Henry S. Parmelee

Henry S. Parmelee was a businessperson and inventor, best known for inventing the automated sprinkler head and the building-wide fire suppression system.

Parmelee was president of the Fair Haven and Westville Street Railway Company and owner of the Mathusek Piano Works in New Haven, Connecticut. Using an idea from Sir Hiram Maxim, Parmelee invented the second automatic fire sprinkler system in 1874, to protect his piano factory. While other patents for fire sprinklers predated Parmelee's work, he is credited with the first automated sprinkler head. His piano company is credited as being the first building in the United States to be equipped with a fire suppression system. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Sources

• "H. S. Parmelee." The New York Times, published 28 September 1902. < link > Accessed 21 August 2021.
• "Henry S. Parmelee." Wikipedia, revision of 9 December 2020. < link > Accessed 21 August 2021.
• Woodward, Walter. "A Piano Maker's Play to Cut Insurance Rates Nets Him Millions." Today in Connecticut History, published 11 August 2021. < link > Accessed 21 August 2021.