Jasper Sherman Bilby, an internationally known surveyor, moved to Ripley County by 1893 after joining the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1884. He performed geodetic surveys that accounted for the curvature of the earth for commercial and infrastructure purposes. In 1926-27, he invented the Bilby Steel Tower, improving efficiency and reducing cost. Herbert Hoover commended Bilby's invention in 1927. The tower allowed surveyors to sight over obstacles when measuring long distances. Made of steel instead of wood, the towers were reusable, portable, and quickly assembled. They saved the federal government $3,072,000 within the first ten years of use and were used nationally and internationally for over 50 years, with the resulting data serving as a foundation of modern mapping and GPS.