The best home security systems today may boast cutting edge, state-of-the-art technology, but in fact, home security systems are not a recent invention. One type of an early home security device resembled a doorstop. It would strike a large bell if an uninvited guest tried to open the door. Even as far back as 1800, people armed their homes with trip wires connected to a bell, or, more dangerously, a gun. Other primitive alarms ignited a small amount of gunpowder, to scare off a would-be burglar who would think a gun had just been fired. Fortunately, modern home security systems are much more sophisticated and far less dangerous, but many collectors are fascinated with the original contraptions and will pay top dollar for operable, antique specimens. Interestingly, burglar alarms from the 1950s and 1960s are also popular among collectors of vintage devices. Though many burglar alarms were manufactured and sold during these decades, most were powered by car or motorboat batteries, and all were large and unwieldy. It’s understandable that most owners just threw these devices out when a smaller, more practical alternative came on the market. For this reason, working burglar alarms from this era are hard to come by and worth quite a lot among collectors. What follows are just some of the most interesting and unique devices made throughout the ages to give homeowners piece of mind.
The first burglar alarm to be patented in the United States was invented by E.T. Holmes, who acquired the patent in 1852. The device consisted of a large bell, mounted on a stand with three posts on one side to which the power and circuit wires were connected. A handle at the front served as the arming switch. Safety-conscious homeowners of the time would place the burglar alarm on their mantelpiece, and when the device was armed, it would sound the alarm whenever a contact door was opened. In the 1880-1890s, George Pratt’s double-barrel burglar alarm was a popular home security system. When triggered, this device shot two bullets at whoever entered. In the 1950s and 1960s, the so-called Nightwatchman kept many homes safe. This trip-string burglar alarm had an eight-foot long electrical cord and an eighteen-foot long trip wire, which could both be retracted into the case. When triggered, the Nightwatchman would sound a very loud horn to alert the homeowners. Though nowadays many prefer the sophistication of a silent alarm, the clanging of a metal bell or sounding of a loud horn can be music to an antique burglar alarm collector’s ears.
Photo via O B McClintock burglar vault alarm
