Birthplace of African-American Inventor Garrett Morgan

The birthplace in Paris, KY of Garrett Morgan, an African-American inventor who invented the gas mask in 1912 and the tri-color traffic signal in 1923, is marked with a Kentucky Highway Historical Marker that also includes information on the Branch School where Morgan was educated. The Branch School was located in the Negro hamlet named Claysville on the outskirts of Paris that sprang up immediately after the Civil War and provided a place for the newly freed slaves in the area to live. In addition, an exhibit on Garrett Morgan is displayed at the Hopewell Museum, just a few blocks from the marker.