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 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 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 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 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.
Newman Brothers Inc. — The Last Supper Cast Iron Relief Plaque
A cast iron Last Supper relief plaque from one of Ohio's oldest foundries. Newman Brothers Inc. of Cincinnati has been casting metal since 1882. This high-relief devotional plaque carries the "NEWMAN BROS INC" maker's mark and extends the SSC's documentation into Cincinnati's decorative metalwork tradition.