The Cornerstone: Chamberlain & Co. No. 8 Cast Iron Tea Kettle
The Cornerstone of the SSC collection: a Chamberlain & Co. No. 8 tea kettle bearing the June 23, 1863 date of U.S. Patent No. 38,972 by Barney H. Menke. This piece revealed a patent licensing network spanning five manufacturers across three states — an SSC original research discovery.
The A.G. Patton Cast Iron Tea Kettle
A Columbus foundryman who didn't just cast iron — he engineered it. Three steam vents cast directly into the lid pattern, a gate mark dating it to the 1870s or 1880s, and a name that connects Columbus to the Favorite dynasty.
The Adams & Britt Cincinnati Cast Iron Stove Kettle Griddle
Dated 1872 and carrying every letter of its maker's name as clearly as the day it was cast — a Cincinnati kettle griddle from a partnership so obscure that this piece may be the primary evidence it existed.
The Sidney Hollow Ware Co. No. 9 Skillet
From a foundry that lasted barely more than a decade — a thin, smooth, beautifully cast No. 9 skillet from Wagner's one-time competitor in Sidney, Ohio, the town that became the epicenter of American cast iron production.
The H.S. Pease Enameled Three-Leg Safety Kettle
A one-of-a-kind survival — an enameled three-leg safety kettle from a Cincinnati inventor-manufacturer whose patents spanned three decades, with its porcelain interior intact after more than 130 years. Preserved exactly as found.
The W. Resor & Co. Cincinnati Cast Iron Waffle Iron
From Cincinnati's first stove factory to the SSC collection — a museum-quality waffle iron from the Resor family foundry, whose patriarch arrived by flatboat in 1811 and whose stoves, mansions, and philanthropy helped build the Queen City.
The Perin & Gaff Mfg. Co. Susan R. Knox Patent Crank Fluting Iron
A Victorian laundry machine that connects a woman inventor in New York to a Cincinnati foundry — manufactured under the 1866 patent of Susan R. Knox by Perin & Gaff of Cincinnati, with comparable examples in the Smithsonian's permanent collection.
Browne’s Patent Cast Iron Broom Head
A Cincinnati inventor's patented broom head from the first autumn after the Civil War — carrying his name and the exact date of his patent grant cast into the iron, five months after Appomattox.
The Perin & Gaff Mfg. Co. Cast Iron Chain Pulley
A Cincinnati hardware manufacturer's working pulley survives with full foundry markings — the second Perin & Gaff piece in the SSC collection, expanding the documentation from the laundry room to the barn loft.
The Kenton Brand Cast Iron Combination Safe Bank
In 1893, a struggling lock company in Kenton, Ohio cast its first toy: a bank. That decision launched the Kenton Hardware Company on a path to becoming one of the world's largest cast iron toy factories — makers of horse-drawn fire trucks, toy automobiles, and the Gene Autry cap pistol that sold two million units in eighteen months. This combination safe still bank, marked "KENTON BRAND" on the base, is the product category that started it all. Ornate Victorian scrollwork, combination knob, coin slot, and hinged rear panel. Pieces held by the Smithsonian. Ohio Historical Society marker at the factory site. Acquired from eBay seller jpnkoi, March 2026
The Century Machine Co. Cast Iron Maker’s Plaque
Not every piece in the SSC collection comes from a kitchen. This ornate cast iron maker's plaque was bolted onto commercial bakery equipment manufactured by The Century Machine Company of Cincinnati, Ohio. Century built ovens and bread-making machines for wholesale bakers, developed portable field bakeries that fed American soldiers in every theater of World War II, earned the Army-Navy "E" Award for wartime production excellence — and was liquidated in 1955 when its market disappeared. This plaque may be among the last tangible artifacts of the company's existence. Acquired from eBay seller gerardg55, March 2026.
