First Patented Wire Fence
Posted by: 
vhasler
N 29° 42.312 W 098° 07.904
14R E 583991 N 3286435
Meriwether patented the first wire fence, addressing the problem of temperature changes experienced in Texas.
Waymark Code: WMKNDF
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 05/06/2014
Views: 17
Located at 100 Landa Street, next to the town maypole, at entrance to Wurstfest grounds of Landa Park.
Marker Number: 1807
Marker Text:
Virgina native William H. Meriwether (b. 1800), an early Comal County plantation owner, ran a sawmill, cotton gin and gristmill at this site. As an agriculturalist, he was aware of the need for an economical and practical source of fencing material. His interest led to the development of smooth wire and board fence that effectively resisted the temperature changes that had been so damaging to earlier wire fences. His invention known as snake wire fencing, was awarded patent No.10211 on November 8, 1853. It was the first patent for wire fence issued in the United States.
Although not widely accepted, Meriwether's fence was an important step in the development of an economical fencing material. It also played a role in later wire fence patent disputes. Meriwether sold his mill site to German native Joseph Landa in 1859 and moved to Tennessee, where he died in 1861.
(1982)
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