Posted in Cleveland
March 18, 2020
Few People Know That A Village Near Cleveland Is The Birthplace Of The Drinking Straw
Over the years, a series of incredibly bright inventors and industrialists have called Cleveland home. However, such brilliance and innovation is not confined to Greater Cleveland — it also spans just outside of the metropolitan area and all throughout the state. Believe it or not, one community claims that the modern drinking straw was invented in Ohio — and that’s something they’ve intertwined with local identity. Prepare to take a virtual visit to Lisbon, Ohio!
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Lisbon is a modest village in Columbiana County. It's a blip on most people's radar, and few travelers tend to stop here. However, it has an interesting culture that's worth seeing.

Lisbon was, believe it or not, the second town to be plotted in Ohio. Ohio was admitted to the Union on March 1, 1803, but Lisbon — called New Lisbon at the time — was established as a settlement on February 16, 1803.

Straws, as you probably know, have been around for thousands of years. They were first used by the ancient Sumerians, and they continued to take on different forms as the human culture grew more technologically advanced. But the modern straw? Before paper, plastic, or reusable straws hit the scene, people were drinking from ryegrass straw, which would leave an icky, grassy taste in the mouth.

While there is limited information out there on Louis Harvey Britton and Henry Wilson Morrow, they have a history of inventing together. Their earliest patents date from before New Lisbon was shortened to Lisbon, a change that occurred in 1895. Their patent for a sucker or drinking tube machine appears in Volume 100 of the Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, which was published in 1902.

To be quite blunt, their invention was made to prevent the build-up of backwash in beverages. On the "suction end" of their drinking straw, they introduced a flathead that would not draw saliva back into your drink as soon as suction ceased. It was also made with a coating of "any suitable material and preferably contains an antiseptic" to add strength and to prevent collapse. You can find the patent here.

This quirky piece of history is definitely something to be proud of.
Who knew that the modern drinking straw was invented in Ohio?! This is a tale that’s almost too quirky for the history books.
You’ll find that many commonplace objects were born much closer to home. Check out our list of Cleveland creations for more insight into local inventions.