(circa 1890-1900)

This early sawed log farm cabin (circa 1890-1900) was relocated to this site from the small hamlet of Manderfield located 5 miles north of Beaver. Manderfield was known as Indian Creek in pioneer days. The Beaver Chapter of the sons of The Utah Pioneers took on the project when the owners of the building, LaVar and LaRay Cox, donated it to the community. It is believed by many to be the birth cabin of Philo T. Farnsworth, the inventor of modern Television. His uncle, Robert Farnsworth, is thought to have built the cabin. Philo's father and two of his mother's brothers purchased 800 acres just north of his uncle Robert's homestead the summer of 1906. Consequently, it is thought that Philo's family was living with his uncle at the time of his birth, August 19, 1906.
For the first three years of his life Philo's family lived and farmed in the Manderfield area. The family left Beaver County and lived for a time in the town of Washington, near St. George, then near Vernal in northeastern Utah. They eventually moved to a farm near Rigby, Idaho. As a lad of 15, Philo was attending school in Rigby, when the idea of how to electronically scan and transmit a visual image occurred to him. It is said that he was riding on a horse drawn plow which created parallel rows in the farm field in preparation for spring planting when the inspiration



of how to dissect a visual image into parallel horizontal lines; electronically scan it and reassemble the original image on a Television screen took root. Fortunately he diagramed his idea on a small piece of paper which he gave his teacher at Rigby High School. He was 21 years old when he was finally able to transmit an image of his wife, Elma.
The teacher kept the piece of paper, and years later was able to produce it as evidence when Philo's patent was being challenged in the courts by the RCA Corporation, headed by David Sarnoff. The courts ruled in favor of Philo and settled the matter. Philo T. Farnsworth went on to invent numerous other devices. He died March 11, 1971.

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Show me all markers in:  Beaver, UT  |  Beaver County  |  84713  |  Utah  |  United States of America

Philo T. Farnsworth
Beaver Territorial Courthouse
Beaver Opera House
Beaver Relief Society Hall
Beaver Stake Tabernacle
Fort Cameron
Grimshaw Home
Pioneer Park
Joseph Tattersall House
The Beaver Woolen Mills

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