Learn a Few Fun Facts About the Wood-Burning Stove
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 did not become more common until 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 did a fireplace and could raise the room temperature higher in a shorter amount of time.
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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 end up gaining much popularity. Many subsequent wood stove designs did derive inspiration from Franklin’s stove, however.
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 really romantics who preferred the dreamy glow of a crackling fire?
Robert Bailey Thomas, 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.”
A simple wood stove used to heat a church building in Tarrytown, NY, circa 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. It was then that a new generation realized the truth behind the old country saying, “Wood warms you thrice—when you chop it, when you stack it, and when you 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!
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Woodstoves provide heat cooking calming sounds.
Where oil you need 400 to 500 up front plus hydro to even get it in the home. Same as most other type of heat . Pay it for then pay hydro.
So wood yes has work stack bring it in may get smoKY when starting. But it's the cost of wood fresh air. Nice heat. Better on black outs , loss of hydro for days. Prefer wood
I live in north east Scotland, (The Highlands). We have been married for 42 years and we have never been without a wood burning stove, they have always been the heart of our home. Our stove heats the water as well as heating our home. I so enjoyed your article, I look forward to my daily Almanac emails, they take me to a place that is different but also very like my home here in the Highlands. We loose power often through the winter up here and we would not be without our stove, we are 5 miles from the nearest village and when we get snow we can be snowed in for days as we are at the moment, our grandchildered love it.
We have always heated our home with a free standing wood stove for the past 50+ years. We have had a most efficient Buck stove for over 40 years (we upgraded to a larger one about 40 years ago). Our home is almost 6000 Sq feet with most living quarters on first and second floor (3500+ Sq ft) and some rooms in the basement. Our electric bill in the winter runs around $200 a month while our neighbors this year with smaller homes are paying $700-1000 a month. We cook with electric. We have a backup electric heat pump that will kick on if the first floor gets below 65 degrees, which it hardly ever does. We have a fan at the top of the stairs that blows down warm air from the upstairs and also keep all rooms up there closed when not in use. I have a vascular disease and have always been cold, so I cannot tolerate below 70, and much prefer 80 as my hands will not work well at temperatures below 75.
I have used a clean burning Quad-fire woodstove for over 25 years. It's in use when I'm home and the kero stove when I'm away. I like the even warmth I get from it vs the 4° cycling of the thermostat on the kero. I also have 26 acres of woods, so fuel isn't a problem. Just take out the blowdowns and dead trees and that's enough.
We have 2 wood stoves in the house. 1 in our sun room and 1 in the basement. We really have no need for the gas boiler except when we are not home for a while.
We have a wood gasification boiler with hot water baseboard. We have been heating our home with this since 1986. Prior to this, we had an air tight chunk stove that we used to heat our former home since 1970.
We have heated with wood stoves since we were married - 50 years ago. In one of our homes we had both a pot belly stove and a box heater. We found the box heater at a local flea market, and unfortunately, the bottom was burned out. Luckily, it had a part number stamped into it, and we were able to purchase a replacement through Montgomery Ward. Today we live in north Idaho and winter starts in November and lasts until May. We heat our home with a wood stove, and it burns all day every day throughout the winter. We love it!
We bought a wood stove in the 1970's during the fuel crisis and we love it! I will not be without it, and if we move from this home it will go with us. When Sandy struck LI we had heat to cook, wash and stay warm when so many people were freezing. There is a fire screen that can be fitted snuggly in the open doors ("Grandma Bear' style, Fisher Stove Co.) to turn the stove into a fireplace. I grew up in a farmhouse with woodstoves, and just love this won. Wouldn't be without it!
We have heated our home with wood almost continuously for the last 30 years. Love the family outdoors experiences cutting and gathering , and the cozy ambience of the woodstove fire.
18 months ago we moved from an urban environment to a rural environment ... has always been a dream and retirement made it possible. One of the 1st things we did was have a woodstove installed ... it alone nicely warms our 3 storey 2000+ square foot home ... albeit our house is 15 years old and well insulated. We love it!
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