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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>Audrey</span> Sat, 12/19/2020 - 10:16
As part of our prep for Y2K we knew we needed to get a wood burning stove. Our first one was a Yodel that we removed from a customer's home. It smoked too much so we eventually replaced it with a Country hearth from the U.S. Stove company. Love the window in the front so we can watch the fire burn (except when the glass gets dirty). The unit is still a little bigger than we need because our house is odd shaped so we usually end up having to crack a window or open doors to areas we have closed off. We get all of our wood for free and my husband invested in a chainsaw and loves cutting his own wood. The wood burner really comes in handy on those days when the temperature is at zero or below. We live in Northeast Indiana.
<span>Judith A Andrews</span> Mon, 11/16/2020 - 00:11
I have a old wood burning stove. Number 116. Certainly able to burn wood again
<span>Green Home 101</span> Tue, 07/07/2020 - 23:49
Really great article, love the post. Thanks a lot.
<span>Melissa</span> Tue, 01/21/2020 - 20:06
Hi! We bought a house a couple of years ago. A selling point was a big wood burning stove. The fan blower has gone out and we can not find the brand or model number on it. Is there anyone that can help? It has double doors on the front. 2 vents above the doors.
<span>Kristi</span> Mon, 11/18/2019 - 00:49
A Country wood stove came with my house which I bought in 1987. It became primary heat source as baseboard heaters died and power bills skyrocketed. The shop in my garage also has a (smaller) Country stove. I had loaned that little stove to my twin brother, who installed it in his trailer, cooked and stayed warm for 9 yrs. Got it back after he died. At my parents' place, I had their old smoky hog of a fireplace replaced a few years ago with a Kuma fireplace insert. As baseboard heaters died there, too, wood became my primary heat. Winter power outages are very comfortable, and all three stoves have cook tops. Am blessed to have help splitting wood. Best heat and ambiance available!!
<span>Harry Leo</span> Sat, 09/28/2019 - 02:34
Thanks for sharing the best information and suggestions, I love your content, and they are very nice and very useful to us.
<span>Adam Brown</span> Thu, 06/13/2019 - 02:32
Very informational article! After reading this information I get to know all the history of wood stoves. Keep sharing such posts with us.
<span>Tanner</span> Fri, 05/24/2019 - 16:21
I have that exact same stove from the cover, any information on it would be great!
<span>Jim Pauly</span> Thu, 02/28/2019 - 21:05
I grew up with a big Vermont Casting Defiant stove as our primary source of heat in the house. My parents never used the oil other than for hot water. It heated a 2000+ sq ft house without a problem and nobody wants ever cold. I now have an old Victorian cottage from 1869 and enclosed a patio to make a sunroom in the back. I added a Crane wood/coal stove I got at a consignment shop for $100 to heat the room in the winter if I wanted to sit out there. It gets up to 80+ if I want it even if it’s 2° outside with -20 windchill. Love these things. Lotta work but it’s worth it and keeps you in shape.
<span>Jim King</span> Thu, 01/17/2019 - 07:20
Bought an old servants quarters house in 1983, redid the inside in 6 months, 800square ft, center of the house chimney, it needed a stove!!! Bought a Consolidated Dutchwest small Federal wood and coal. It heated the house fantastically. On one day, 10 degrees outside, i wanted to put it to a test, in 4 to 5 hours the house was over 90 degrees. Wanted to go for a swim. Stillhave the stove in a 2200 sq ft home. Got a Vermont Casting fireplace insert in 2002 use it to heat the whole house. Will not give in to the oil companies.