W.C. Davis & Co. Cast Iron Waffle Iron with Low Base
A complete W.C. Davis & Co. cast iron waffle iron with original low base — both paddles, both handles, functioning hinge, original base — marked W.C. DAVIS & CO / CINCINNATI O and dating to the firm's active name period, c. 1842–1880. W.C. Davis & Co. is the Cincinnati foundry from which the Favorite stove and hollow-ware line descended. This iron predates the Favorite era
Two Small Castings, One Word I Recognized: Bryan Plow Co. and an Unsolved Piece of Home
Two small cast iron pieces marked BRYAN PLOW Co. of Bryan, Ohio, once wrongly called a plow seat and footrest. Their true identity is still unknown; the maker's history is documented.
Wagner Manufacturing Company — Square Cast Iron Waffle Iron (Tall Enclosed Base)
This square Wagner waffle iron with its tall enclosed box base is the flagship of three founding-era Wagner waffle irons in the SSC collection — all carrying the same July 26, 1892 patent date, all made in Sidney, Ohio. Where the round low-base was the entry model and the round high-base with wood handles was the premium, this square tall-base was the top of the line: the most iron, the most engineering, and the most thermally sophisticated design Wagner off
Wagner Manufacturing Company — No. 8 Cast Iron Waffle Iron (High Base, Wood Handles)
This is the premium variant of Wagner's founding-era waffle iron — a No. 8 with a high pedestal base, original turned wood handles on both paddles, and a wire bail on the base frame. The full patent date — July 26, 1892 — places this piece less than a year after the Wagner Manufacturing Company's founding in Sidney, Ohio. Together with the SSC's low-base variant, this high-base model documents Wagner's product-line strategy from the company's very first year. Acquired from eBay seller heatherirene001, October 2025.
Wagner Manufacturing Company — No. 8 Cast Iron Waffle Iron (Low Base)
The Wagner Manufacturing Company was barely a year old when it received the patent stamped into this waffle iron. Founded in 1891 in Sidney, Ohio, Wagner secured its July 1892 waffle iron patent within the company's first full year of operations — making this No. 8 low-base waffle iron with original wood handle a founding-era artifact from one of America's most important cast iron manufacturers. Marked "WAGNER MFG. CO. SIDNEY. O." with "PAT. JULY 1892." Acquired from eBay seller lori132, October 2025.
Ohio Stove Co. “Pearl” No. 7 Sad Iron Long Pan
Before the electric iron, there was the sad iron — and this Pearl No. 7 long pan from Ohio Stove Co. of Portsmouth was where you heated them. Gate marked, dating to the company's founding years around 1872, from a foundry still pouring iron 150 years later.
H. Wells & Bro. Extra Large Cast Iron Tea Kettle
1867. Two years after the Civil War. In Ohio's oldest settlement — a town that sheltered freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad — the Wells brothers cast this tea kettle and stamped it with the date. No other record of their foundry survives. The iron is the testimony.
Shinnick Hattan & Co. No. 9 Cast Iron Kettle
June 23, 1863. Ten days before Gettysburg. Confederate cavalry threatening eastern Ohio. And in a Zanesville foundry, Shinnick Hattan & Co. cast this kettle and stamped it with the date. The oldest piece in the SSC collection — and its crown jewel.
Marion Stove Co. Cast Iron Stove Lid Lifter
Marion Stove Co. was born in Sidney, Ohio in 1855 — and when it left for Indiana, a Marion man stayed behind to help build Wagner Ware. This lid lifter retains its original nickel plating, a surface that must never be disturbed.