Hawkins, Joseph
unknown · Contribution: 1845
Patented an early gridiron cooking device
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Impact on the world
His gridiron design, a metal cooking rack attached to a handle for use over open flame, represents one of the earlier documented patents by a Black inventor in the antebellum period, predating the Civil War by over a decade.
Life & background
An inventor, Hawkins patented a gridiron cooking device in 1845, a metal rack on a wooden handle used for heating or cooking food, particularly meat, over a fireplace or campfire. The patent is notable for predating the Civil War by sixteen years, reflecting that a small number of free Black inventors were able to access the patent system even in the antebellum era.
Sources
- Cad Crowd (Top 101 Black Inventors); U.S. Patent 3,973; The Black Inventor Online Museum
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