A Brief History of Stoves

Much of this history is taken from Antique Stoves.com's website by permission.  They feature a wide selection of restored historic and modern wood burning stoves.  Visit them at www.antiquestoves.com.  Some of the pictures came from Bryant Stove Company, Thorndyke, Maine whose website is

Here is a Brief History of Cast Iron Stoves in America

18th Century American Stove Making

In about 1728, cast iron stoves really began to be made in quantity. These first stoves of German design, are called  Five-plate or Jamb stoves.

 By the 1740's, six-plate stoves, also called close stoves were being made.

In 1740, Benjamin Franklin improved upon the design of stoves by creating the "Pennsylvania Fireplace"

Around 1760, ten-plate stoves, similar to, but larger than, six-plate stoves were made having four more plates that form a oven and two hinged doors. Opening on either side, smoke passed around the ends of the oven and out a pipe. This is the likely genesis of all cook stoves.

19th Century American Stove Making

The manufacture of stoves and cook stoves continued in the 19th century, but difficulty in transportation limited their commercial availability.  The advent of the railroads in the mid 19th century, however, made them much more widely available and the use of fireplaces for heating and cooking began fading into the past. 

Stoves were more efficient and used a fraction of the wood or coal that a fireplace did.  Stoves were advertised in local Charleston, Illinois newspapers as early as 1852, shortly after the coming of the Illinois Central Railroad.  But not everyone immediately jumped on the bandwagon.  Just as it took 10 or 20 years (or more) for some people to adjust to microwave ovens, many people continued to use fireplaces for cooking and heating into the late 19th century. 

The Best Jackson house that was moved to Lincoln Log Cabin was built in 1868 with one fireplace and no stoves.  A stove chimney was added in the kitchen and the fireplace was closed up and a stovepipe opening cut into the chimney at a later date.  Also, the summer kitchen that was built at the Stephen Sargent farm in the 1860s or 70s contained a large cooking fireplace.

19th Century Heating Stoves

Six-plate stoves made in the nineteenth century were commonly called box stoves. They are similar in design to the six-plate stoves of the eighteenth century, but are lighter and more finely cast  because of advancements in technology.

19th Century Cook Stoves

Cook stoves changed and evolved a great deal throughout the 19th century.

Above is an ad for one of the first cook stoves ca. 1818

The Step-Top style dates from the 1820's through the 1890's

Step-Top Cook Stove 1870

More Step-Top Stoves

By mid century, ovens had begun to migrate down underneath the cook top.

1885

1891's

Midwest 1890's

Six-plate stoves made in the nineteenth century were commonly called box stoves. They are similar in design to the six-plate stoves of the eighteenth century, but are lighter and more finely cast  because of advancements in technology.