Medicine has changed throughout history but being able to stand up and safely walk is important. This iron medical walking aid is heavy and sturdy from the early 1940s.
Basic metal walking frames were invented by William Cribbes Robb in the UK. The first walker with wheels wasn’t patented in the U.S. until 1970 by Alfred A. Smith. Blue Ridge resident Elmer Conrad Spickard used this walker. It was donated to the Botetourt Museum of History and Culture by his granddaughter, Naomi Spickard Rock, on May 31, 2024. Today’s walkers are much improved and plastic walkers help babies learn to walk.
~ Botetourt County Museum of History & Culture