The A.C. Williams Co. Sad Iron
Before the cast iron banks. Before the toy automobiles and airplanes sold through Woolworth's and Kresge's. Before A.C. Williams became the largest manufacturer of cast iron toys in the world — there was a heavy, solid sad iron with a detachable wooden handle. This one is marked "WILLIAMS CO." and "RAVENNA, OHIO" and dates to the transitional period when miniature models of this very product, made for traveling salesmen, caught a buyer's eye and launched one of Ohio's most celebrated foundries into the toy business. Acquired from Etsy seller stoneridgeattic, March 2026.
The Ney Mfg. Co. No. 403 Barn Hay Pulley
Before the hay baler. Before the tractor. There was a rope, a pulley, and a man with a pitchfork. The Ney Manufacturing Company of Canton, Ohio built its business on the hardware that moved hay from wagon to loft — and this No. 403 barn pulley carries Jacob Ney's original 1879 patent date, the invention that launched the company.
Dover Manufacturing Co. No. 4 Asbestos Sad Iron
Every woman in America ironed clothes. Dover Manufacturing Company of Canal Dover, Ohio built its entire business on solving one part of that problem: the hot handle. This No. 4 asbestos sad iron — with its patented detachable hood, asbestos lining, and cool wooden handle — represents the SSC collection's first piece from Tuscarawas County.
Unknown Wapakoneta Foundry No. 258 Camp Waffle Iron
Before Wapak Hollow Ware. Before Ahrens and Arnold. Before the Indian Head logo. In 1858, an unnamed foundry in Wapakoneta, Ohio cast this diamond-pattern camp waffle iron — pushing the town's documented cast iron heritage back forty-five years before the foundry that put "Wapak" on the collecting map.
Wapak Hollow Ware Company — No. 9 Cast Iron Flat-Bottom Kettle
The Wapak Hollow Ware Company of Wapakoneta, Ohio existed for just 23 years — from 1903 to 1926 — but in that span produced some of the finest lightweight cast iron in American manufacturing history. This No. 9 flat-bottom kettle, marked "WAPAK" in block letters, represents the company's workhorse product line: deep, straight-sided, flat-bottomed vessels built for daily stovetop use in early 20th-century Ohio kitchens. Professionally restored. Acquired from eBay seller golden_treats, January 2026.
Vitantonio Manufacturing Company — No. 5 Cast Iron Pizzelle Iron
Angelo Vitantonio founded his manufacturing company in 1906, bringing centuries of Italian baking tradition to Ohio. This No. 5 stovetop pizzelle iron — marked "VITANTONIO MFG CO / WILLOUGHBY, OHIO" — features a traditional four-quadrant Italian scroll pattern on one plate and a sunburst design on the other, with a field of tiny cast stars covering both exterior faces. Three generations of the Vitantonio family operated the company from Lake County, Ohio. Acquired from eBay seller ctryf26, November 2025.
Adamson Manufacturing Company — Cast Iron Tire Tube Vulcanizer
In the first decades of the automobile age, a flat tire was not an inconvenience — it was a certainty. This cast iron vulcanizer by the Adamson Manufacturing Company of East Palestine, Ohio, patented April 1913, allowed motorists and mechanics to permanently repair punctured inner tubes by heat-bonding raw rubber patches at the molecular level. Marked "ADAMSON MFG. CO. / PATENTED / APR 1913 / E. PALESTINE, O." Original patina preserved. Acquired from eBay seller funmoneyfromselling, March 2026.
The Peck-Williamson Co. — Cast Iron Furnace Damper Plate
A cast iron furnace damper plate from one of America's first central heating manufacturers. The Peck-Williamson Co. of Cincinnati pioneered the Underfeed coal furnace in the early 1900s. This plate carries full maker's identification with original chain — dating to the pre-1911 Peck-Williamson era.
Ober Manufacturing Company — Cast Iron Trivet / Sadiron Stand
A cast iron trivet from an 80-year Ohio village foundry. Ober Manufacturing Company of Chagrin Falls produced sadirons, trivets, and woodworking machinery from the 1870s onward. Marked "OBER / CHAGRIN FALLS • OHIO" — the founder's home now houses the local historical society.