Ohio Stove Co. “Pearl” No. 7 Sad Iron Long Pan
SSC MUSEUM COLLECTION
Catalog No. SSC-OHIOSTOVE-PAN-1875-001
“PEARL” Brand | No. 7 Parlor Stove Sad Iron Pan | Portsmouth, Ohio
Circa 1872–1890 • Ohio Stove Co. • Pre-1905 Collection
Top view showing the full piece: “PEARL.” cast at one end and “No 7.” at the other. The oblong pan with decorative bail handles at both ends is a sad iron long pan—a cast iron tray that sat on top of a Pearl No. 7 parlor stove to keep flat irons hot for pressing clothes. The gate mark on the bottom confirms pre-1875 casting technology, potentially dating this piece to the foundry’s earliest years of production after its 1872 incorporation.
Before the electric iron, there was the sad iron—a heavy, flat-bottomed piece of cast iron, heated on a stove and pressed across fabric to smooth wrinkles. The word “sad” comes from an Old English word meaning “solid” or “heavy,” and there was nothing sad about using one except the labor: a cook or domestic worker would heat several sad irons simultaneously on the stove top, use one until it cooled, swap it for a hot one, and continue the cycle for hours. Laundry day was a full-day production, and the sad iron pan was one of its essential tools—a purpose-built cast iron tray that sat on top of the parlor stove, providing a flat, stable, heat-conducting surface on which to park the irons while they heated.
This is a Pearl No. 7 sad iron long pan, produced by the Ohio Stove Company of Portsmouth, Scioto County, Ohio. The “Pearl” was a model name for one of Ohio Stove’s parlor stove lines, and this pan was the accessory that went with it—sized to fit the No. 7 stove’s top, with decorative bail handles at both ends for lifting it on and off the stove. The oblong shape accommodated multiple sad irons laid end to end, and the raised rim kept them from sliding off during the heating cycle. It is a piece of domestic infrastructure so specific to its era that most modern viewers will not immediately recognize what it is or what it was for.
The gate mark on the bottom places this piece squarely in the pre-1875 era. Ohio Stove Company was incorporated in 1872, which means this pan could date from the foundry’s very first years of production—a founding-era piece from a company that is still in operation today as OSCO Industries, more than 150 years later. The gate mark, the casting style, and the decorative handle design all point to the 1870s or 1880s, making this a Pre-1905 Collection piece with strong claims to being among the earliest Ohio Stove Company products that survive in collector hands.
Reading the Markings
Close-up of the “PEARL.” marking cast into the rim at one end of the pan. The lettering is crisp and fully legible. “Pearl” was a model name in Ohio Stove Company’s parlor stove line—this pan was the sad iron accessory tray designed to fit the Pearl No. 7 stove.
Close-up of the “No 7.” marking at the opposite end, with the decorative bail handle visible above. The handle design—a double-loop bail with a decorative center peak—is characteristic of parlor stove accessories from the 1870s–1880s, when stove manufacturers treated even utilitarian accessories as opportunities for ornamental casting.
Piece Details
Profile view showing the shallow oblong form, the raised rim, and the bail handle at one end. The depth is sufficient to hold multiple sad irons flat, and the low profile kept the center of gravity stable on the stove top. The overall casting quality is excellent—clean lines, even walls, and well-formed decorative handles.
Manufacturer
Ohio Stove Co. (incorporated 1872; now OSCO Industries Inc.)
