William Chester Ruth was born in 1882 and was an African American inventor, blacksmith, entrepreneur, and lay minister in Gap, PA. By the 1950s he had been granted more than 50 patents for inventions such as a baler feeder, a cinder spreader, and a farm elevator. In this episode of the African American Experience we talk with Ruth's granddaughter Gwen Dickinson about his life and achievements.
The African American Experience airs Sunday nights at 6.
Watch the African American Experience and more PA History and Culture on cable and the PCN Select Streaming Service.