Magnolia Air-Tight Parlor Stove, 1854-1858

Stoves were more efficient than open fireplaces--they used less fuel and heated rooms more effectively. By the 1840s, stove-making had become a big industry, as new manufacturing techniques made stoves stronger, lighter, and less expensive. Style mattered. People wanted their stoves to be eye-catching, as well as useful. The neighboring cities of Troy and Albany, New York, were America's "stove capitals" from 1830 to 1870.