Alice H. Parker — Changed the Temperature

THE WOMAN IS PARTLY HIDDEN. THE PATENT IS NOT.

Very little verifiable information survives about Alice H. Parker’s life. No authenticated photograph of her has been identified. What remains is a United States patent bearing her name—and an idea that looked ahead.

On July 9, 1918, Parker of Morristown, New Jersey, filed an application for an improved heating furnace. U.S. Patent No. 1,325,905 was granted on December 23, 1919.

Her design used gas as fuel and incorporated multiple heating units supplied by a common cold-air box. Each unit could be controlled independently and connected to its own hot-air duct, allowing heat to be directed toward different rooms or floors as needed.

Parker did not invent the furnace or central heating. Her documented contribution was a distinctive approach to regulating and distributing heat—an early concept resembling what we now recognize as zoned heating.

The biography may be incomplete. The achievement is recorded.

THE VERIFIED RECORD

• Inventor: Alice H. Parker
• Residence: Morristown, New Jersey
• Patent application filed: July 9, 1918
• Patent granted: December 23, 1919
• U.S. Patent No. 1,325,905
• Patent title: Heating Furnace
• Core concept: independently controlled gas-heating units serving separate rooms or floors

THE PIECE

• Historical tribute artwork
• Front, back, and sleeve graphics
• Design centered on Parker’s verified patent record
• Human imagery is an artistic representation—not an authenticated portrait

PRODUCT DETAILS

• Garment-dyed heavyweight cotton tee
• Comfort Colors 1717
• Black garment
• Pre-shrunk with a relaxed fit
• Designed by Ryland Works

BUILT TO ENDURE.