Birmingham Stove & Range

If you've begun looking for vintage, antique American cast iron cookware for your kitchen, it's practically a guarantee that you'll hear about Griswold and Wagner, brands considered to be the "gold standard" of cast iron cookware. But when you go looking for these pans on eBay and in antique malls, you'll soon find they are almost always overpriced and expensive. Because of their popularity, Griswold and Wagner pans can be difficult to find.

However, in your search for cast iron pots and pans, you will be much more likely to find something like…this.

This is a cast iron pan from Birmingham Stove & Range, and this is one of the great secrets of cast iron cooking. There are many brands of antique, vintage cast iron that perform just as well as Griswold and Wagner; but because these brands aren't as "famous" they can often be found for far, far less in price. Among the most popular of that kind are the "unmarked" cast iron pans – ones that don't have the manufacturer stamp on the bottom. Many people across the country, and around the world, have one or more of these "unmarked" pans. They have no idea who made these pans, but they work wonders in the kitchen and are treasures to have, even if they are not "valuable antiques." The most common of these "unmarked" pans are from Lodge Manufacturing – the same Lodge that makes the cast iron pans you see in Wal-Mart today – Wagner, and Birmingham Stove & Range (abbreviated here as BS&R). Folks love these pans, because they can often be found for pennies…and when cleaned up, they perform like champions.

A Brief History of Birmingham Stove & Range

A brief and summarized history of Birmingham Stove & Range is as follows:
The Atlanta Stove Works company was founded in 1889 (originally named Georgia Stove Company) to produce cast iron stoves. Their original location was on Krog Street, home of the famous and long-lasting Krog Street Market. Initially, their business boomed to the point where in 1902, a separate foundry was built in Birmingham, Alabama especially for the production of hollow ware and cast iron cookware to supplement their stoves. This separate foundry was named Birmingham Stove & Range.

Many of the original records from Atlanta Stove Works have been lost, especially because the original factory burned down in 1915 and was re-built. It is known that the first series of Birmingham Stove & Range cast iron pans, the Red Mountain series, was introduced in the year 1930. This name was based upon the geographic area around Birmingham, Alabama, known as the Red Mountain area – an area so rich in iron ore, the rock faces have a reddish tinge from the hematite iron ore present in the landscape.

In the 1930s, a  BS&R salesman from Louisiana had the idea of selling their sad iron heaters as fish fryers; and BS&R redesigned the heater, calling it the Sportsman Grill. The Sportsman Grill was a consistent seller and was produced by BS&R for its entire lifetime.  After BS&R went out of business in the 1990s, the Sportsman Grill continued to be produced and sold by Lodge Cast Iron.

For its entire history, from the 1930s all the way through the 1980s, Birmingham Stove & Range produced a series of outdoor camp ovens and long handled legged cast iron spider skillets.  These outdoor pieces were sized differently from their kitchen cookware, and they're far less well known than Atlanta Stove Works stoves and BS&R kitchen cookware.  Even today, antique vendors often mistake the BS&R spider skillet for a "19th century cowboy chuck wagon" spider, when in fact it may be as much as 100 years younger than the vendor listing.

In addition to stoves, Atlanta Stove Works also produced a barbecue grill stand named the Atlanta Stove Works Cue-Cart, which is legendary among barbecue afficionadoes. Even today, the Cue Cart is seen as the standard to which barbecue grills are compared. (More about the Cue Cart: www.barbecuen.com/faqs/cuecart.htm#axzz2lsc4emvB )

The early 1950s (currently estimated at 1950 to 1954) saw the introduction of the Century Cookware series from Birmingham Stove & Range. This was essentially a re-naming of their brand. Red Mountain was replaced with Century – but the cast iron pans were exactly the same. The name "Century" was stated as "made to last 100 years," and it went along with a famous phrase, "Will Not Dent Or Chip."

In 1957, the original Atlanta Stove Works foundry on Krog Street closed, leaving Birmingham Stove & Range as the sole producer of cast iron for this company. There was still a lot of competition at the time, both from neighboring foundries such as Lodge Manufacturing, and also from the new influx of foreign cast iron from Asia.

Major changes came to Birmingham Stove & Range in the 1960s, with the introduction of automated production using DISAMATIC equipment during the years 1966 through 1968. (Wikipedia article on DISAMATIC). This removed a lot of the hand-finished procedures from the production of its cast iron – and the result was a cast iron pan that was still good quality, but it no longer had the "smooth as glass" feel of previous BS&R pans. With the introduction of DISA automated production, BS&R re-designed thir skillets to provide exact sizes and measurements. 1966 saw the introduction of skillets with a size number listed as NO. along with a size measurement of IN. The majority of BS&R pans, especially their skillets, were machine-polished to give the cooking surface a smooth feel; while the outside and underside of the pan retained a rough surface, rather than being smooth all over. Automated production greatly increased the output of the BS&R facility, and in only a couple of years a great number of these new pans were shipped to suppliers across the country.

Within two years after introducing the newly redesigned Century pans, BS&R began adding a MADE IN USA mark to its cookware. This was a marketing move meant to strike back against the surge of cheaply made imported cast iron pans from Asia. The MADE IN USA mark was added beginning in late 1967, and by 1968 almost all BS&R pans bore this mark.

