photo by Ed Shannon

This large pioneer wood and coal burning stove is part of the kitchen exhibit at the Freeborn County Historical Museum. The stove has a large oven, a reservoir on the right side for heating water, and several warming trays on top of the stove next to the pipe leading to the chimney.

Using wood for warmth, cooking and more

Looking Back

By Ed Shannon | Albert Lea Tribune

Published Saturday, November 29, 2008

Note: This is the second of two parts.

By Ed Shannon

staff writer

Cutting wood for use during the colder months of the year was a real work challenge years ago. Another interesting chore or challenge came with bringing the wood into the homes, businesses, schools, or churches for heating and/or cooking purposes. And the third factor for consumers was having the most appropriate stove or fireplace for burning the wood.

Through the years there have been many types and models of wood burning stoves. Many were made of cast iron. Some were simple like the once popular and practical potbelly versions, and others for kitchens and parlors were somewhat more complex. Adding a special feature to many of the latter stoves of the past was the use of chrome or nickel plating on the exteriors.

Wood became a prime source for heating and cooking years ago for several good reasons. First, the area had large groves of hardwood trees like oak, maple and walnut, which could be converted into logs and limbs suitable for use in wood stoves. Second, properly dried wood provided a reliable source for steady heat is the stove was properly tended and vented. And, third, wood kindling combined with paper and later several chunks of wood could become a good fiery base for adding lumps of coal to continue the heating cycle.

However, there were also problems with the use of wood burning stoves. One was called creosote. This oily substance could build up in the stove pipes and chimneys and be the cause of unwanted and sometimes dangerous fires. For this reason the chimneys and stove pipes had to be cleaned on a regular basis. Another continuous task came with the disposal of ashes created by the burning of wood and coal. This resulted in the stoves being allowed to cool off for the removal of the ashes and the cleaning, if needed, of the fire boxes.

For several generations rural and town households used stoves for heating and cooking purposes during the day and evening. Then, as the families prepared for the sleep cycles, the stoves were likely given a few added pieces of wood or lumps of coal to continue the warmth for an added hour or two.

During the night and early morning hours the temperatures in the homes dropped a few degrees and sometimes went even lower. As a result, the fathers or mothers had to start new fires in the stoves, usually in the kitchens. And that’s where the families went for warmth after waking up and dressing in cold bedrooms.

This part of life gradually became cold weather memories with the advent of natural gas, fuel oil and coal furnaces. The coal furnaces were continuously fed with devices called stokers.

Next week we will explain how coal was once a very important fuel and was available for sale at many area firms.