Beaver in Beaver County, Utah — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Early Sawed Log Farm Cabin
(circa 1890-1900)
For the first three years of his life Philo's family lived and farmed in the Manderfield area. The family left Beaver County and lived for a time in the town of Washington, near St. George, then near Vernal in northeastern Utah. They eventually moved to a farm near Rigby, Idaho. As a lad of 15, Philo was attending school in Rigby, when the idea of how to electronically scan and transmit a visual image occurred to him. It is said that he was riding on a horse drawn plow which created parallel rows in the farm field in preparation for spring planting when the inspiration of how to dissect a visual image into parallel horizontal lines; electronically scan it and reassemble the original image on a Television screen took root. Fortunately he diagramed his idea on a small piece of paper which he gave his teacher at Rigby High School. He was 21 years old when he was finally able to transmit an image of his wife, Elma.
The teacher kept the piece of paper, and years later was able to produce it as evidence when Philo's patent was being challenged in the courts by the RCA Corporation, headed by David Sarnoff. The courts ruled in favor of Philo and settled the matter. Philo T. Farnsworth went on to invent numerous other devices. He died March 11, 1971.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Education • Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 38° 16.43′ N, 112° 38.402′ W. Marker is in Beaver, Utah, in Beaver County. Marker is on East Center Street (Utah Route 21) east of Main Street (Utah Route 160), on the right when traveling east. Marker is a large painted metal plaque, mounted at eye-level directly on the Farnsworth
cabin, just to the left of the front (north) door. The cabin is located on the Beaver Territorial Courthouse grounds, on the west side of the courthouse. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 90 East Center Street, Beaver UT 84713, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Philo T. Farnsworth (a few steps from this marker); Beaver Territorial Courthouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Beaver Opera House (within shouting distance of this marker); Beaver Relief Society Hall (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Beaver Stake Tabernacle (about 500 feet away); Fort Cameron (approx. 0.2 miles away); Grimshaw Home (approx. half a mile away); Joseph Tattersall House (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Beaver.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Philo T. Farnsworth
Also see . . . Philo T. Farnsworth. Inventor Philo Taylor Farnsworth was born on August 19, 1906, in Beaver, Utah. He was born in a log cabin constructed by his grandfather, a Mormon pioneer. An amateur scientist at a young age, Farnsworth converted his family's home appliances to electric power during his high school years and won a national contest with his original invention of a tamper-proof lock. In his chemistry class in Rigby, Idaho, Farnsworth sketched out an idea for a vacuum tube that would revolutionize television—although neither his teacher nor his fellow students grasped the implications of his concept. (Submitted on December 8, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on December 23, 2019. It was originally submitted on December 8, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 266 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 8, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.