In the summer of 1909, a Pennsylvania newspaper offered its readers a simple but clever solution to a very real problem: how to protect a hen house after dark. For rural families, chickens were a steady source of food and income, and their loss could be felt immediately. Predators, prowlers, and the uncertainty of the night made even a quiet farmyard a place of concern.
Without electricity in many homes and long before modern alarm systems, security depended on ingenuity. Farmers relied on practical, often homemade devices to keep watch when they could not.
The brief article below, originally published in The Star of Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania on July 14, 1909, describes one such invention: a hen house alarm that could alert the homeowner. It is a small but fascinating glimpse into the resourcefulness of everyday life in the early 20th century.
Alarm for Poultry House
By arranging a wire to pass from the hen house door to a bell on the veranda of the house, after the manner shown in the accompanying illustration, warning will be given when the door of the poultry house is opened.
If anything is wrong in the hen house and the alarm is given, a man can close the door of the hen house while standing on the veranda by pulling the wire which is attached to the bell.
During the day the wire can be unhooked and thus relieve the bell from duty.
If desired, suggests Prairie Farmer, the bell can be placed outside in a box, which will make it sound louder.
Source: The Star. Reynoldsville, Pa. July 14, 1909.
