Appalachian Innovators: Untold Stories of Invention and Ingenuity

Please welcome guest author Amanda Winstead . Winstead is a writer from the Portland, OR area with a background in communications and a passion for telling stories. Growing up, she spent summers in Maryland with her grandparents, walking sections of the Appalachian Trail or visiting historical sites in the area. More recently, she hiked the trail in full for the first time and fell absolutely in love, especially with its rich history. She was especially taken by the trail’s natural history and the way it links together the American story, from the site of George Washington’s inoculation of troops against smallpox to the last battlegrounds of Shay’s Rebellion. If you want to follow her writing journey you can find her on X (Twitter.)

---

---

---

---

Appalachia is world-renowned for its tales of innovation and endurance. The folks who make Appalachia their home turn to ingenuity in the face of hardship and have created inventions that have left a meaningful mark on the world at large.

However, high-profile figures like Harland Sanders, Thomas Walker, and Sequoyah aren’t the only ones who have made an impact on the wider world. In fact, there is a rich tradition of lesser-known Appalachian inventors who deserve their time in the spotlight too.

Indeed, folks like Mary Breckinridge, William C. Whitner, and Garrett August Morgan are all deserving of greater attention and recognition. Their efforts made a distinct difference to America at large and continue to impact the way we live today.

Frontier Nursing University

Mary Breckinridge

Mary Breckinridge (February 17, 1881—May 16, 1965) was a nurse and midwife who was born and lived in Appalachia. Her efforts in neonatal care revolutionized the way we support newborn children and have made a world of difference to millions of children’s lives.

After growing up in Washington DC, Breckinridge married Richard Ryan Thompson in 1912. Unfortunately, the couple tragically lost their newborn daughter in 1916 and their four-year-old son in 1918. Based on this experience, Breckinridge studied nursing and traveled the world while learning from nurses in Scotland and France.

During this time, Breckinridge benefited from being bilingual while working in healthcare. Then as now, bilingual nurses were in high demand thanks to their ability to spread information and learn the most cutting-edge medical techniques from around the world. Bilingual nurses like Breckingride are capable of providing better care, too, as they are able to connect with a wider range of patients in their first language. In Breckinridge’s case, her knowledge of French allowed her to both study and teach abroad and gain valuable insights that she was able to bring home to Appalachia.

In 1925, at the age of 44, Breckenridge returned to Appalachia and established the Frontier Nursing Service in Kentucky. This service focused on using the experiences Breckenridge had gleaned from her time in France to improve the quality of healthcare in Appalachia for newborn babies and mothers. This significantly reduced infant deaths and led to the creation of the American Association of Nurse-Midwives.

Source: Bullough, V.L. (1988). Mary Breckinridge. In: V.L. Bullough, Church, O.M.,& Stein, A.P. (Eds.). American nursing: A biographical dictionary. New York: Garland.

William C. Whitner

William C. Whitner’s (September 22, 1884 – May 13, 1940) hydroelectric power supply invention continues to have a direct impact on the Appalachian region. Whitner—remembered as “The South Carolina man who put the electricity in “The Electric City”—played a pivotal role in ensuring that Anderson, SC was the first city in the United States to receive electricity.

After being born in Anderson, SC, Whitner graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1864. Unfortunately, his career as a railroad engineer began with a false start after he contracted typhoid while working on the links and was eventually forced to return home to Anderson.

However, while in Anderson, Whitner made his fortune and gave the world his greatest gift: Anderson’s Tribble Street power and water yard. The experimental yard helped Whitner produce 10,000 volts of electricity and was the first hydroelectric facility of its kind.

Source: Brian Scott, Historical Marker Database

His breakthrough proved to be safe and won over folks at Stanley Electric Company who expanded on the idea. The safety of his invention was crucial as many still feared common causes of electrical emergencies at the time. Power outages due to surges and flooding were a serious concern, and many were unaware of the hazards of electrical faults that buzzed, hummed, or cracked. By providing a safe, reliable electric supply Whitner’s invention was able to power the city and the Anderson Cotton Mill — the first cotton mill of its kind.

Source: Western Reserve Historical Society

Garrett Morgan

Garrett Morgan (March 4, 1877 – Jul 27, 1963) played a pivotal role in creating the early gas mask and the improvement of traffic lights. However, Morgan, who called himself “The Black Edison” is often overlooked by the annals of history.

Morgan was born in Paris, Kentucky to Elizabeth and Sydney Reed and grew up in a large family with 11 other siblings. As a teen, he moved away from Appalachia to Cincinnati where he found work as a handyman and reinvested his earnings into his own education. Early in his career, he invented a new type of sewing machine which would fund the wedding for his second marriage and lead to a life of innovation and discovery.

Later, after the outbreak of WWI, Morgan patented a gas mask that helped wearers navigate smoke and gas while on the battlefield. This invention was well-used by fire services and made a meaningful difference to the war efforts and the health of folks on the frontline.

At the age of 33, Morgan hit on his second major invention: more effective traffic lights. Morgan invented the amber warning signal after seeing a near-crash.  We still rely on this today, as the flashing amber light lets drivers know that they will need to stop shortly. While it’s impossible to quantify how many lives this has saved throughout the decades, it is almost certain that his work has improved the safety of road users around the world.

Barbara Ellen Smith

Barbra Ellen Smith brings our shortlist of creators into the 21st century. Smith, an author who continues to play a pivotal role in understanding the effect of mining in the area, first published her seminal work Digging Our Own Graves, in 1987.

Within her work, Smith identified the major health issue that is black lung disease and predicted  “Black lung disease awaits the younger generation of coal miners who are now at work underground.” Today, that prediction rings true as younger and younger miners contract the illness.

Smith, who remains an active writer and scholar to this day, has recently revised and updated the book to explore the economic, medical, and legal effects of Black Lung Disease on Appalachia. In the course of her work, Smith has used her creativity to improve our understanding of Appalachian history and fight back against those who would continue to send workers down the pits with little regard for their health or the threat of the disease.

Conclusion

Appalachia is a hotbed for innovation and invention. Throughout centuries, folks who hail from the area have created meaningful inventions like traffic light systems and hydroelectric plants. Appalachia’s luminaries have also improved the way that industries like mining and nursing operate. This emphasizes the impact of the region on the world at large and ensures that the folks who call Appalachia home will be remembered by history.