The A.G. Patton Cast Iron Tea Kettle
SSC MUSEUM COLLECTION
Catalog No. SSC-AGPAT-TK-001
No. 6 | Cast Iron Tea Kettle | Stove Insert | Cast Steam Vents | Columbus, Ohio
Circa 1874–1890 • A.G. Patton / Patton Manufacturing Co. • Ohio Foundry Corridor
Top view of the A.G. Patton tea kettle following SSC museum conservation—lye degreased and preserved with Renaissance Wax. The lid carries the full maker’s mark: “A.G. PATTON” arching above and “COLUMBUS O.” arching below, with concentric decorative rings surrounding the size number “6” at center. The wire bail handle, pour spout, and hinged lid latch are all intact. Three small holes visible on the lid between the inner and outer concentric rings are cast steam vents—a deliberate engineering feature that distinguishes this piece from most period tea kettles. The Renaissance Wax finish reveals the bare iron casting in extraordinary detail, with every letter sharp and every ring precisely defined.
In the city of Columbus, Ohio—the state capital and one of the Midwest’s major nineteenth-century industrial centers—A.G. Patton operated a foundry that produced cast iron hollow ware from approximately 1874 to 1900. The company is known to collectors under several names: Brooks & Patton in its earlier configuration, the Patton Manufacturing Company in its primary operating period, and sometimes simply as “A.G.P.” from the initials cast into some of its products. This tea kettle—marked with the full name “A.G. PATTON / COLUMBUS, O.” on its lid—bears the most complete form of the Patton maker’s mark, identifying not just a company but the man himself.
And now, after SSC museum conservation—lye degreasing followed by Renaissance Wax preservation—this kettle has revealed details that were invisible under its accumulated layers of old seasoning and surface grime. The markings are crisp and fully legible. The concentric ring pattern on the lid is precisely defined. And three small holes cast into the lid—steam vents deliberately placed in the pattern during the casting process—are now clearly visible, identifying this as a kettle designed with an engineering refinement that most period tea kettles did not incorporate.
The Cast Steam Vents: A Deliberate Engineering Feature
Detail view of the lid after conservation, showing the “A.G. PATTON” and “COLUMBUS O.” markings, the concentric decorative rings, the size number “6” at center, and—critically—three small holes cast into the lid between the inner and outer ring patterns. These are not damage. They are not pitting. They are not post-production modifications. They are cast steam vents—holes deliberately formed in the sand mold during the casting process, placed symmetrically within the decorative ring pattern, and designed to allow controlled steam release during stove-top heating.
The three small holes on this lid are among the most interesting physical features of any piece in the SSC collection. They are cast steam vents—small apertures deliberately incorporated into the lid pattern during the sand mold creation process, not drilled or punched after casting. The evidence for this is in the holes themselves: their edges are smooth and rounded, consistent with the surrounding cast surface, with no tool marks, drill burrs, or evidence of post-production modification. They were part of the original pattern.
The function of cast steam vents on a tea kettle lid is straightforward but significant. A tight-fitting cast iron lid on a stove-top kettle creates a sealed or near-sealed chamber. As water heats toward boiling, steam pressure builds inside the kettle. Without a controlled release path, that pressure can force the lid to rattle, shift, or eject—a safety hazard on a hot stove top. The pour spout provides some venting, but its opening may be partially blocked by the spout’s curved interior or by water level. Cast steam vents in the lid provide a secondary, always-open path for pressure equalization—a small but deliberate safety and convenience feature.
What makes these vents noteworthy is that they are cast into the iron, not added afterward. This means the foundry’s pattern maker—the craftsman who carved the wooden master pattern from which the sand molds were created—incorporated the vent holes into the design. Every kettle lid cast from that pattern would have had the same three vents in the same positions. This is not an improvisation or a field modification. It is an intentional engineering decision by the Patton foundry, built into the manufacturing process at the pattern level.
The Patton Foundry Lineage: Brooks & Patton to Patton Mfg. Co.
Profile view showing the tea kettle’s classic stove-top form: bulged round body, curved pour spout, wire bail handle, and hinged lid with the A.G. Patton maker’s mark. The kettle was designed to sit on a stove top or insert into a stove-eye opening, with the body suspended in the heat. The proportions are characteristic of mid-to-late nineteenth-century Ohio foundry tea kettles. After conservation, the bare iron surface shows the smooth casting walls and the gentle curves of a well-made piece, with the Renaissance Wax providing a protective sheen without darkening the surface.
A.G. Patton’s Columbus foundry operated under several names over its roughly quarter-century lifespan. The earliest known configuration is Brooks & Patton, a partnership that produced waffle irons and tea kettles in Columbus. The Wagner and Griswold Society’s foundry database lists “PATTON MFG. CO. COLUMBUS, OHIO 1874–1900” with a cross-reference to Brooks & Patton, and separately lists “A. G. P. Columbus, O” for waffle irons and pots. These entries—all pointing to the same Columbus operation—document a foundry that used at least three different marks on its products: the partnership name, the company name, the owner’s initials, and—as on this tea kettle—the owner’s full name.
