Bissell's Superba Vacuum Sweeper - Newport, Washington - Household Appliances and Presses on Waymarking.com

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Bissell's Superba Vacuum Sweeper - Newport, Washington

in Household Appliances and Presses

Posted by:  T0SHEA

11U E 496686 N 5336056

Bissell's Superba Vacuum Sweeper is on the second floor of the Pend Oreille County Historical Museum located at 402 S. Washington Avenue in Newport.

Pend Oreille County Historical Museum is one of the most interesting museums we have visited, including those that took all day to tour. The museum complex consists of the historic I. & W. N. Depot building built in 1908 which houses the gift shop and displays on the first and second floors. This Bissell's Superba Carpet Sweeper is displayed on the second floor.

"In 1876, Melville Bissell and wife Anna Bissell owned a small crockery shop in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Bissell decided to invent the carpet sweeper after his wife, Anna, noticed one day while cleaning up after the day's work, saw the sawdust that was embedded in the carpet. The tiny, stubborn particles clung to the carpet, and trying to sweep them up was becoming a time-consuming nuisance.

This frustrated Anna so she told about the problem to her husband. He, being mechanically inclined, built her a carpet sweeper. He made it as a wooden box that is open at the bottom and that has wheels that carry the box when it is pushed with a long handle. These wheels are connected to the roller that has brushes and, while rotating, cleans the surface over which it is pushed. Collected dust ends up in a container which has to be emptied when filled. Melville’s sweeper worked very well and others soon found about it and wanted one for themselves. Melville and Anna grabbed the marketing opportunity and started producing them after Melville patented it the same year he invented it. They started small. Brushes were made local women in their homes, and then complete sweepers were assembled in a room above the store by Melville and Anna. They also sold sweepers alone. They would load their buggy with carpet sweepers and sold them by walking from door to door, Melville selling them on one side of the street and Anna on the other."
Source: Vacuum Cleaner History

The Bissell's Superba Vacuum Sweeper is the wooden box design made about 1915. Though larger and seems more awkward then the first made by Bissell this Suprba Vacuum Sweeper became very popular. Basically this is a wooden box on wheels with a wooden handle for pushing. The roller brush picks up the dust and other debris and collected in a receptacle under the box that needed frequent emptying. These were commonly used before the advent of the vacuum cleaner. This carpet sweeper was the beginning for Bissell and launched this successful business that is still operating even today.