The 1960’s. It sure was an interesting era for Americans. The era was dominated by Civil Rights protests, the Vietnam War, social unrest, the assassination of President Kennedy, peace, love and rock & roll.In the construction industry, from about the time of the depression up until this point, hard roofing and the recognized need for Keep reading . . .
Category: Snow Guard Design Evolution
Snow Guard Design Evolution – a historical look at rooftop snow management systems.
Snow Guards in Post-War America (1951-1960)
For those of you who’ve been following this blog series, you’ll notice that there was very little going on in terms of snow guard technology and development during the 1940’s and 1950’s. Why is that? Early on in the 1950’s, the US economy really started to take off. Construction boomed (and, as evidenced by the Keep reading . . .
Snow Guard Evolution Through the War Years (1941-1950)
My searching hasn’t turned up much for the 1940’s era. The one patent I found through a reference from a more recent patent is #2243256. This patent applies to a formed metal shingle. Built into the face of the shingle are several raised bumps. These bumps were likely inserted to stiffen the product and minimize Keep reading . . .
Snow Guards and Depression-Era Construction
For those involved in construction 2008-2012, we had a taste of what the 1930’s may have been like. This was the era we sometimes still refer to as the “Tool Belt Recession”. Many projects that were pending when the bottom dropped out were never started. Projects that were underway cut as many details as they Keep reading . . .
Snow Guard Designs of the 1920’s
Ah, the Roaring Twenties. It must’ve been a fun time to be alive! The economy was booming, the country was growing, we weren’t involved in any military conflicts and it seemed that everyone was making money. In general, it was a really good time in US History. I’m told that there’s even still a speakeasy Keep reading . . .
Snow Guard Evolution from 1910 to the Roaring Twenties!
I’ve spent a good deal of time combing over old notes, documents, and patents. I thought it appropriate to point out a concern about the credit given to Emri W. Clark in my previous blog. Let’s explore snow guard evolution a little further. First, as with all patent claims and awards, the public assumes that Keep reading . . .
Snow Guards Around the Turn of the 20th Century
I’ve got to hand it to Emri W. Clark of Nashua, New Hampshire. His snow guard invention, patent # 625,144, awarded in 1899, is probably the single most knocked-off pad-style snow guard design that I’ve seen – and for a few very good reasons. First, I can’t help but to speculate that Emri himself must’ve Keep reading . . .
Snow Guard Designs of the 90’s….1890’s That Is.
In my last blog, we looked into the evolution of snow guards through the history of roofing. This time, we’re taking a giant leap backwards, into the 90’s….The 1890’s! Below is a patent for snow guards that were made in the late 1800’s, a pipe-style system made and sold as Dugan’s Patent Snow-Guards. The date Keep reading . . .
130 Years of Roofing History Drives Snow Guard Evolution
From the industrial revolution of the 1890’s until roughly the mid 1940’s, slate, tile and metal roofing was commonplace among roofing installers and builders. The craftsmen of the era understood the materials, how to work with them, handle them, maintain and repair them and they understood that snow and ice would slide off suddenly (and Keep reading . . .