Along with production of everyday cast iron skillets, BS&R is credited with the introduction of the popular corn bread skillet, a cast iron pan with eight separate wedges meant for making individual pieces of corn bread. The corn bread skillet was introduced in 1967, and its sales immediately skyrocketed, resulting in banner years for BS&R in 1967 and 1968.

During the 1970s, increased pressure from competition resulted in Birmingham Stove & Range redesigning its cookware, changing the size of its pans especially so they would be compatible with other accessories from outside the company, such as glass lids.

Likely beginning in the 1950s to 1960s, a line of cast iron pans was produced for retailers with a new label called "Pioneer" cookware.  In 1976, for the United States' 200th anniversary, BS&R produced a limited series of cast iron pans with wooden handles, named the "Lady Bess" series.  These pans would later be remade in the late 1980s as "Con Brio."

For a while, the energy crisis of the 1970s appeared to be a boon to Atlanta Stove Works, their parent company, as manufacturing of wood-burning stoves increased dramatically between 1974 and 1980. However, the market for wood burning stoves crashed as oil-based energy prices returned to regular levels, resulting in hard times for Atlanta Stove Works. In 1986, Atlanta Stove Works, along with Birmingham Stove & Range, was sold to Martin Industries. As the company was restructured, its wood-fired stove and cast iron production facility in Birmingham was shut down. (Source: Maria Saporta, "Atlanta Stove Works closes operations here," Atlanta Constitution, January 2, 1987)

Martin Industries was in fact the company originally founded as Martin Stove & Range. They had long since ended their production of cast iron cookware, and had been producing gas heaters since the 1940s. Martin was in the process of its own restructuring, and their purchase of the Atlanta Stove Works' gas and stove production fit into their business strategy. [http://toponautic.blogspot.com/2013/10/martin-stove-range-company.html] Their ownership of Atlanta Stove Works acquired the production facilities for various areas of the business – but not the cookware production facility. Martin Industries managed the production of stoves and gas heaters, plus other items. The cast iron cookware facility was legally spun off into a separate business entity, and BS&R officially changed its business name to A&B Foundry. Their official name changed, but they continued to retain ownership of the brand names and designs for "Birmingham Stove & Range" and "Century Cookware."

Production of cast iron cookware continued at A&B Foundry from 1987 through 1991. It was at this time that some of the later items in the Century Cookware line were produced, such as the Handy Dan Corn Stick Pan.

In 1991, Atlanta Stove Works entered into a deal with a neighboring foundry (Robinson Foundry) to continue producing its cast iron products. However, due to corporate wrangling, the contract was negated after BS&R had removed its production equipment from the original Birmingham foundry location. This left them without the means to produce any cast iron products on their own. To survive, the company entered into a temporary agreement with Lodge Manufacturing to distribute their cast iron, which lasted for two years; though Lodge did not actually produce cast iron for BS&R (or A&B) during this time.

In 1992, A&B Foundry (doing business as Birmingham Stove & Range) declared bankruptcy and folded completely in 1993. As part of its debt settlement with Lodge, the patents and designs for its cookware were acquired by Lodge, who integrated them into the design of their own cookware; especially the Sportsman grill and the cornbread pan. These products continue to be produced by Lodge through the present day, and they are consistent sellers, especially the Sportsman grill (or hibachi).

Former BS&R manager Hugh Rushing wrote on Facebook, "Martin bought the gas heater business in the late 1980s. DISA molding equipment began to be moved out in 1991 in an ill-fated joint venture with Robinson Foundry . Manufacturing had ceased by mid-1992, but product was made at outside sources for another year in limited quantities. Probably the last cookware was run in late 1992 or early 1993. BSR (in the form of A & B Foundry) entered bankruptcy in January, 1993."

As an aside, in the 1980s, the re-structured Atlanta Stove Works was involved with the development of modern-day carbon monoxide alarms. One of the first producers of carbon monoxide alarms, Quantum Group Inc., described in its company history:

"Quantum Group Inc. (Quantum) was founded in 1982 to focus on forensic science for litigation. One of Quantum’s customers wanted a CO safety shut off device because he was paying out 10% of sales in CO litigation settlements. This company was Atlanta Stove Works (ASW). In 1984, ASW and the Gas Research Institute (GRI) partially funded the CO sensor development with about $1 million each, which was injected over a period of about 4 years. Quantum and several utilities companies also contributed money to the development cost. This led to a carbon monoxide alarm that could also shut off appliances. These products were field tested in 1986." – "Carbon Monoxide Alarms and its History," [http://qginc.com/content/carbon-monoxide-alarm]

In 1996, the former site of Birmingham Stove & Range was purchased by a recycling company called KMAC Services (now named Evolutia), who completely renovated the old foundry site.