The fact that this kettle is marked “A.G. PATTON” rather than “PATTON MFG. CO.” or “BROOKS & PATTON” may indicate a transitional period in the company’s branding, or it may simply reflect Patton’s preference for personal identification on certain products. In an era when small foundry owners often cast their own names into their products, the “A.G. PATTON / COLUMBUS, O.” mark is the most personal and direct form of the maker’s identity.
The Gate Mark: Dating Evidence in Iron
Bottom view showing the gate mark—a raised ridge running across the flat base where molten iron entered the sand mold during casting. Gate marks are diagnostic of pre-1890s manufacture, indicating horizontal sand mold casting—the standard foundry method of the mid-to-late nineteenth century. The flat base is sized to sit on a stove top or drop into a stove-eye opening. After conservation, the gate mark is clearly visible against the bare iron surface.
The gate mark on the bottom of this kettle is the most significant dating feature of the piece. A gate mark is a raised ridge or scar left on the bottom of a casting where molten iron entered the sand mold through a horizontal gate channel. This method of casting was standard in American foundries through the mid-to-late nineteenth century but was largely phased out by the late 1880s as bottom-gated and side-gated mold designs became the industry norm. The presence of a gate mark places this kettle in the earlier portion of Patton’s production period—likely the 1870s or 1880s—making it one of the oldest datable pieces in the SSC collection.
A.G. Patton and Columbus Hollow Ware
Open view with lid pivoted showing the kettle interior and the hinged lid construction. The “A.G. PATTON” and “COLUMBUS O.” markings are visible on the lid face. The wide mouth allowed easy filling from a pump or bucket; the pour spout directed the flow when serving. The interior shows the bare iron surface after lye degreasing—clean, free of buildup, with the original casting texture visible.
A.G. Patton’s history intersects with one of the more complex narratives in Ohio cast iron: the Columbus Hollow Ware Company. In 1897, Patton obtained the Columbus Hollow Ware naming rights and contracted with the Ohio State Penitentiary to produce cast iron cookware using prison labor. The original Columbus Hollow Ware Company had been founded in 1882 by Jesse F. and E.B. Hatcher, who operated a foundry within the penitentiary producing cast iron cookware marketed under “The Favorite” brand. Under Patton’s ownership, the reestablished Columbus Hollow Ware Company continued contracting with the penitentiary. Cast iron produced during this prison-contract period is believed to be largely unmarked.
This history makes A.G. Patton a central figure in Columbus’s cast iron story—a man who ran his own foundry for over two decades, then acquired the naming rights to another company and moved production into the state prison system. The tea kettle in the SSC collection dates from the earlier, independent chapter of that story—before the prison contracts, before Columbus Hollow Ware, when Patton was casting iron under his own name in his own Columbus foundry. The gate mark confirms it. The cast steam vents prove it was a carefully engineered product, not a crude utilitarian vessel. And the Renaissance Wax conservation has revealed the full beauty of a piece that sat obscured under old seasoning for more than a century.
Piece Details
Manufacturer
A.G. Patton (also known as Patton Manufacturing Co.; earlier partnership as Brooks & Patton), Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio
Piece Type
Cast Iron Tea Kettle, No. 6, Stove Insert
Form
Round bulged stove-top tea kettle with curved pour spout, wire bail handle, hinged lid with decorative concentric rings, and three cast steam vents in the lid
Material
Cast Iron
Marking
“A.G. PATTON” and “COLUMBUS O.” in raised letters on lid; “6” size number at center within concentric ring pattern
Distinctive Feature
Three cast steam vents in lid—small holes deliberately incorporated into the casting pattern for controlled steam release during stove-top heating; not drilled or post-production; edges smooth and consistent with surrounding cast surface
Purpose
Stove-top tea kettle for heating and boiling water on wood-burning or coal-burning cooking stoves
Date of Manufacture
Circa 1874–1890 (gate mark confirms pre-1890s production)
Place of Manufacture
Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio
Condition
Museum quality — conserved under SSC Archival Black™ protocol (lye degreasing) and preserved with Renaissance Wax; all markings crisp and fully legible; gate mark clearly visible on bottom; three cast steam vents intact and unobstructed; bail handle functional; pour spout intact; hinged lid functional with latch; no cracks, chips, or structural damage
Acquisition Date
March 5, 2026
Acquisition Source
eBay — Seller: riferg_23
eBay Item Number
357881334104
Order Number
10-14324-67752
Purchase Price
$23.00 item + $27.06 shipping + $4.24 tax = $54.30 total
SSC Catalog Number
SSC-AGPAT-TK-001
Collection Designation
Ohio Foundry Corridor
A.G. Patton / Columbus Hollow Ware — Company Timeline
c. 1874
A.G. Patton establishes a foundry in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. An earlier partnership configuration, Brooks & Patton, produced waffle irons and tea kettles. The foundry produces cast iron hollow ware marked variously as “A.G. PATTON,” “A.G.P.,” “PATTON MFG. CO.,” and “BROOKS & PATTON.”
c. 1874–1890
Patton’s independent foundry production period. Products include tea kettles (like this piece), waffle irons, pots, and related hollow ware. Gate-marked pieces from this era indicate horizontal sand mold casting consistent with pre-1890s manufacture.
