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    Locksmith History & Trivia



    Lock & Key Trivia

    • The oldest lock ever discovered was found in the ancient ruins of the Khorsabad Palace which is in Egypt. It is thought to be 4,000 years old.
    • Knotted ropes were used to lock up doors. The knots were complicated and confusing and could only be undone by those who tied them.
    • In the Carolingian times, between 750 and 960, keys used to have a bow shaped like a cross, a bishop’s miter or other religious symbols.
    • Lock picking is the art of unlocking a lock by analyzing and manipulating the components of the lock device without the original key. As this became very popular in the 18th century and lock designers needed to step up their game in terms of locking mechanisms. They made their locks much more complex with more features so that criminals would have a harder time cracking them.
    • The first place where locks were mass produced in America was Terryville, Connecticut. Most of the biggest and most famous brand names in lock production were based here.
    • The Lock Museum of America is also located in Terryville. It has over 23,000 locks and keys on display, making it the largest collection in the country of its kind.
    • Catherine the Great who was the Czarina of Russia had one of the most impressive lock collections in the 1700s. She admired their fine workmanship and ornamental design.
    Famous Locksmiths
    Robert Barron made the first serious attempt to improve the security of the lock in 1778 in England. He patented a double-acting tumbler lock. 

    The safety lock was patented in 1784 by Joseph Bramah. His lock was considered unpickable. He then went on to create a Hydrostatic Machine, a beer-pump, the four-cock, a quill-sharpener, a working planer, and more. 

    James Sargent invented the world's first successful key-changeable combination lock in I857 which became popular with safe manufacturers and the United States Treasury Department. In 1873, he patented a time lock mechanism that became the prototype for contemporary bank vaults. 

    In 1916 Mr. Samuel Segal who was a former New York City policeman invented the first jimmy proof locks. Segal holds over twenty-five patents. 

    The Master Lock Company was founded by Soref in 1921. In April 1924, he received a patent (U.S #1,490,987) for his new lock casing. Soref made a padlock that was both strong and cheap using a case constructed out of layers of metal. He designed his padlock using laminated steel. 

    The pin-tumbler lock was invented by Linus Yale in 1848. His son improved upon his lock using a smaller, flat key with serrated edges that is the basis of modern pin-tumbler locks. 

    American, Linus Yale Jr. who was a mechanical engineer and lock manufacturer patented a cylinder pin-tumbler lock in 1861. Yale invented the modern combination lock in 1862. 
    Walter R. Schlage of San Francisco was awarded 11 patents for the development of the tubular lock.

    A Peek Into The History of
    Locks & Keys
    Locks were used to protect possessions like jewels, money and deeds.  Most of the locks consisted of just a wooden bar mounted on iron brackets.  The only thing that has not changed over the centuries is that whatever you lock up, someone else will try to open.

    During the 18th and 19th century many technical developments were made in the locking mechanisms that added to the security of common locking devices.  In the years before dynamite was invented in 1867, the key was everything. Without the key a thief had little hope of opening a locked strongbox or door.  

    The shape of a key, as well as number of wards cut into it was varied depending what needed protection.  Blacksmiths in the Colonies made locks, as well as their other products. Some specialized in just lock making and were known as Whitesmiths as they filed and polished their products, unlike the blacksmith who left the surface much as it came from forge.  Lock making required the common skills of the

    Blacksmith plus lathe turning, spring tempering, rivet and screw making, precise fitting and hole punching. 

    Between 1840 and 1900 patents were issued by the hundreds to these men and others for improvements of locking devices or decorative trim.  The leader in the decorative hardware field, known then as compression bronze, was Russell and Erwin.

    One of the most noticeable developments of the period was the widely used Mineral knob.  These knobs were patented by John Pepper in 1851.  Mr. Cornelius Erwin of Russell and Erwin helped him form "The Mineral Knob Company" to produce these knobs. These knobs were used on thousands of locks. 

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