History Speaks - Inventor Charles Baker

Program Type:

Lectures/Speakers, Local History/Genealogy

Age Group:

Children, Teens, Adults
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Program Description

Trevor Tutt, Curator for the St. Joseph Museums, will discuss Charles S. L. Baker. Baker was born into slavery in Savannah, MO in the mid-1800s. He helped found the Home for Aged and Dependent Ex-Slaves in St. Joseph and invented a friction heater that was used to heat train cars and homes across the United States. Though his invention provided nearly free energy and his businesses were wildly successful, few know who he is today. 

This presentation is the result of a collaboration between the St. Joseph Museums, Inc., and the Missouri State Museum’s traveling Boom! The Rise and Fall of Missouri’s Black Business Districts exhibit. 

 

This month's History Speaks will be at the Bartlett Center.