Wadsworth W. Mount Papers
name: label: Creator
content: Mount, Wadsworth W., 1907-1985
label: Donor
content: Mount, John W.
topic: label: Topic
content: Inventors -- 20th century
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Donated by the inventor's son, John W. Mount, in 1990.
creator: label: Creator
content: Mount, Wadsworth W., 1907-1985
label: Donor
content: Mount, John W.
setName: label: See more items in
content: Wadsworth W. Mount Papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: Archival materials documenting five of Mount's numerous inventions: the solar still, a jet power burner, turnbuckles and swivel connectors for boats, the "wadnut" (a self-tightening fastener), and a method of joining industrial piping. The papers include notes on concepts, and on testing and prototypes; correspondence with patent attorneys and potential industrial users of the devices; photographs; biographical information on Mount; and a general subject file on his inventions.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Wadsworth Walton Mount (1907-1985), son of a Baptist minister and businessman, was born in Minnesota, raised in Millington, NJ, attended public schools and was graduated from Amherst College in 1928 with a major in economics and philosophy. Employed in Wall Street as a stock salesman and statistician, he traveled as a public utilities analyst. On the death of his father (1931) he took over management of the family wood-working business, which failed in 1932. After completing the liquidation, Mount was employed by a New York printer and publisher of financial publications. During World War II he was engaged in developing an anti-aircraft gun and a rocket-propelled grapnel for the armed forces. Following the war he became a full-time inventor, working independently in the basement of his Warren, NJ home. He also worked occasionally as a consultant to industrial companies.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 10.5 Cubic feet (32 boxes, 1 map-folder)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1920-1984
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0352
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Correspondence
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Laboratory notebooks
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is divided into seven series.

Series 1: Biographical Information, 1934-1977 

                   
Series 2: General Inventions, 1920-1980	

Series 3: Solar Stills, 1952-1981	

Series 4: Jet Power Burner, 1943-1984	

Series 5: Turnbuckles, Swivel Connectors, 1948-1976                

Series 6: Wadnut, 1951-1983	

Series 7: Pipe Joint Method, 1961-1983
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Processed by Don Darroch, volunteer, 1991, and Grace Meyer, volunteer, 1995, supervised by Archives Center staff.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Correspondence -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Laboratory notebooks
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Mount had a great range of interests in his inventing career, from children's toys to military equipment and industrial devices, such as pipe-joining processes and patented sailing-boat hardware. He was issued more than 20 U.S. patents as well as patents from Britain, Canada, France, Australia and other countries. The progress of his work on these projects is recorded in the various documents and photographs that constitute this collection.
The records in this collection were selected from among some 50 cubic feet of material, as being most representative of Mount's work. Retained were records providing biographical information about Mount and his career as an inventor; his general subject files, which document the wide range of his interests; and a sample of files fully documenting five of his major inventions, three of which were commercially successful and the other two were not.
 
Of particular interest are the numerous documents detailing Mount's efforts, often over decades, in developing inventions. Notes on the concepts, testing of models and prototypes, and voluminous correspondence with patent attorneys, potential industrial users of the devices and photographs of equipment constitute the bulk of the collection. Several projects stand out as Mount's major efforts: solar stills (which store the sun's heat), a jet power burner, turnbuckles and swivel connectors for boats, the "Wadnut" (a self-tightening fastener) and, most importantly, a method of joining industrial piping.
relatedmaterial: label: At the Smithsonian Institution
content: National Air and Space Museum Archives

Wadsworth Mount Collection, circa 1940s-1977

This collection contains photographs, negatives, blueprints, patents, test reports and correspondence dealing with Mount's rocket application inventions
label: At Other Organizations
content: The Amherst College Library, Department of Archives and Special Collections, contains a collection of Mount's papers documenting his work in developing the concept of the Value Added Tax.