A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FIRE HYDRANT
The First Patent on a Fire Hydrant
Credit for the first pillar-style fire hydrant belongs to Frederick Graff, who was the chief engineer of Philadelphia’s waterworks. His invention, which dates back to about 1801, stood above ground with a hose and valve combination at the top. These standpipes were often covered with wood, and the space within the wood was filled with sawdust or manure as a form of insulation. Unfortunately, the pipes had water in them at all times, in what was called a wet barrel design, and were still susceptible to freezing in the winter despite these crude efforts at insulation.
The patent office burned down in 1836, so there is no way of knowing if Graff was ever awarded a patent. In 1838, a Baltimore man named John Jordan received a patent on a design that used an extra valve at the bottom of the pipe, so it could drain completely after use and avoid freezing.
Although Philadelphia had cast iron hydrant covers by 1811, the history of the fire hydrant still continued to evolve. In the mid-19th century, the cast iron fire hydrant as we now know it became available. Called the Matthews hydrant, this model had a spring mechanism that opened a drain valve when the hydrant was shut off after fighting a fire to prevent freezing.
Modern hydrants come in both the dry Matthews style and, in areas where freezing isn’t an issue, a wet barrel style that is always fully charged with water. Hydrants are painted different colors to indicate whether they are on public or private property, the flow rate of the water that will come out of the hydrant, and whether the hydrant is working or defunct.