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Antique Electric Waffle Irons 1900-1960: A History of the Appliance Industry in 20th Century America

by William F. George

245 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #02-1348; ISBN 1-55395-632-X; US$28.50, C$36.95, EUR24.10, £16.70

The only collector's guide and comprehensive historical reference source for antique electric waffle irons and the appliance industry that made them. Profusely illustrated and with a dating and value guide listing over 1100 models of waffle irons and grills made from 1900-1960

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about the book      about the author      sample excerpts or Table of Contents      catalogue info

About the Book Finally. A comprehensive collector's book and historical reference containing everything there is to know about antique and vintage electric waffle irons and the companies that made them. The author, a former science teacher, precision scientific instrument maker, and writer, has for years collected, researched, restored, and in some cases written about everything from antique pocket watches and cameras to old radios and vintage automobiles. Bill's passion for antique electric appliances has led to this first-of-its-kind book. The author's collection of waffle makers, all meticulously restored to like-new condition, numbers in the hundreds. In this book he shares with the reader everything he's learned over the years about these little marvels and the companies and people that created them. This 258 page book is profusely illustrated with never-before-published materials about waffles and waffle irons including patent drawings, historic paintings, factory-issued literature, and vintage photos and advertisements. Also included are hundreds of informative photos of restored waffle irons from the author's personal collection along with rare and unusual examples from the collections of noted toaster and appliance aficionados from around the country. This is no ordinary collector-type picture book. It's the culmination of hundreds of hours of research into the history of the electric appliance industry in 20th century America. Through exclusive interviews with the heirs of company founders, with former employees, and with archivists, historians, and librarians, the author has been able to compile in-depth histories of over 85 appliance manufacturers and retailers. For the first time the reader will find detailed biographies of many of the men who founded and ran the companies that gave the world the toasters, the ovens, the grills, and the other kitchen appliances that today we all take for granted.

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About the Author Bill was born in Philadelphia in 1943 but grew up in what was then rural southeast Pennsylvania. He attended Penn State University, acquiring a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education before pursuing a career teaching science and math. A five year stint of junior high school classrooms in suburban Pennsylvania and rural Ohio, convinced him that a hands-on profession would be far less frustrating and much more mentally rewarding. Two years of specialized training led to a new career as a photo equipment service technician. Bill operated his own wholesale camera repair service in Maryland and Colorado for over 15 years before selling the business and working in industry as a precision scientific instrument-maker. Bill's hobbies reflect his love of tinkering with things old and mechanical. In his spare time, when not gardening or practicing photography, he restores antique pocket watches, vintage Ford cars (five so far dating from 1929 to 1950), antique cameras, and vintage appliances. A poor quality modern-type waffle iron that failed miserably one Sunday morning led the author on a quest for an old-style, no-nonsense waffle iron just like he remembered his mother using back in the pre-Teflon "Good old days." One vintage waffle iron led to another and another until he had gathered and restored to like-new condition over three hundred of them. Bill's curiosity to know more about these little jewels and the companies that made them led to a four year research project. This book is the culmination of that research, the author's long-time writing avocation, and his love of teaching. The author, with his wife Pat, lives in Colorado with "Maggie" a wonderfully loving and gentle dog recently acquired through the Springer Spaniel Rescue League. Bill welcomes any inquiries through the publisher or through his waffle iron web site www.WaffleironCentral.com.

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Sample Excerpts or Table of Contents

• Acknowledgments
• Preface
• Introduction
• Using This Book
• What Did It Really Cost In The "Good Ole' Days?"
• The History Of The Electric Appliance Industry
• The History of Waffles
• Electric Waffle Iron Development
• Electric Waffle Time Line
• The Companies-Their Products-Their People
• Model, Date & Value Guide
• Waffle Iron-Toaster Matches
• Working With Waffle Irons
• Waffle Recipes
• Trivia
• Bibliography
• Index

Preface

The history of the electric appliance industry began about a hundred years ago and mirrored that of a growing and confident America during the first half of the twentieth century. Appliance manufacturing in the United States, until the 1960s, was done by a few very large corporations and dozens of small family-owned businesses employing fewer than a hundred employees. Most of these small firms were founded by men who born in the Victorian age, who were instilled with a strong, sometimes all-consuming, work ethic. Most of them, even after years of financial success, were the first into their factory in the morning and last to leave at night. A surprising number were first generation Americans of German or Scandinavian ancestry.

