant patent, the first having been for a hydrant produced by Boston Machine Mfg. Co.. This second hydrant design was produced by the Coffin Valve Co., the company Z. E. Coffin founded.
No. 345,790
Date: July 20, 1886; Inventor: John C. Kupferle (of St. Louis, MO)
This patent by John C. Kupferle presumably applies to Eclipse hydrants produced by Kupferle Foundry.
No. 346,951
Date: Aug. 10, 1886; Inventor: Erhard Schlenker (of Buffalo, NY)
This patent is assigned to Howard Iron Works of Buffalo, and covers the design of Howard Iron Works hydrants.
No. 353,217
Date: Nov. 23, 1886; Inventor: Ekins Hand (of Rochester, NY)
This unusual internal gate design is found in some Improved hydrants produced by R. D. Wood Co.
No. 373,523
Date: Nov. 22, 1887; Inventor: Jason Giles (of Indian Orchard, MA)
This patent is for the slide gate valve mechanism found in Chapman hydrants. Although the patent has no assignee, it is obvious that this patent is for the Chapman hydrant, as the patent image matches the design exactly, and Jason Giles, the inventor, was General Manager of the company for a time.
No. 381,940
Date: May 1, 1888; Inventor: Albert H. Mellert (of Reading, PA)
This patent is assigned to Mellert Foundry & Machine Co., and covers the design of hydrants produced by the company.
No. 396,326
Date: Jan 15, 1889; Inventor: Charles Carr (of Boston, MA)
This patent covers the design of hydrant Charles Carr produced after leaving Boston Machine Co. and starting his own company.
No. 507,651
Date: Oct. 31, 1893; Inventor: Philip Eley (of Bayonne, NJ)
This hydrant design was produced by the Eley Mfg. Co. of Bayonne, NJ. Outside of this patent, little is known about Philip Eley and the Eley Mfg. Co.
No. 595,506
Date: Dec. 14, 1897; Inventor: Edgar C. Wiley (of Lynchburg, VA)
This patent is for the design of hydrant produced in the early 1900s by Glamorgan Works.
No. 607,413
Date: July 12, 1898; Inventor: Samuel R. C. Mathews (of Philadelphia, PA)
This patent covers the design of the R. D. Wood Mathews Improved hydrant.
No. 620,386
Date: Feb. 28, 1899; Inventor: George S. Walker (of Boston, MA)
This is a later model produced by the Coffin Valve Co.. A variant of this model was also produced by Norwood Engineering Co.
No. 673,666
Date: May 7, 1901; Inventor: John J. Sullivan (of Holyoke, MA)
This patent is for a hydrant valve design which facilitated ease of repair. Hydrants with this valve design were produced by Kennedy & Sullivan Mfg. Co. of Holyoke.
No. 679,466
Date: July 30, 1901; Inventor: John McKenzie (of Troy, NY)
This patent is for the balanced valve mechanism used in Ludlow list 80 and High Pressure hydrants. This patent date appears on some list 80 hydrants.
No. 726,369
Date: Apr. 28, 1903; Inventor: John J. Sullivan (of Holyoke, MA)
This patent is for a hydrant valve design which prevented water hammer. Hydrants with this valve design were produced by Holyoke Valve & Hydrant Co. under the name "Hercules".
No. 734,251
Date: July 21, 1903; Inventor: Arthur O. Babendreier (of Baltimore, MD)
This patent covers Babendreier's first hydrant design used in the city of Baltimore, featuring swing gates on the dual steamers.
No. 790,423
Date: May 23, 1905; Inventor: Ernest F. Bohne (of Louisville, KY)
This patent is for a design of hydrant apparently produced by the Owensboro Hydrant Co.
No. 799,394
Date: Sept. 12, 1905; Inventor: John T. Lynch (of Holyoke, MA)
This patent is for an independent nozzle valve design produced by Holyoke Valve & Hydrant Co. and often found on Hercules hydrants.
No. 845,505
Date: Feb. 26, 1907; Inventor: Arthur O. Babendreier (of Baltimore, MD)
This patent covers Babendreier's second hydrant design used in the city of Baltimore, which is much simpler than the first.
No. 1,146,617
Date: Dec. 13, 1910; Inventor: Herbert M. Lofton (of Chattanooga, TN)
This patent covers hydrants produced by Columbian Iron Works.
No. 1,021,959
Date: Apr. 2, 1912; Inventor: John H. Whitehouse (of Troy, NY)
This patent is assigned to the Ludlow Valve Mfg. Co. It is the third patent for the Ludlow list 75 Slide Gate hydrant valve design. This patent date appears on the bonnets of some Ludlow list 75 hydrants.
No. 1,146,617
Date: July 13, 1915; Inventor: George N. Frazer (of Eugene, OR)
This hydrant valve design, which operates similarly to Corey hydrants, was used in hydrants produced by Eugene Iron Works.
No. 1,146,617
Date: Mar. 11, 1919; Inventors: R. H. Thorne & F. J. Miller (of Williamsport, PA)
This patent covers the design of internal gates used in some hydrants produced by Darling P&M Co.
No. 1,553,953
Date: Sep. 15, 1925; Inventor: Denis F. O'Brien (of Baltimore, MD)
This patent covers O'Brien's hydrant design used in the city of Baltimore, which, like an earlier Babendreier design, features a swing gate controlling dual pumpers.