Brand / Stove Model
“Pearl” parlor stove line
Piece Type
No. 7 Sad Iron Long Pan (parlor stove accessory)
Material
Cast Iron (gate marked)
Markings
“PEARL.” cast at one end; “No 7.” cast at opposite end
Bottom Configuration
Gate mark (vertical casting seam); confirms pre-1875 casting method
Handles
Decorative double-loop bail handles at both ends
Form
Oblong / stadium-shaped shallow pan with raised rim; sized to fit Pearl No. 7 parlor stove top
Date of Manufacture
Circa 1872–1890 (gate mark confirms pre-1875 method; company incorporated 1872)
Place of Manufacture
Portsmouth, Scioto County, Ohio
Condition
Very Good — legible markings; gate mark intact; both handles intact; no cracks; original surface
Acquisition Date
November 28, 2025
Acquisition Source
eBay — Seller: tnosek
eBay Item Number
267489607541
Order Number
27-13871-73736
Purchase Price
$105.00 item + $16.00 shipping + $10.25 tax = $131.25 total
SSC Catalog Number
SSC-OHIOSTOVE-PAN-1875-001
Collection Designation
Pre-1905 Collection
What a Sad Iron Pan Is and Why It Mattered
The sad iron long pan is one of the most specialized pieces of domestic cast iron ever produced—a tool so specific to its era and its function that it has no modern equivalent. To understand what it is, you have to understand laundry day in a nineteenth-century household.
Before electric irons, pressing clothes required heating heavy cast iron flat irons—called “sad irons” from the Old English word for solid or heavy—on the stove top. A household typically owned several: while one was in use pressing fabric on the ironing board, the others sat on the stove absorbing heat. When the iron in hand cooled too much to press effectively, the worker swapped it for a hot one and returned the cooled iron to the stove. The cycle repeated for hours. On a busy laundry day, the stove top might hold three, four, or five sad irons simultaneously.
The sad iron pan was the purpose-built surface for this operation. Instead of placing heavy irons directly on the stove’s cooking lids—where they could scratch the surface, block the draft, or fall off—the householder placed a sad iron pan on the stove top and arranged the irons on the pan. The pan’s raised rim kept the irons contained. Its flat base conducted heat efficiently from the stove. Its handles allowed the entire assembly to be lifted off the stove when the pressing was done. And its oblong shape, tailored to fit a specific stove model, made it a standard accessory that stove manufacturers sold alongside the stove itself.
This Pearl No. 7 was not sold separately—it was part of the package. When a household purchased a Pearl No. 7 parlor stove from Ohio Stove Company, the sad iron pan came with it. That is why the pan carries the stove’s model name and number: it was designed to fit one specific stove, and the marking ensured that replacement parts could be ordered correctly. In an era before universal sizing, every stove had its own accessories, and every accessory was marked to match.
The Gate Mark: Dating the Piece
Bottom view showing the gate mark—the vertical casting seam running across the center of the base. This confirms pre-1875 sand mold casting technology. The four raised feet at the corners provided stable contact on the stove top. The oblong/stadium shape is clearly visible from this angle.
The gate mark on this piece is the key to its dating. Ohio Stove Company was incorporated in 1872, and the gate mark confirms pre-1875 casting technology. That places this sad iron pan within the first three years of the company’s existence—a founding-era piece from a Portsmouth foundry that would go on to operate for over 150 years. By the late 1870s, foundries were transitioning to bottom-gated molds that left no visible seam, so gate-marked Ohio Stove pieces represent the company’s earliest production run.
This is now the third gate-marked piece in the SSC Pre-1905 Collection, joining the Shinnick Hattan kettle (Zanesville, 1863) and the H. Wells & Bro. kettle (Martins Ferry, 1867). Together, these three pieces document gate-marked Ohio cast iron from three different Ohio River region foundries across a span of approximately twelve years—the last generation of gate-marked production before the technology was superseded.
Ohio Stove Company: 150 Years of Continuous Operation
Ohio Stove Company was incorporated in 1872 in Portsmouth, Scioto County, Ohio—a city at the confluence of the Ohio and Scioto Rivers that had been a center of river commerce since the early nineteenth century. The company was organized as a foundry to cast iron stove parts and assemble heating and cooking stoves. Its products became known in the industry under the “Buckeye” brand name, with individual stove models carrying names like “Pearl” for their parlor stove lines.
