Sarah Boone - Herstoric Inventor

Girl, did you know a black woman created the precursor to the modern ironing board? Born Sarah Marshall in 1832 in Craven County, North Carolina, she faced a world defined by slavery and limited opportunities. Despite these challenges, Sarah's thirst for knowledge found nourishment in her grandfather, who homeschooled her.

On November 25, 1847, she married James Boone, a free black man, securing her freedom and opening the door to a life of possibilities. The couple had eight children and left North Carolina for New Haven, Connecticut, just before the outbreak of the American Civil War.

In 1892, Sarah, now working as a dressmaker, realized the need for a way to press the sleeves and bodices of ladies' clothes. She invented and patented a more modern ironing board with collapsible legs. Before her invention, women had been pressing and ironing on tables or a wood plank rested across two chairs. Her patent application stated, “My improved device is not only adapted for pressing the inside and outside seams of the sleeves of ladies' waists and men's coats but will be found particularly convenient, also, in pressing curved waist-seams wherever they occur."

Sarah Boone's achievement, patent number 473,563, solidified her place in history as the second African-American woman to attain a patent, following in the footsteps of Judy Reed. Although there is little evidence that Mrs. Boone benefited from the commercialization of her invention, her ironing board is recognized as the prototype for what became an indispensable household item over the following decades.

Sarah Boone's legacy is one of resilience and innovation. So the next time you iron your clothes, thank a black woman. We love you, Ms. Boone.