A Brief History of Home Security Locks

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Have you ever actually read the name stamped on your door locks or key? I always have – and I’ve equipped every home I’ve ever bought with Schlage. You can check out my favorite locks at Schlage.com.

Locks keep families and businesses safe and secure from predators. Door knob jiggling is the most effective way to break into a home. All the badguy needs to do is see if the doorknob is locked and if not he simply opens the door and makes his way in. The first step in home security is to lock your doors with quality locks. Locks have had a significant place in the history of security as an effective layer of protection and I thought it would be interesting to share a brief history of the home door lock:

  • 2000 BC—Locks appear in ancient Egypt. Records show wooden locks in use some 4,000 years ago.
  • 445 BC—Locks appear in the Old Testament. In the book of Nehemiah, Chapter 3, it is stated they “set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.”
  • 870-890—All-metal locks begin to appear
  • 1774-1920—Lock-making begins to take off. Between these years, there were 3,000 varieties of lock devices and the level tumbler lock was invented in Europe and improved in 1778 by Robert Barron.
  • 1909—Schlage receives its first patenton Walter Schlage’s first invention, a door lock that turned lights on and off.
  • Early 1920’s—Schlage advances cylindrical pin-tumbler locks. Walter Schlage advanced the concept of a cylindrical pin-tumbler lock, with an emphasis on security. Of equal importance to the modern architect and decorator, the lock became an intricate part of the door design. It was now possible to select complimentary styles of locks, metals, and finishes.
  • 1940— Six years before his death, Schlage is named a “Modern Pioneer”. The brand has continued to carry on his legacy for more than 90 years, creating incredibly strongand technologically advanced locks to help consumers secure their homes.
  • 2006 – Schlage introduces keypad lock for exterior doors, eliminating the need for a traditional key to make access convenient for families, etc…
  • 2009 – Schlage introduces line of keypad locks and complementary home automation systems like Nexia Home Intelligence that provide access and control over the home while away.

Robert Siciliano Home Security Expert to Schlage discussing home security and identity theft on TBS Movie and a Makeover. Disclosures.