1882
Jesse F. and E.B. Hatcher found the Columbus Hollow Ware Company, operating a foundry within the Ohio State Penitentiary. Products are marketed under “The Favorite” brand and produced using contracted inmate labor.
1897
A.G. Patton obtains the Columbus Hollow Ware naming rights and continues the prison-contract manufacturing arrangement with the Ohio State Penitentiary. This marks Patton’s transition from independent foundry owner to operator within the prison system.
c. 1900
Patton Manufacturing Co. ceases operations. The WAGS database documents the company’s active period as 1874–1900.
SSC Collection Context
This A.G. Patton tea kettle joins the SSC’s existing A.G. Patton lid to form a two-piece documentation of the Patton foundry lineage in Columbus. Together with the Columbus Hollow Ware “The Favorite” skillets in the SSC’s Favorite Corporate Lineage collection, the Patton pieces extend the documentation of Columbus’s cast iron manufacturing story across multiple decades and multiple business configurations. Columbus and Piqua are the two anchor cities of the Favorite Corporate Lineage grouping, and A.G. Patton is the man who connected them.
The cast steam vents on this kettle’s lid add a new dimension to the SSC collection’s documentation of foundry engineering. Most tea kettles of this era relied on the pour spout alone for steam release, or on a loose-fitting lid that naturally vented. Patton’s decision to cast dedicated vent holes into the lid pattern represents a deliberate design choice—an investment in the wooden master pattern that would carry through to every kettle cast from that mold. It is a small detail, but it reveals something about how the Patton foundry approached product design: not merely casting a functional vessel, but engineering a better one.
Why This Piece Matters
An A.G. Patton tea kettle with a gate mark and cast steam vents is a piece of Columbus, Ohio foundry history that predates the automobile, predates electric light in most Ohio households, and predates the corporate consolidation that would eventually merge Columbus’s cast iron makers into larger entities. The gate mark places it in the 1870s or 1880s—the earliest period of Patton’s independent Columbus foundry operations. The full-name marking—“A.G. PATTON / COLUMBUS, O.”—identifies not a corporation but a man, a specific Ohio foundryman who put his name on his products and sent them out into the world.
It matters because the conservation revealed what was always there. Under old seasoning and accumulated surface grime, the Patton name was waiting. The lye tank removed what time had added. The Renaissance Wax preserved what the foundry created. And in the process, three small holes in the lid—cast steam vents that had been invisible under dark buildup—became visible for the first time in perhaps a century. Those holes tell a story about a foundryman who didn’t just cast iron—he engineered it.
Fifty-four dollars and thirty cents on eBay. A tea kettle from a Columbus foundry, gate-marked, steam-vented, and bearing the name of the man who made it. After museum conservation, it is one of the most beautiful pieces in the SSC collection—and one of the most revealing.
The iron endures. The markings tell the truth. The story deserves to be told.
Sources & Further Reading
Physical examination of piece: A.G. Patton No. 6 cast iron tea kettle. Conserved under SSC Archival Black™ protocol (lye degreasing) and preserved with Renaissance Wax. Marked “A.G. PATTON” and “COLUMBUS O.” with size “6” on lid. Gate mark on bottom. Three cast steam vents in lid—edges smooth and consistent with surrounding cast surface, confirming incorporation at the pattern level during sand mold creation.
Cast Iron Collector (castironcollector.com) — Columbus Hollow Ware Co. foundry profile: founding date, production period, Hatcher family founders, Ohio Penitentiary connection, and A.G. Patton’s 1897 acquisition of naming rights.
BoonieHicks.com — “The Favorite: Vintage Cast Iron by the Columbus Hollow Ware Co.” Detailed history including A.G. Patton’s prison-contract manufacturing.
WAGS (Wagner and Griswold Society) Foundry Database (wag-society.org) — Listings for “A. G. P. Columbus, O” (waffle irons, pots), “PATTON MFG. CO. COLUMBUS, OHIO 1874–1900,” and “BROOKS & PATTON COLUMBUS, OH.”
Cast Iron Collector Forums (castironcollector.com/forum) — Collector identification of A.G.P. marked pieces as products of the A.G. Patton foundry. Discussion of vent marks in cast iron—deliberate features incorporated into sand molds during the casting process for gas and steam release.
SSC Internal Collection Records — Columbus manufacturer pieces: A.G. Patton lid (existing holding), Columbus Hollow Ware “The Favorite” skillet set (Nos. 8–12), Favorite Piqua Ware series. A.G. Patton connects the Columbus and Piqua chapters of the Favorite Corporate Lineage.
About Steve’s Seasoned Classics
Steve’s Seasoned Classics is an online museum dedicated to preserving and documenting the heritage of American cast iron, with a focus on Ohio foundry pieces from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The SSC collection features over 130 pieces with detailed provenance, historical research, and photography for each item.
