Vernon C. Stubblefield papers, 1902-1942
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Vernon C. Stubblefield papers, 1902-1942
- Creator
- Stubblefield, Vernon C.
- Extent
- 1 reel of microfilm.
- Subjects
- Johnson, James C.
- Stubblefield, Nathan B, 1860-1928.
- Stubblefield, Vernon C.
- Stubblefield family.
- Inventions--Kentucky.
- Radio--Research.
- Inventors.
- Clippings.
- Drawings.
- Patents.
- Speeches
- Arrangement
- No discernible arrangement.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Inventor, Electrician. Nathan Stubblefield, an electrician in Murray, Ky, began experimenting with the wireless telephone around 1892, but did not hold his first demonstration of the invention until ten years later. After he showed his neighbors in Calloway County, Ky. the new device, he traveled to Washington, D.C, where he displayed his invention to a number of prominent scientists. On this trip, Stubblefield's trunk containing the wireless was lost, so he returned to Murray to construct another, thereby delaying the receipt of his patent until 1908.
- Scope and Content
- The papers include correspondence, patent applications, clippings, drawings, and photographs relating to Nathan B. Stubblefield's invention of the "wireless telephone," otherwise known as the radio. The papers contain patents from both the United States and Canada (1908); material submitted in application for these patents, including drawings and explanations of the mechanics of the wireless; a United States patent for improvements in electrical batteries (1908); and accompanying materials and drawings. The newspaper clippings in the papers are dated after Stubblefield's death and contain biographical data. The clippings are from the WASHINGTON POST; NASHVILLE TENNESEAN, ST. LOUIS DISPATCH, and PADUCAH SUN-TIMES. They document the efforts of a few people in Murray, including Stubblefield's son, Vernon, to rescue Stubblefield from obscurity and prove that he, not Marconi, was the inventor of the wireless.
- The photographs with the papers are of Stubblefield, his family, and his invention. Two especially interesting ones show Stubblefield in Philadelphia with scientists who watched his demonstration and on the Potomac River, making a wireless call. Most of the correspondence is addressed to Vernon Stubblefield, although one letter from Nathan Stubblefield is present. Included also are the letters of James C. Johnson, the executive secretary of the Murray Chamber of Commerce, who was instrumental in publicizing Stubblefield as the inventor of the wireless, as well as a text of a speech given by Johnson about Stubblefield's life and work.
Special Collections Research Center - Closed
The Breckinridge Research Room will be closed starting May 11, 2026, and anticipates re-opening Fall semester 2026 in an alternate location for the duration of the King Library renovation.
Reproduction requests will still be available during the closure.
Contact SCRC with questions.
Table of Contents
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Special Collections Research Center - Closed
The Breckinridge Research Room will be closed starting May 11, 2026, and anticipates re-opening Fall semester 2026 in an alternate location for the duration of the King Library renovation.
Reproduction requests will still be available during the closure.
Contact SCRC with questions.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
