The Humble Beginnings of Home Heating
In the early 1900s, before the widespread adoption of electricity, rural families faced the daily challenge of keeping their homes warm and their kitchens functioning. Wood was the primary fuel source, requiring laborious tasks such as cutting, splitting, and hauling the logs from the farm’s woodlot. The wood-burning stove, both for heating and cooking, was the heart of the homestead, demanding constant attention to maintain the proper temperature.
The kitchen stove, often a cast-iron behemoth, was a source of both comfort and hardship. It provided the heat necessary to cook meals and boil water, but its constant need for wood replenishment and the unbearable summer heat it generated were constant struggles for farm wives. Some households were able to upgrade to the more convenient kerosene stoves, which offered better temperature control, but these came with their own set of challenges, including the risk of explosions and the need for regular maintenance.
“My mother cooked on the big wood stove. There was cutting wood and splitting wood. We did a lot of that to keep the house and everything going for the winter. The house was heated by wood.”
– Ralph Zagrzebski
Upstairs, Downstairs: Heating the Entire Home
The task of heating the entire farmhouse was a constant battle, with the second-floor rooms often remaining cold, relying on the heat that rose from the wood stove below. Families would resort to creative solutions, such as heating rocks in the oven and wrapping them in towels to place in their beds, or using portable kerosene lamps to provide a modicum of warmth.
“I remember it would be so cold upstairs and we’d heat rocks in the oven and put them in a nice heavy towel and put it in our beds so our feet were at least warm when we would go to bed.”
– Edith Van Vuren Merriam
The wood stove’s heat was not evenly distributed, with the first-floor rooms receiving the majority of the warmth. Families would gather around the kitchen table, basking in the glow of the stove and the kerosene lamps, engaging in activities such as reading, mending, and playing music on the hand-cranked phonograph.
Preserving and Storing Food: A Constant Struggle
Before the advent of modern refrigeration, farm families had to rely on a variety of ingenious methods to preserve and store their food supplies. Meat was smoked, canned, or stored in the cool confines of the root cellar, while vegetables and fruits were canned or fermented in crocks. The humble icebox, powered by blocks of ice harvested in the winter, was a critical component of the household, keeping perishable items cool for a limited time.
“For meat my folks always raised pigs. They would kill maybe a pig or a cow at the same time. We would make sausage out of it. Since there were no refrigerators at that time, they had smoke houses where they would smoke the sausage, so it would keep.”
– Monica Steckbauer
Maintaining a steady supply of ice was a laborious task, with families venturing to frozen lakes and ponds to harvest the blocks, which were then stored in insulated sheds and packed with sawdust. The basement floor also served as a makeshift “refrigerator,” with families placing their perishable items on the cool concrete to extend their lifespan.
“We didn’t have refrigerators. My dad always made ice. We would go to the lake and make great big cubes. We would store those big cubes in a corncrib. We would put sawdust over the top of them and in between each cube. Then in the summer time we would take the sawdust off, bring a cube in and put in an ice box.”
– Monica Steckbauer
The Arduous Chores of Everyday Life
Everyday tasks on the farm, such as washing clothes and heating water, were labor-intensive endeavors that required significant time and effort. Washdays were particularly grueling, with women hauling buckets of water from the yard pump to fill a large copper tub, which was then heated on the wood stove. Clothes were scrubbed on a washboard, wrung out by hand, and then hung to dry on the outdoor clothesline, often freezing in the winter.
“We didn’t have hot running water, so the water would always be brought in from outside and put into a boiler (on the stove). When we’d get it hot enough we’d pour it into those tubs. Then we would scrub the clothes on the scrubbing board to get them clean. To dry them out we’d put then through this wringer.”
– Monica Steckbauer
Ironing was another time-consuming chore, with the heavy, coal-heated irons requiring constant attention to maintain the right temperature. Soot from the stove could easily stain the clothing, necessitating additional washing.
“Everything you wore, except your underwear was ironed. An iron that you heated on the stove. That took something to learn how to iron a white shirt with a starched collar with an iron that you heat on the stove because it was either too hot or not hot enough and the starch would stick on the iron.”
– Delores Goetsch Rusch
The lack of running water and electricity made everyday tasks like cleaning and bathing a significant challenge. Families relied on hand pumps, chamber pots, and outdoor outhouses, heating water on the wood stove for their weekly baths.
The Advent of Modern Heating Solutions
As the 20th century progressed, advancements in technology began to transform the way homes were heated and powered. The introduction of gasoline-powered engines and electric motors gradually eased the burden of manual labor, with some farm families able to upgrade to mechanized washing machines and water pumps.
The transition to more efficient heating solutions, such as kerosene and propane stoves, provided greater temperature control and reduced the workload associated with wood-burning stoves. However, these new technologies also brought their own set of challenges, including the need for proper ventilation, fuel storage, and safety precautions.
“We had (kerosene) lanterns in the barn and kerosene lamps (in the house). We had one in the kitchen and we had one in the dining area which opened up into the living area. We had a lamp stand in the hallway so we could bring the lamp up and set it so then we could see into our rooms. After a while we got a mantle lamp in our living room which was much brighter than the oil lamp.”
– Edith Van Vuren Merriam
The gradual electrification of rural areas, spearheaded by initiatives like the Rural Electrification Administration, further transformed the landscape of home heating and appliances. Electric pumps, lighting, and eventually refrigeration eased the daily burdens of farm life, while also introducing new challenges, such as the need for reliable power sources and the integration of these modern systems into existing infrastructure.
The Legacy of Wood Stove Heating
The wood stove, once the backbone of rural homesteads, has left an indelible mark on the cultural and historical fabric of American life. The countless hours spent cutting, splitting, and tending to the wood-burning stove have forged a deep appreciation for the value of hard work, resourcefulness, and self-sufficiency.
The legacy of wood stove heating has also influenced the design and engineering of modern heating solutions, with advancements in efficiency, safety, and environmental impact. Today, the wood stove remains a symbol of tradition, comfort, and the enduring spirit of the American homestead, serving as a reminder of the ingenuity and resilience of past generations.
“We had this old-fashioned Victrola record player. The records were about six-seven inches long and they were round (cylinders) and we had to crank it up. After a while we had the flat records but we still had to crank it up because we didn’t have electricity.”
– Ann Hardie
As the world continues to evolve, the lessons learned from the era of wood stove heating remain relevant, inspiring modern homeowners and heating professionals to explore sustainable, efficient, and user-friendly solutions that honor the rich history of home heating.
