Manufacturers & Foundries

This page covers the major American cast iron foundries that matter to serious collectors. It focuses on what you need to know to identify, date, and assess the pieces — not a complete academic history.

Griswold Manufacturing Company Erie, Erie County, Pennsylvania | 1865–1957

Founded in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1865 by Matthew Griswold and his cousins, the Selden brothers. Wikipedia The company started making hardware and hinges before shifting to cast iron cookware. After an 1885 fire destroyed the original factory, it was rebuilt and reorganized as Griswold Manufacturing Co. Cast Iron Collector

Griswold became the standard against which other Ohio foundries measured themselves. Other foundries such as Wapak and Sidney Hollow Ware used Griswold skillets as templates — ghost marks from Erie pieces can still be found on competing hollow ware from the early 20th century. Boonie Hicks

Logo Timeline (for identification) Brand names used over the years include Selden & Griswold, Erie, Griswold's Erie, Griswold, Victor, Iron Mountain, Good Health, Best Made, Merit, and Puritan. Cast Iron Collector The ERIE mark is the earliest and most desirable. The slant logo (1906–1916) is the first of the famous Griswold logos. The large block logo followed in the 1920s–30s. The block lettering version from the 1920s–30s is the most widely recognized Griswold logo today. Wikipedia The small logo ran from approximately 1939 until acquisition in 1957.

Ownership Changes The Griswold family retained ownership until 1946 when Ely Griswold sold to a New York investment group. In 1957, McGraw Edison sold the brand to competitor Wagner Manufacturing, and the Erie plant closed permanently. Cast Iron Collector

Wagner Manufacturing Company Sidney, Shelby County, Ohio | 1891–1999

Founded by brothers Milton M. and Bernard P. Wagner in Sidney, Ohio, with construction beginning in 1890. Wikipedia The company opened for business in June 1891 with 20 employees, melting 9,200 pounds of iron daily within three months. Wagner Cast Iron

Wagner was among the first to produce cast aluminum cookware in 1894, and by 1913 was distributing products globally. At its peak, the company held roughly 60% of the national cookware market. Wikipedia

Brand names included Wagner Ware, National, Long Life, Magnalite, Wardway, and Ward's Cast Iron. Cast Iron Collector

Logo Timeline (for identification) For its first thirty years, Wagner used only the word "WAGNER" in a straight line or arc, sometimes with "SIDNEY, O." added below. Cast Iron Collector Around 1922, the iconic stylized logo — featuring the large looped "W" with "SIDNEY" and "-O-" beneath — first appeared and remained in use through multiple ownership changes. Cast Iron Collector

Ownership Changes The founding Wagner family divested between 1946–1952, selling to the Randall Company of Cincinnati. Randall acquired Griswold in 1957, and both brands were sold to Textron in 1959, then to General Housewares Corp. in 1969. Cast Iron Collector The Sidney foundry closed permanently in 1999.

Favorite Stove & Range Company Piqua, Miami County, Ohio | 1889–1935

Founded by William King Boal, with roots tracing back to the W.C. Davis Company in Cincinnati in 1848. Boal moved the operation to Piqua, Ohio in 1888 and began operating as Favorite Stove & Range Co. in 1889. Cast Iron Collector

Boal died in 1916 at age 84, and his son William S. Boal expanded hollow ware production. The Great Depression hit hard — the company reorganized and closed permanently in 1935. Cast Iron Collector Cookware tooling and patterns were sold to Chicago Hardware Foundry Co. Cast Iron Collector

Brand Names: Favorite Piqua Ware, Miami, Puritan (the Puritan line was made for Sears Roebuck).

Logo Notes Favorite used eight logos during its production run, including the block logo, stylized font, "Smiley" logo, Sunrise logo, Miami Diamond logo, and dual logos. Cast Iron Collector Most Favorite Piqua Ware is dated by collectors to 1916–1935, though the company likely produced hollow ware before that.

Wapak Hollow Ware Company Wapakoneta, Auglaize County, Ohio | 1903–1926

Founded by Milton Bennett, Marion Stephenson, Harry Bennett, Charles Stephenson, and S.P. Hick. Period of production 1903–1926. Cast Iron Collector The company started with approximately $20,000 in assets, manufacturing bean pots, kettles, skillets, and stoves, as well as sad irons. WorthPoint Wapak closed in 1926 due to bankruptcy. Etsy

Brand Names: Wapak, Oneta.

Logo Notes The Indian Head logo is the most sought-after mark in the Wapak line — the full marking reads "WAPAK HIGH GRADE HOLLOW WARE" surrounding a profile of a Native American man in a feathered headdress. WorthPoint Other logos include the Chicken Foot, Arc, Block, and Tapered. Much of Wapak's production appears to have been cast from patterns derived from other foundries' pieces — Erie ghost marks are commonly found on Wapak skillets. Cast Iron Collector

Reproduction Warning Indian Head fakes exist. Genuine pieces are lightweight and smooth — modern reproductions are thicker with a rougher cooking surface. Boonie Hicks Examine logo crispness, headdress detail, and the legibility of "High Grade" lettering.

Sidney Hollow Ware Company Sidney, Shelby County, Ohio | 1886–1897

Founded by Philip Smith, who had learned iron molding in a Dayton foundry in 1852 before moving to Sidney in 1859. Smith and his brother established a foundry taking general casting work before expanding to hollow ware in 1886. Cast Iron Collector The initial investment in the company was just $25. Boonie Hicks

In 1897, the hollow ware foundry was sold to Sidney-based competitor Wagner Manufacturing for a reported $40,000. Smith later bought the foundry back from Wagner in 1903 but apparently did not resume hollow ware production. Cast Iron Collector

Logo Notes The script logo — cursive lettering with "Sidney" and the letter O for Ohio — is the oldest and considered the mark of genuine Smith-era production. Block lettering versions are generally Wagner-era pieces made in the former Sidney foundry after 1897. Boonie Hicks Pieces marked only "SIDNEY" without further markings are most likely Wagner production, not original Sidney Hollow Ware.

Collector Notes Genuine pre-Wagner Sidney Hollow Ware is scarce. The short production window of just eleven years and the subsequent absorption by Wagner means true Smith-era pieces don't come up often. Boonie Hicks The script logo is what you're looking for. [Steve's voice goes here — your experience with Sidney pieces, how the Wagner-made Sidney pieces compare, and the Shelby County connection.

Columbus Hollow Ware Company Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio | c. 1882–1902

One of the most unusual stories in American cast iron history. The Columbus Hollow Ware Co. foundry was located inside the Ohio Penitentiary at Columbus, and contracted with the state to use inmate labor for its production. Cast Iron Collector Inmates were paid to work inside the foundry and could use the profits for commissary. Etsy

Brand Name: The Favorite. Note — this is a different foundry than Favorite Stove & Range of Piqua. The shared "Favorite" name causes persistent confusion among collectors. If your pan reads "The Favorite" it's Columbus Hollow Ware. If it reads "Favorite Piqua Ware" or "Favorite Cook Ware," it's from a different foundry entirely. Boonie Hicks

Collector Notes Columbus Hollow Ware pieces are scarce compared to Griswold and Wagner — the prison foundry origin and limited production window mean they don't surface often. Boonie Hicks The prison labor backstory makes these among the most historically distinctive pieces in Ohio cast iron collecting. [Steve's voice goes here — your experience with Columbus Hollow Ware, how to spot them, and what they're worth hunting for.]