Granville T. Woods - Fort Worth Stockyards - Fort Worth, TX
N 32° 47.326 W 097° 20.996
14S E 654517 N 3629075
Inventor Granville T. Woods, "The Black Edison", is honored with a star on the Texas Trail of Fame in the Fort Worth Stockyards, Fort Worth, TX.
Waymark Code: WM115GM
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 08/19/2019
Views: 2
Mr. Woods's star is located on the south side of W Exchange Ave, near the intersection with N Main St, and it reads:
Texas Trail of Fame
Granville T. Woods
Inventor
Fort Worth Stockyards
The Texas Trail of Fame website has a photo of Mr. Woods, as well as this short biography (slight edits):
Granville T. Woods, inventor, is known as the "Black Edison." He was a prominent inventor and electrical engineer who developed over 50 significant patents over the course of his life. Woods was born on April 23, 1856 in Columbus, Ohio. He attended school until he was 10 years old and then, as was typical of the era, he left school to start work. Employed in a mechanic's shop, he developed a fascination with railroad equipment. Woods, an avid reader and astute learner, began to focus all his spare time and attention to mastering electrical engineering. At the age of 20 he enrolled in a technical college and trained for two years in electrical and mechanical engineering. After graduation, with no prominent jobs prospects in Ohio, he worked as an engineer on a British steamer which allowed him to travel the globe. Woods eventually settled in Cincinnati, Ohio where he formed the Woods Electric Company. His decision to become an independent entrepreneur stemmed in part because of his difficulty in finding work.
By 1887 Woods developed the first of his inventions, the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph which allowed communication between moving trains and train depots. One year later he developed a system for overhead electric conducting which helped power locomotives. In 1889 he filed his first patent for an improved steam-boiler furnace.
Woods competed with more prominent inventors of the era including Thomas Edison who claimed invention of the multiplex telegraph and filed a lawsuit to support his claim. Woods won the legal challenge prompting Edison to offer him a prominent position in the engineering department of Edison Electric Light Company in New York. Woods declined the offer, preferring to maintain control over his inventions.
Granville T. Woods died in Cincinnati in 1910. Over the course of his lifetime he held over 35 patents including a dozen for inventions which made electrical railways safer and more efficient.
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About the Texas Trail of Fame, established in 1997:
Celebrating Texas culture and our western heritage, The Texas Trail of Fame was established to honor those individuals who have made a significant contribution to our Western way of life. Throughout the walkways of the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District, bronze inlaid markers have been placed in recognition of their achievements. These markers are patterned after a frontier marshal's badge and are inscribed with the honoree's name.
It is the desire of the Texas Trail of Fame that reflecting upon these Westerners's accomplishments will serve as both an educational adventure for the visitor and an inspiration.