Wood Burning Cook Stove

The first wood burning cook stoves came into this area after the Civil War era and the technology was in constant use until fairly recently. Before this, women completed all of the cooking on the open fireplaces present in the mountain homes. Esther Sharp Sanderson, local educator and historian, told that her grandfather "Uncle" Billy Sharp had the first wood stove in Scott County which was in the kitchen of his hotel in Huntsville. Sanderson told that the cook was scared that if the stove got too hot that it would explode. The development of the wood stove proved to be a blessing for the mountain women. Not only was it convenient but it was a lot safer because cooking over an open fireplace was dangerous for the women because it was easy for their long skirts to catch on fire.

Information taken from County Scott And Its Mountain Folk by Esther Sharp Sanderson

his stove is typical for this area and features a warming closet on top. The warming closet is used to keep food warm until the rest of the food can be prepared.

Mary Lowe, resident of nearby Rugby, is shown smoking her pipe in front of her fireplace. Notice the wood stove in the right side of the picture. This is perhaps the first photograph featuring a wood stove in Scott County. — at Historic Rugby.  Photo courtesy of Historic Rugby Inc.