Griswold Cookware

Collectors and collections, History and Stories

Griswold, Lodge, Wagner, Favorite, Wapak, and More!

Griswold Cookware

Collectors and Collections,
History and Stories

Griswold, Lodge, Wagner, Favorite, Wapak, and More!

The Griswold Burglar Alarm

Griswold made much more than just a line of cookware.

Did you know that Griswold also made, and held the patent for, a burglar alarm? I didn’t think so.

Inventors John Harvey and David Shields obtained a patent in 1894 for the gadget, and the patent was assigned to Matthew Griswold, founder of the Griswold Mfg. Co. I’ve only seen two; both in the (huge) collection of Larry and Marg O’Neil of Tacoma, Washington.

Application made March 1, 1893, Patent granted Feb. 27, 1894. #515,677.

This burglar alarm was designed to be screwed into a door casing. If an unannounced person opened the door when the alarm was set, a blank cartridge to explode.

That would be a very nasty surprise for the would-be burglar!

Griswold burglar alarm and patent
Two Griswold Burglar Alarms, from the collection of Marg and Larry O’Neil. The wood pieces are the pieces into which the alarm was screwed.