Marshall Historical Society

The National Gate Company was a concern started in 1903 for the manufacture of an invention by George S. Patrick of Dicksville in the Town of Marshall.

That invention was described as a “self opening and closing gate,” made of iron pipe and wire. The gate was constructed so the wheels of a wagon passing over a small iron hoop which, when pressed down, pulled a small chain fastened at the bottom of the hinge end of the gate. This caused the latch to lift and the weight swung the gate inward. When the wagon had passed through, the chain was released and the gate closed.

The National Gate Company was in the old cheese factory on Route 315, where an engine and other machinery for the manufacture of the gates were installed.

The capital stock was $15,000, and the officers were as follows: president, Robert Hadcox; vice president W.F. Kimball; secretary and treasurer Abram Van Vechten; superintendent of construction, George S. Patrick. Patrick, who was a prominent hop grower and farmer, secured a patent for his innovative design through patent attorneys in Utica. He exhibited the self-opening gate at the Brookfield Fair in 1903, which captured the at-tention of many people, including W.C. McAdam, who termed the invention an important industry for the Town of Marshall and became its attorney.

The only other mention of the National Gate Company was notice of the dissolution of the company in 1915. Patrick, after serving the town in one capacity of another, passed away in 1928.