Who invented the push broom?

The push broom, as we know it today, doesn't have a single inventor but evolved over time. It is believed that variations of the broom with a wide bristle head were developed in the 19th century. One notable patent for a design resembling the modern push broom was filed by a man named John P. McGowan in 1893. However, the concept of using a wide broom for efficient sweeping has likely existed in various forms long before that.