Slavery has been a difficult part of South Carolina’s history, one that people often still feel at odds over at times. Many places throughout the state have wonderful educational programs keeping important lessons alive for us to reflect on and to pass on to future generations. But these places can’t possibly include all of the stories from the fascinating history of South Carolina, and there’s one little-known story we came across recently that deserves to be shared. It’s an underdog type of story, whereby the son of freed slaves went on to become one of the state’s greatest inventors.

His name is William Henry Cling, and he was born in Charleston to Edward Moulton Cling and Elizabeth Ann Richardson shortly after the Civil War.
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This image shows the Zion School for African-American children in Charleston, South Carolina, established by the Freedmen's Bureau after the Civil War. This bureau, formed to aid freed enslaved individuals, initiated educational efforts, including the Zion School.
Unfortunately, there's very little information available about William Henry Cling, but we do know that he worked as a barber.
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And we also know that he was a brilliant man who must have been a natural problem solver with a mechanical mind who's credited with the invention or improvement of several apparel-related items and some mechanical devices.
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The first invention of William Henry Cling in 1896 was a passenger register, which would keep track of the number of people in attendance at a theater or event, such as a fair.
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Then in 1905, he invented a railway safety device to prevent head-on or rear-end collisions of two trains moving on the same track.
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In 1906, William Henry Cling invented a shoelace with a wire to keep the shoe in place without having to tie a bow. He also patented improvements to the Coat Lapel and Collar Regulator, which goes into the lining of men’s coats and makes the lapel and collar fall properly on the body.
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And lastly, from 1906-1907, he invented an adjustable bed which could raise or lower at both ends to help people who were bedridden.
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Remember his name: William Henry Cling. Because interestingly, in the same year he invented this bed, a well-known doctor, Willis Dew Gatch, developed a bed that looked the same and that we know today as "The Gatch Bed." Coincidence?

What an incredible success story Mr. William Henry Cling was, creating innovative solutions that could be so helpful for society, and yet, it’s sad that we know so little about him! Have you ever heard of him before?

If you love learning about great inventions and the fascinating history of South Carolina, check out this book: Mistakes That Worked: 40 Familiar Inventions & How They Came to Be.

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