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A Brief History of the Woodstove

Image Credit:
Pixabay
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

A woodstove could once be found in nearly every American home, but today, more efficient means of heating have taken over. Here’s a brief history of a centuries-old device, the wood-burning stove!

The first metal wood-burning stove is said to have been invented in 16th-century Europe, but the stove became more common nearly 200 years later, during the Industrial Revolution.

In the 1740s, a wood shortage in Philadelphia inspired Benjamin Franklin to improve upon the existing open hearth. His three-sided iron box, aptly named the Franklin stove, used only one-quarter as much fuel as a fireplace and could raise the room temperature higher in a shorter time.

Franklin stove, ca. 1795. Photo courtesy of the MET.
A Franklin stove, circa 1795. 
Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Unfortunately, Franklin’s design was not as iron-clad as the product itself, and it did not gain much popularity. However, many subsequent wood stove designs did derive inspiration from Franklin’s stove.

Despite the wood stove’s superiority, people resisted the switch from the inefficient, wood-gobbling, smoky open hearth to the hotter, more efficient fire contained by a wood stove. Were those rock-ribbed early settlers romantics who preferred the dreamy glow of a crackling fire?

Robert Bailey Thomas, the founder of The Old Farmer’s Almanac, wrote in 1823:

“So then, you have a cooking stove! This is economical, saving much wood and labour. I know it by experience. But many people are so prejudiced against them that they will scarcely look at one. Wood has become a cash article nowadays in my neighborhood. I have procured me one of Rich’s cooking stoves and think I save half my wood by it nearly.”

Wood stove in church building, Tarrytown, NY. Photo courtesy of the National Parks Service.
A simple wood stove used to heat a church building in Tarrytown, NY, circa the early 1900s. 
Photo courtesy of the National Parks Service.

Practicality won out in the end, and by the beginning of the 20th century, 40 million American homes were heated with wood stoves, often a behemoth, nickel-plated Home Comfort or Queen Atlantic.

But, as people found other ways to heat their houses, the popularity of wood stoves waned, only to come around again in the 1970s. Then, a new generation realized the truth behind the old country saying, “Wood warms you thrice—when you chop it, stack it, and burn it.”

Do you still use a wood stove in your home? Let us know in the comments!

Wondering which wood burns best? See our list of best-burning firewood to use. Also, be sure to read our tips for keeping warm in winter!

Home Improvement

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Pb</span> Wed, 12/28/2022 - 08:38
We have an airtight wood stove insert in our fireplace. It does the bulk of the heating in the winter time. We both love a wood fire! I also have one in my work shed to warm things up in there a bit and keep our cats more comfortable at night in the colder months.
<span>Bob Macmillan</span> Wed, 12/28/2022 - 08:30
We have a woodstove in our home as well as in my backyard workshop. We have lots of wood available and wood heat seems to warm things up much quicker than electric baseboard or furnace heat. We have a cast iron Kettle on the stove to add some humidity to the air.
<span>Lane</span> Wed, 12/28/2022 - 08:19
I would love to know what type of woodstove (mfr, approximate age) in the photo at the top of this page (Pixabay credited). I think there's one at my mother's home. Stashed in the garage!
<span>Mary Kramer</span> Wed, 12/28/2022 - 07:38
We live in an old two-story farmhouse and have used a Waterford woodstove for 22 years. It is big enough to keep the main part of the house warm, but not so big that we have to open a window to bring the temperature down. I love it in the fall when my husband puts the wood rack on the front porch and fills it with logs from downed trees on our property. It gives me such a sense of security and independence. Lying in front of the woodstove with our two dogs while reading garden catalogs is one of my favorite ways to get through a long winter.
<span>Anne</span> Wed, 12/28/2022 - 07:24
For the past 30 years we have heated our two story farm house with a wood burning furnace. The house stays a toasty 70-72 degrees and our electric bill stays low. We are fortunate to have plenty of good hardwoods on our land to cut and burn.
<span>Jill</span> Wed, 12/28/2022 - 07:23
I live in Canada and yes I have a working wood stove in my house
<span>Steve</span> Wed, 12/28/2022 - 07:14
We Installed a metal fireplace in our first home in 1970. Now seven homes, two states nine wood stoves and three gas appliances(gas wood stoves) later we are still relying on wood for heat. It is messy, a lot of work to stack, lug and burn but it still provides an unbeatable heat. We hope to keep burning as long as we can.
<span>Kate Goegel</span> Wed, 12/28/2022 - 06:31
We have heated solely with wood since 1975. Our stove of choice is a Yodel. We burn about 5 to 6 cords a season. We also have cooked on a wood cookstove for the same amount of time year round. It is our only cooking source as the Yodel is our sole source for heat. Hope to continue doing so as long as possible.
<span>Nelson Flackus</span> Wed, 12/28/2022 - 06:25
I recently moved from my house of over 35 years to a smaller home as the children have grown. Of all the things I miss,it's my wood stove. I had a Vermont Castings. I loved cutting, splitting, piling up and burning. There is nothing like wood heat and to see your winters warmth stacked neatly in single rows covered and drying in the July sun. A sense of security that you had heat for the winter. Not to mention all the good exercise
<span>Diana</span> Fri, 12/23/2022 - 19:06
We use our wood burner everyday from fall through winter and into spring. We have an Acme Oak 268 Wehrle Co Newark ....we have propane heat also, but doesn't compare to radiant heat.