Dumbwaiters are devices that have been used for thousands of years. They have deep roots that date back well before the medieval period. They became very popular in America during the later part of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century.

By 1877, pretty much any multi-story building had at least one dumbwaiter, perhaps more. This was true of commercial buildings, as well as homes and apartment buildings. They were found to make life much easier for people, because there were no regular elevators and often the stairs could be very steep.

Up until 1877, dumbwaiters were not very efficient and prone to malfunctioning. They were great for lightweight goods, but, at least in residential settings, anything with even a little extra weight could cause problems.

Seeing these problems, two inventors by the name of Jasper Murtaugh and Isaac Richards, set out to improve the dumbwaiter. The dumbwaiter they developed was designed to stop in place at any point, when the user let go of the hoist rope, with no need to secure or fasten the rope in any way. It was also perfectly balanced and the pulley system was enclosed in a manner that lessen the likelihood of a malfunction, because all parts were completely contained.

In addition to providing a very durable and reliable lifting system, these dumbwaiters could also double as a fire escape in the event of an emergency. It is important to note though that today most residential dumbwaiters are not designed for and should never be used to transport people or other living things.

The dumbwaiter was used in many schools, hospitals, homes, and commercial buildings. It was also used at an insane asylum in North Carolina. The company also made much larger commercial dumbwaiters that were designed to carry over 2000 pounds. These had many safety features and you could actually cut the rope while it was fully loaded and it would remain suspended without falling.