Samuel H. Houghton, a Harvard Inventor and Small Businessman

Samuel H. Houghton invented and manufactured his “Safety Egg Carriers” next to his home on Harvard Common and Littleton Road. The building has had several uses, including the Red Cross Tea Room, a butcher shop, and an antiques shop.

Samuel Herbert Houghton was one of Harvard’s inventors and manufacturers. In 1890 he patented a small wire egg carrier. It greatly reduced breakage and although expensive, was popular for “fancy” and hatching eggs. In 1899 he patented and made larger carriers. Raising poulty for eggs was a popular farm industry, with many small poultry farms in Harvard and surrounding towns, and shipping eggs was always difficult. Houghton’s inventions was so successful he reached a larger market.

In 1892, the Clinton Courant featured his product: “The Safety Egg Carrier Company …….filled an order yesterday for Mr. Vanderbilt of New York, for use on his fancy poultry farm, and orders, we understand, are now coming in from places all over the country.”

The egg carriers were manufactured in the small building on the corner of Littleton Rd behind the house Houghton built at 3 Fairbank Street in 1892, the same year he married Hannah Spaulding. The small building was later a Tea Room and Antique Shop.

Mr. Houghton was a carpenter by trade who was noted for being an excellent framer, before he focused more time on his inventions than carpentry. In addition to the egg carriers, he also invented an improved asparagus buncher, apple box press, door roller and a wagon or carriage jack. A carriage jack was used to lift vehicles for repairs. Several sizes of safety egg carriers and part of a carriage jack are in the collection of the Harvard Historical Society.