The other day I posted a picture of the teapot I found ...
When I bought it, I thought it might be a Lodge because of the star on the lid. Somebody said they thought it was made in Chattanooga. That got me thinking about an article I found when I was looking for information about a teapot I saw one time with "Gibson and Lee Manufacturing Co" on the lid. Here is a link to that article: http://www.chattanoogan.com/2008/10/25/137736/Teapot-is-Steeped-in-Local-History.aspx
The article says the original company name was Williamson and Company ... then it became Gibson and Lee and then Mountain City Stove and Manufacturing Co. (BTW - the latter two company names are listed in Doug's Foundry database). I searched on Ebay for these company names and found a teapot that looks just like mine, only it has "Mountain City" on the lid. You can see it here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Mounta...79f1b5e&pid=100011&rk=2&rkt=5&sd=111072433617
Anyway, in the article it says one of the original founders of Williamson and Company was William Frye. Check out the initials under the lid of my teapot ...
I'm starting to grow more fond of this pot. I love having a little history behind these old cast iron pieces! Now, when somebody looks at my ugly duckling with an unimpressed eye ... I can sweeten the pot (pun intended) with a good story.
I'm guessing my teapot was made around the time the company name was Mountain City because the shape of the spout, the number at the base of the spot, and the design on the lid near where it swivels, are identical to the picture of the one on Ebay with the Mountain City name on the lid.
Was William Frye ("WF") still around then? I don't know, but my story will be that he is the one who made the mold for this teapot. ha!
Or, maybe this one was made back when it was Williamson and Company (it does have a gate mark on the bottom) and Mountain City just used on old pattern. Hmmm ... I can add a little mystery to my story.
When I bought it, I thought it might be a Lodge because of the star on the lid. Somebody said they thought it was made in Chattanooga. That got me thinking about an article I found when I was looking for information about a teapot I saw one time with "Gibson and Lee Manufacturing Co" on the lid. Here is a link to that article: http://www.chattanoogan.com/2008/10/25/137736/Teapot-is-Steeped-in-Local-History.aspx
The article says the original company name was Williamson and Company ... then it became Gibson and Lee and then Mountain City Stove and Manufacturing Co. (BTW - the latter two company names are listed in Doug's Foundry database). I searched on Ebay for these company names and found a teapot that looks just like mine, only it has "Mountain City" on the lid. You can see it here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Mounta...79f1b5e&pid=100011&rk=2&rkt=5&sd=111072433617
Anyway, in the article it says one of the original founders of Williamson and Company was William Frye. Check out the initials under the lid of my teapot ...
I'm starting to grow more fond of this pot. I love having a little history behind these old cast iron pieces! Now, when somebody looks at my ugly duckling with an unimpressed eye ... I can sweeten the pot (pun intended) with a good story.
I'm guessing my teapot was made around the time the company name was Mountain City because the shape of the spout, the number at the base of the spot, and the design on the lid near where it swivels, are identical to the picture of the one on Ebay with the Mountain City name on the lid.
Was William Frye ("WF") still around then? I don't know, but my story will be that he is the one who made the mold for this teapot. ha!
Or, maybe this one was made back when it was Williamson and Company (it does have a gate mark on the bottom) and Mountain City just used on old pattern. Hmmm ... I can add a little mystery to my story.