Electric Stove, Kalamazoo Stove & Furnace Company, 1948-1950

Electric Stove, Kalamazoo Stove & Furnace Company, 1948-1950

The Kalamazoo Stove Company was founded in 1901 and grew quickly with the tagline of “A Kalamazoo Direct to You,” showing off the new option for consumers to purchase directly from the factory. By 1937, the company saw peak production, making 100,000 stoves, and using over 300,000 pounds of iron and steel each day. Beyond the direct-to-consumer model of sales, Kalamazoo Stove Company had an impact on the stove industry overall. Their oven door-mounted thermometers and glass windows (allowing views of the interior of the oven) were all innovations. During World War II the company manufactured aircraft landing gear mechanisms and tank armor plates, but their post-war road back to production was slow. This slowness was in part due to their lagging behind in the market in making gas and electric stoves, like this one. They closed their doors in 1952.

Object #2006.23.1

Off the Shelves
  1. Introduction
  2. Replica of King Tutankhamen’s Throne, pre-1980s
  3. Horse Model, c. 1870s
  4. Replica Radio-Controlled Model Airplane “Big Guff,” 1937
  5. Dutch Merchantman Model, Handmade, c. 1949
  6. Carrom Board, The Carrom Company, manufactured 1914-1939
  7. Flexible Flyer Sled, S.L. Allen and Company, Inc.
  8. Pieter Van Peenen’s Trunk, c. 1863
  9. Wheelchair, circa 1940s-1950s
  10. Child’s Ladder-Back Chair, 1840-1860
  11. Child’s Rocking Chair, mid-19th century
  12. Baby’s Highchair, 1830-1839
  13. Bassinet, Vermeulen Furniture Company, 1930
  14. Rocking Horse, Pony Boy Manufacturing Company, 1947-1948
  15. Edgars Krasts’ Trunk, c. 1951
  16. Work Table, date unknown
  17. Bicycle, “Mini Miss,” Stelber Bicycle Corporation, c. late 1960s
  18. Electric Stove, Kalamazoo Stove & Furnace Company, 1948-1950
  19. Electro Hygiene Vacuum Cleaner, c. 1940
  20. Pump Organ, Star Organ, c. 1870s
  21. Electric Phonograph Company, 1916-1918
  22. Regina Music Box, c. 1895
  23. Console Television, Model 2U172L Run 2, Magnavox, c. 1960
  24. Radio, Zenith Radio Company, 1940-1941
  25. Bass Drum, Barbour Hall Military Academy Band, c. 1950s-1979
  26. Chickering Piano, 1864
  27. Florentine Table, c. 1875
  28. Panama Pacific Exposition of 1915
  29. Carved Chair, purchased 1915
  30. Table, Hinoki Wood, 1915
  31. Settee, c. 1870
  32. Writing Desk and Chair, c. 1880
  33. Singer Sewing Machine, 1927
  34. Underwood Standard Bookkeeping Machine, post-1923
  35. Permanent Wave Machine, c. 1937
  36. Hoekstra’s Hardware Store Sign, 1940s-2017
  37. Test 'Ur Own' Radio and TV Tube Tester, c. Late 1950s - Early 1960s
  38. Telephone Switchboard, 555 PBX (Private Branch Exchange) model, 1955-1969