A fall 2025 history project led third-year IU East student Brant Moffitt to a legendary find, and his discovery about local inventors Herbert and Gloster Garrett is on display at IU East Library.
The exhibit titled “Forged on Rough Roads: The Garrett Brothers’ Local Legacy and Innovative Wheel,” is open through July 31. In collaboration with the Black Legacy Project of Wayne County, Moffitt and students of Justine Licata’s Public History course tells the Garretts’ story within the context of race and technological history in America.
Born and raised in Richmond, the Garrett brothers were Black inventors that created the resilient spring wheel to endure rough-road terrain. Moffitt happened to find an identical patent for their suspension technology used in projection wheel testing at NASA.
Moffitt searched for the original patent for eight weeks before discovering records of two patents in California. The Garretts’ first patent was signed in 1913, and an improved version followed in 1914. This discovery prompted a deeper dive that led to the full exhibit’s creation.
Students studied different aspects of the Garrett story, including the family’s history, NASA’s discrimination against Black inventors, the Great Migration of Black Americans to the North and the legacy of Jim Crow. Moffitt said the exhibit is just the beginning of the story.
“Audiences are only seeing the tip of the iceberg,” said Moffitt. He said the exhibit has led to curiosity about other local legends to highlight.
“The exhibit is awesome,” said Marlene Lindsey, president of Black Legacy Project. In addition to the student’s work, Polyframes created a 3D model of the wheel.
Licata is thankful for Lindsey and the community’s support.
“This project is not possible without community collaboration,” said Licata. She added that Richmond’s small community is always ready to help.
After this summer showing, the exhibit could move to the Wayne County Historical Museum. And BLP hopes to work with the Indy 500 Museum as well as the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., to expand the exhibit’s reach.
Explore the Garrett exhibit weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the IU East Library, Hayes Hall, 2325 Chester Blvd., in Richmond. The library is closed June 19 and July 3.
For more information on the Black Legacy Project, visit www.blpwc.org.
A version of this article appeared in the April 29 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.