Woodrow near Canton in Haywood County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Calvin Filmore Christopher

(1859-1940)

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 25, 2023

1. Calvin Filmore Christopher Marker

Inscription. “Filmore” was known as the Pigeon River Inventor and lived just 100 yards east of here. → He was one of N.C.'s most prolific inventors and was reported to have 100 or more patents for his inventions, including several merchant's scales, calculating devices, a railroad switch, steam engine improvements, and power transmitting mechanisms.

Erected 2017 by Bethel Rural Community Organization.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1859.

Location. 35° 28.593′ N, 82° 52.964′ W. Marker is near Canton, North Carolina, in Haywood County. It is in Woodrow. It is at the intersection of Pisgah Drive (State Highway 110) and Max Thompson Road (State Road 1105), on the right when traveling north on Pisgah Drive. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Waynesville NC 28786, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Mountains, specifically in Greater Asheville,

and in the Great Smoky Mountains.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

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in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: West Fork Pigeon River Truss Bridge (1891) (approx. 1.3 miles away); Osborne Boundary Oak Tree (approx. 1.4 miles away); Lenoir's Creek Devon Cattle Farm (approx. 2.4 miles away); Garden Creek (approx. 3 miles away); Pigeon Gap Watering Hole (approx. 3.3 miles away); Rutherford Trace (approx. 3.3 miles away); Inman Chapel (approx. 3.9 miles away); The Armed Forces from Clyde Town-ship (approx. 4.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Canton.

Also see . . . Our Most Prolific Inventor (PDF). He has invented numerous things from computing scales to butter churns. His name is Colvin [sic] F. Christopher and he

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 25, 2023

2. Calvin Filmore Christopher Marker

lives in Haywood County. (Pearle Justice Yates, The State magazine via North Carolina Digital Collections, published Nov. 2, 1935) (Submitted on July 28, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

"Price Scale" image. Click for full size.

via U.S. Patent Office (Public Domain), March 11, 1930

3. "Price Scale"

This is a 1900 patent of perhaps Christopher's most successful invention, a scale that would show the weight and price of an item simultaneously to both the buyer and seller. The patent was assigned to the Columbian Automatic Computing Scales Co., which Christopher and several others established to manufacture the scales.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 28, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 28, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 516 times since then and 59 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 28, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.