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The marker for this says:
Lewis Temple
Blacksmith
Inventor of the Iron Toggle Harpoon Tip
Born in Richmond Virginia in 1800, Lewis Temple established himself as a blacksmith on the New Bedford waterfront by 1836.
Temple manufactured his first toggle-iron in 1848. It's [sic] fastening power revolutionized the catching of whales. The invention was never patented, therefore his only royalty was the name that clung to it.
He died in New Bedford in 1854. Millions were made in the whaling industry because of Temple's toggle. After business debts were cleared, there was no legacy left for his family. |