12/12/2006

It is still too soon to get a reading in the SW basement room. Some of the men are working on the chimney in the kitchen. This fireplace had been bricked up by my brother Jim back in the l960’s. Probably about 1962 as some newspapers were found in the tailpipe. A cast iron “L” iron was found at the top of the fireplace with the inscription C Dodge pat’d Mar. 18, 1856. Jon Smith was very excited at this. It shows a real snip it of fireplace history in this historic house. I looked up the patent (#14,447) in my patent web search program. It showed that Mr. Dodge invented this kind of fireplace to conserve heat and allow more radiant heat from a coal fire to heat the room. The patent was referred to by a lot of later inventors. It was made in Pittsburgh and Mr. Smith wondered if this grate and patented fireplace was actually done by Mr. Dodge. We have no way to know but at least a skilled journeyman who did this kind of work was doing it soon after the patent as the house was built (completed) in 1863, just 7 years after the patent was issued.

Keystone is still pointing outside bricks, their work looks great.

Floyd Simpson