Chapter 268

Western Electric 1911 Fan

10/7/2011

fan of a fan

I salvaged this century old fan that was kicking around Dad's garage years ago, then had it kicking around my garage until last week's restoration. When I plugged it in it worked well, humming along flawlessly. It is solidly built and weighs as much as a bowling ball. When you consider that it was made at a time when the application of electricity had barely been established, it is quite remarkable. Dad did not have electricity in the homestead for another couple decades.

 These fans were air conditioning for this 1910 office and can be angled for wall mounting. As I began to research, I discovered that the Western Electric founder had claimed to have invented the telephone before Alexander Graham Bell. Bell bought out Western and had them make all of their telephones (and cease the lawsuit). Western has become Lucent Technologies today.

    These expandable pictures show details of the early patents, the "micro date" indicating production on 11-10-1911, and the gear mechanism on the rear of the fan that allows for the circulating motion.

Like most hobbies, there are "fan fanatic" cults out there. The Antique Fan Collectors Association has a museum in Indiana with over 450 fans on display. The interesting story of Mark Neeley describes his transition from restoring old cars as a hobby. He bought one old fan at an antique shop on a whim and then decided to restore it. It is now his life's work now as President of Vintage Fans.

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