Used with permission Visit Iron Talk for more great information on antique irons. American country irons flourished from 1850 to 1950. The most common early irons were cast in one piece and weighed from five to seven pounds. In the nineteenth century, they were found in every country home and were heated on cast iron stoves.
Primitive irons are in a class by themselves, exuding an air of innocence.
They were shaped by blacksmiths. They cost little when first made, but the best examples are marvelous finds for today's collector. An iron still revealing the mark of a hammer speaks the drama of its creation in every line. In country homes of the last century, people did their own work. Each person had a job.