Stove Works Part 1

Vintage postcard postmarked 1913

The site of the old stove works at 12th and Long in Lorain was in the news in February when it was reported that the City was going to be the new owner of the property after it is cleaned up. (Here’s the link to the story on the Chronicle-Telegram website.)

An earlier version of the postcard, postmarked 1909

Often the stove works is an overlooked part of Lorain’s early industrial history, overshadowed by the steel mill, the shipyard and Thew Shovel.

According to A Standard History of Lorain County Ohio (1916) , “Of the other large industries which have given Lorain so substantial a reputation may be mentioned the National Stove Company, a branch of the American Stove Company, which turns out everything in the line of stoves, ranges, ovens and beaters.

“The National Stove Company was originally the National Vapor Stove and Manufacturing Company, which was incorporated in Cleveland in 1889 and its plant and business transferred to Lorain in 1893. In 1895 a consolidation was effected with the Moon Range Company of Columbus, and subsequently the extended and improved plant was taken over by the National Stove Company, a corporation within the system of the American Stove Company.”

Porcelain Door Cover for a
Quick Meal Stove Range
(Courtesy Ebay)

The American Stove Company had factories in St. Louis (which made the larger sizes of Magic Chef ranges), Cleveland (which produced heavy duty cooking equipment), Harvey, Illinois (which made lower-priced Magic Chef gas ranges), Indianapolis (a foundry which produced castings for the various factories) and Lorain (which manufactured oil-burning Quick Meal cooking stoves and Quick Heat space heaters and furnaces).

(Magic Chef’s original name was the Quick Meal Stove Company.)

Anyway, it’s intriguing to see postcards such as these, showing the Lorain factory in its early years.

Here’s another vintage postcard view (below).

Tomorrow, I’ll provide some aerial views to go along with the above postcards so you understand what view is being shown, as well as a then-and-now view. In another post I’ll also identify just how much of the plant is still standing today (for now).