The company’s longevity is remarkable. In 1942, a group of investors purchased Ohio Stove and expanded into commercial gray iron casting for the air conditioning, transportation, and power transmission industries. By 1953, the conversion from stove production to commercial castings was complete, and the original stove casting molds were sold. At the company’s centennial celebration in 1972, it changed its name to OSCO Industries, Inc. Today, OSCO operates foundry facilities in Portsmouth, New Boston, and Jackson, Ohio, producing gray iron castings for scroll compressors and other industrial applications.
From parlor stove accessories in the 1870s to scroll compressor components in the 2020s—Ohio Stove Company’s arc mirrors the entire history of American industrial casting. This sad iron pan represents the very beginning of that arc: a gate-marked piece from the company’s founding era, when the foundry was casting stove parts in sand molds poured from the side, in a river town on the Ohio, two years before the gate mark itself became obsolete.
Corporate Timeline: Ohio Stove Co. / OSCO Industries
1872
Ohio Stove Company incorporated in Portsmouth, Scioto County, Ohio. The foundry produces heating and cooking stoves under the “Buckeye” brand. Parlor stove models include the “Pearl” line. Gate-marked casting technology is standard.
c.1872–75
This Pearl No. 7 sad iron pan is produced. The gate mark on the bottom confirms the piece was cast using pre-1875 technology, potentially within the company’s first three years of operation.
c.1875
The foundry industry transitions to bottom-gated molds. Gate marks disappear from new production. Gate-marked Ohio Stove pieces represent the earliest era of the company’s output.
1872–1942
Ohio Stove operates as a stove manufacturer in Portsmouth for seventy years, producing coal heating and cooking stoves and their accessories.
1942
New ownership acquires the company and begins expanding into commercial gray iron casting for air conditioning and industrial applications.
1953
Conversion to commercial castings complete. Original stove casting molds sold. The “Buckeye” stove line ends permanently.
1972
At its centennial celebration, the company changes its name to OSCO Industries, Inc.
Today
OSCO Industries operates foundries in Portsmouth, New Boston, and Jackson, Ohio. Over 150 years of continuous operation from the same Scioto County base.
Why This Piece Matters
The Ohio Stove Co. Pearl No. 7 sad iron pan matters for three reasons. First, it is gate-marked—the third gate-marked piece in the SSC Pre-1905 Collection, confirming pre-1875 casting technology and potentially dating to the company’s founding year of 1872. Second, it documents a product category—the parlor stove accessory—that has almost completely vanished from the modern material record, representing a domestic technology that was essential to every nineteenth-century household and is now entirely forgotten. Third, it connects the SSC collection to a company that has been in continuous operation for over 150 years, making it a founding-era artifact from one of Ohio’s longest-running foundries.
The SSC Pre-1905 Collection now holds three gate-marked pieces from three Ohio River region foundries: Shinnick Hattan & Co. (Zanesville, Muskingum County, 1863), H. Wells & Bro. (Martins Ferry, Belmont County, 1867), and Ohio Stove Co. (Portsmouth, Scioto County, c. 1872–1875). Together, they document the earliest era of Ohio cast iron production—the generation before Wagner, before Griswold, before the Golden Age. They are the foundation on which Ohio’s later industrial dominance was built, and the SSC collection preserves them as the documents they are.
The iron endures. The markings tell the truth. The story deserves to be told.
Sources & Further Reading
OSCO Industries (oscoind.com) — “About Us: History”: “Incorporated in 1872, OSCO began as the Ohio Stove Company. In the company’s early history, the foundry in Portsmouth, Ohio manufactured a quality line of heating and cooking stoves.”
Scioto County Public Library Local History Digital Collection — Ohio Stove Company: photographs, personnel records, and history of the Portsmouth foundry from 1872 through conversion to OSCO Industries.
The Clio (theclio.com) — OSCO Industries entry: founding 1872, Buckeye brand stoves, 1942 ownership change, 1953 stove pattern disposal, 1972 name change, Jackson facility history.
Wagner & Griswold Society Foundry List — “OHIO STOVE CO. PORTS. O.—tea kettles”: confirms the company’s presence in the foundry database and Portsmouth, Ohio location.
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.
