Joseph Winters was a popular African-American abolitionist and inventor who is best known for mounting the fire escape ladder that could be affixed to buildings.
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Joseph Winters was born in 1816 near Harper’s Ferry, Virginia which is now West Virginia of the United States of America. His parents were James Winters and a Shawnee Indian mother whose name is unknown. His father was an African American brick maker. Winters was raised by his grandmother called Betsy Cross.
Joseph Winters also learned how to mold bricks at an early stage. At just age 14, he relocated to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. He noticed that firemen had to take ladders off of their horse-drawn wagons to climb to windows, rescue people, and spray water on fires. As a result, he built a fire wagon made with a mounted ladder that could be folded for his hometown of Chambersburg and received a patent for it on May 7, 1878.
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Joseph Winters Obituary
Joseph Winters died in 1916 near Chambersburg and is buried in the local Mount Lebanon Cemetery.
Joseph Winters Family
Joseph Winters did not disclose if he had any child or married. There are no records to prove that.
Joseph Winters Education
Joseph Winters has records of any formal education.
Source: abtc.ng