Well, it sounded like a plausible explanation...
A Week in Philadelphia In 1837, the Baron Lindt von Trapp emigrated to America. Shortly thereafter he settled in Philadelphia. In 1852, he invented the clothes dryer. This invention, as we all know today, was very successful. In honor of his success and the fame brought to the city of Philadelphia by its invention, the city purchased the latest coal fired clothes dryer for every household in the city. In appreciation, the citizens erected this monument to the now obsolete clothespin. We know this story is true because every dryer manufactured today still contains a feature named after its Philadelphia inventor - the lint trap.