Samuel Leeds Allen
Encyclopedia
Samuel Leeds Allen was the inventor and manufacturer of the Flexible Flyer
sled, for over one hundred years the best selling and most famous American sled.
Allen was born at Philadelphia to Quaker parents: John Casdorp Allen, a prominent druggist, and Rebecca Smith Leeds, his wife.
In 1861, Allen moved to Ivystone, a farm, which his father owned, near the village of Westfield in Cinnaminson Township, New Jersey
.
On November 22nd, 1866, Samuel Leeds Allen and Sarah Hooton Roberts were married in Moorestown Friends Meeting House.
Allen's revolutionary sled was developed and tested at Westtown School
and Ivystone. Many throughout the years have chosen "Breidenhart", his home across from Stokes Hill in Moorestown Township
, New Jersey
, as the birthplace of the Flexible Flyer. However, "Breidenhart" wasn't built until 1894, five years after the Flexible Flyer was introduced.
Allen was awarded almost 300 patents for a wide range of farming machinery, including the fertilizer drill, seed drill, potato digger, cultivator, furrower, pulverizer, grass edger and numerous other farm implements. In order to provide year-round employment for his workers producing farm equipment, Mr. Allen sought to create a product that could be sold during the winter. His passion for sledding led him to develop a series of sleds and sled improvements. Allen was issued U.S. Patent number 408,681 on August 13, 1889 for the Flexible Flyer.
Flexible flyer
A flexible flyer or steel runner sled is a steerable wooden sled with thin metal runners.- Usage and Design :Flexible fliers are flexible both in design and usage. The rider may sit upright on the sled or lie on their stomach, allowing the possibility to descend a snowy slope feet-first or...
sled, for over one hundred years the best selling and most famous American sled.
Allen was born at Philadelphia to Quaker parents: John Casdorp Allen, a prominent druggist, and Rebecca Smith Leeds, his wife.
In 1861, Allen moved to Ivystone, a farm, which his father owned, near the village of Westfield in Cinnaminson Township, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
On November 22nd, 1866, Samuel Leeds Allen and Sarah Hooton Roberts were married in Moorestown Friends Meeting House.
Allen's revolutionary sled was developed and tested at Westtown School
Westtown School
Westtown School is a coeducational, college preparatory day and boarding school for students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.-About Westtown School:...
and Ivystone. Many throughout the years have chosen "Breidenhart", his home across from Stokes Hill in Moorestown Township
Moorestown Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:At the 2000 census, there were 19,017 people, 6,971 households, and 5,270 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,287.3 per square mile . There were 7,211 housing units at an average density of 488.1 per square mile...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, as the birthplace of the Flexible Flyer. However, "Breidenhart" wasn't built until 1894, five years after the Flexible Flyer was introduced.
Allen was awarded almost 300 patents for a wide range of farming machinery, including the fertilizer drill, seed drill, potato digger, cultivator, furrower, pulverizer, grass edger and numerous other farm implements. In order to provide year-round employment for his workers producing farm equipment, Mr. Allen sought to create a product that could be sold during the winter. His passion for sledding led him to develop a series of sleds and sled improvements. Allen was issued U.S. Patent number 408,681 on August 13, 1889 for the Flexible Flyer.