The story of the appliance industry, it turns out, is mostly one of ordinary people from average backgrounds who had modest ambitions and obtained moderate success. Although the electric appliance industry was THE growth industry of the 1920s, much like the computer industry of the 1990s, it produced no titans, no Fords, Rockefellers, or Morgans. Even Edison and Westinghouse only dabbled in electric appliances, each making their fortunes elsewhere. Although the industry created no grand successes, it did support numerous fami-lies in middle class comfort and it funded college educations for second and third generation family members who interesting enough almost without fail chose career paths unre-lated to appliances or manufacturing.

All of the early appliance pioneers have been gone for well over a quarter of a century. Many of the second-generation descendents have also passed on. With few exceptions, due to the extreme competitive nature of the housewares industry, of which appliances is a small part, the early manu-facturers have been bought and sold numerous times or have disappeared entirely. In a 1970's interview, Al Bersted, one of the industry pioneers and one its great success stories, made the observation that over two hundred and fifty electric goods manufacturers, large and small had come and gone by that time.

The men who founded these companies did so not for some noble goal. None was determined to better civilization by creating new wondrous inventions. Each of them was in business simply to make a living. Some loved what they were doing and thrived on fourteen-hour days. Others grew to consider the whole matter a huge unrelenting burden. None had either the luxury of time or the inclination to archive their achievements for posterity. That was unfortunate since these men and their companies created many products that today we take for granted, but which make life for all of us easier, healthier, and just plain nicer to live.

Because so many appliance firms were small and family owned, the company itself became an important part of the family's history. Some were also the economic backbone of smaller communities. Through interviews with relatives of company founders, searches of museum archives, libraries and local historical societies, and by consulting with several very knowledgeable authors and appliance collectors, I've tried to piece together as much of the electrical appliance story as still exists. Some of the stories I found are quite fascinating. I hope you enjoy them.

Introduction

My interest in the history of the electric appliance industry began some years ago when I became disillusioned with the performance of a Teflon coated waffle iron given to my wife and me as a wedding gift by a well meaning friend. The cantankerous little beast ended up in the trash one Sunday morning after one too many waffles stuck to it. I proceeded to go on a flea market search for a solid old-fashioned waffle iron like I remember my mom using so successfully in my youth. What struck me immediately on my quest was the abundance and diversity of nice inexpensive old waffle irons available nearly everywhere I looked.

I brought one home, cleaned it up and used it for awhile. Then I saw a fancier model, bought it, rebuilt it, and tried it out. After about half a dozen such adventures I became curious to know more about old waffle irons in general and even-tually the companies that made them. Unlike my other hobbies of gardening, antique watch and vintage automobile restoration, where information abounds, I was unable to find much information published about any vintage appliances except toasters. I wasn't much interested in toasters (they just dry out bread don't they?) and in any case the toaster books on the market had precious little about the companies that manufactured them. So, I decided that it was about time someone should do some serious research on appliance mak-ers and their waffle irons. This book is the result.

The information presented herein comes from a combination of sources including interviews with individuals directly involved in the appliance industry, family members of company founders, numerous historical societies, libraries, archives, and state government record repositories. In many cases the records are scattered and incomplete and sometimes missing entirely. In the latter situation, I have had to rely on knowledgeable collectors and my own intuition to piece together company information from circumstantial evidence gleaned from old literature, vintage advertising, and actual artifacts.

Certain information gathered from interviews cannot always be considered completely accurate since many events have been recalled from decades ago or are from a generation of family members sometimes twice removed from the events in question. Wherever possible in such situations I've tried to corroborate the information with actual documentation. Even then, the documents have sometimes been found to be in error.

This book is being printed using a new technology called On Demand Publishing. Although compromises in photo quality must be accepted at the present time with this process, one great advantage to this method of publishing is that changes and updates to the book can be made on a timely basis. Unlike conventionally published books which may have price guides and other materials as much as several years old, new information, revisions, and corrections can be made and incorporated into this book almost as soon as it's re-ceived. Each new copy is as fresh as the first day of publication. Becuase of my ability to revise this book easily, I welcome corrections, clarifcations or any additional information the reader may have concerning vintage waffle irons or the companies that made them. The author can be reached through the publisher.

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Catalogue Information

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