Martin Industries Inc. filed for bankruptcy in 2002 [http://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2002/12/30/daily3.html], and their assets were purchased by Monessen Hearth Systems Co. [http://www.timesdaily.com/archives/sale-of-martin-industries-complete/article_dd262f37-8604-5a3a-903c-e9493daf5163.html]

In 2013, retail corporation Paces Properties purchased the original nine-acre area on Krog Street, including the former Atlanta Stove Works building. They redeveloped the area into a modern food mall, incorporating the Atlanta Stove Works building into the project. The new market opened to the public on November 24, 2014. News stories related to this: [https://atlantaintownpaper.com/2013/01/food-driven-krog-street-market-on-the-way/], [https://www.amysimonephotography.com/blog/2014/2/atlanta-stove-works-bridge] The Web site of the new Krog Street Market is: www.krogstreetmarket.com/ ( Facebook: www.facebook.com/KrogStreetMarket )

Identifying BS&R

Birmingham Stove & Range never put an identifying logo or manufacturer mark on their cast iron pans. However, there are several unique traits to these pans that allow them to be easily identified.

BS&R cast iron pans are very heavy, and they have a weight and a heft similar to modern-day cast iron pans from Lodge. However, unlike Lodge, the cooking surface of a BS&R pan is very smooth. The manufacturer milled down the surface of the pan and gave it a smooth surface, far more smooth than the surface found on any modern day cast iron pan produced today. This adds to the appeal of these older vintage pans.

The heavy weight of a BS&R pan differs from the lighter weight of the more famous Griswold and Wagner pans. However, the weight and thickness of a BS&R pan gives it an advantage over lighter, thinner pans: it is far more resistant to damage and warping. I've found quite a few older Wagner pans, and even some Griswolds, with warped surfaces that caused them to spin when placed on a flat surface. Birmingham Stove & Range pans almost never warp (though I've found at least one). Likewise, they are incredibly durable and resistant to scratches, dents, and chips. As with any cast iron pan, their greatest enemy was rust. If you take the effort to clean up a BS&R pan and restore it to working condition, it will look nearly new, even as good as the day it was manufactured. Many of the BS&R pans found at flea markets and junkyards are decades old, often dating back to the 1930s.

Cast Iron pans from the Red Mountain series generally had a very simply mark on the underside of the pan: a size number and a mold ID letter.  These pans were produced from the 1930s (possibly even the 1920s) all the way through the mid-1960s.  This photo of a Red Mountain #5 sized skillet shows it was marked as sixe number 5, and it was produced with a mold ID of Y.  More information can be found on our page with information about the Red Mountain series.

From 1966 through the end of production in late 1992, BS&R cast iron pans were made with a different but still very distinctive marking on the underside.  Pans from the Century Cookware series were marked with the letters NO. (meaning "number") plus the size number.  There was also a descrption of the exact diamater of the pan, marked with inches and fractions.  No other cast iron manufacturer marked their pans in this manner.  This Century Cookware skillet is marked with a NO. 8 size number, and a diameter of 10 5/8 IN.  BS&R was, again, the only manufacturer to have marked their cookware with a size listing and an IN. mark.  More information can be seen on our page on Century Cookware.

The Birmingham foundry used a size numbering system to match the stoves produced by Atlanta Stove Works. These size numbers were somewhat larger than the sizes used by most other manufacturers. With most vintage cast iron pans, the most common size available is the "number 8," which corresponds to a cast iron pan or pot with a diameter of slightly greater than ten inches (not including the length of the handle). This approximates to a No. 7 size in a BS&R pan, which is stamped on the Century series as 10 1/8 inches. The number 8 pan is a full half inch greater in diameter, or 10 5/8 inches.

Until BS&R introduced the size 8-B (7) pan in the 1970s, the older Red Mountain series pans were generally identical in size to Century Cookware pans of the 1950s through the 1960s. The two exceptions to this were the size #6 pans, and the S-series Red Mountain pans (3-S, 5-S, 7-S).

N/A = Not Applicable, as Birmingham Stove & Range did not produce a pan with this specification.

BS&R never produced pans of size 11 or 13. They also discontinued the number 4 size pan with the Century series.

The original BS&R Red Mountain catalog listed their #14 skillet with a diameter of 15 3/8 inches. I'm still looking for authentic or photographic verification of the size difference between the Red Mountain and Century series #14 pans.

Handles

One unique trait common to all Birmingham Stove & Range pans was the design of the handle. All of their pans had handles with a scooped hole on the underside for hanging the pan, shaped in the style seen here. The hole is teardrop shaped. There is a ridge or edge along the underside of the handle from the handle to the hole. This was a simple style that instantly identified any pan as being from BS&R.

During the 1960s through the 1980s, BS&R produced several modified pans that differed from their skillets, including the Chef Skillet, Breakfast Griddle and Square Skillet. These pans hand a handle design shaped slightly different from the handles of "regular" BS&R skillets. This handle was longer and thinner, and the hanging eye hole had more of an oval shape than a teardrop shape. More notably, the handle was curved rather than straight. More information on these pans can be seen on this page: Special Pans by Birmingham Stove and Range

All cast iron skillets from Birmingham Stove & Range, up until the 1970s, were made with a heat ring: a circular ridge on the underside of the pan. BS&R pans in particular had a very thick and distinctive heat ring. Also, as stated previously, each of these pans have the teardrop-shaped scoop on the underside of the handle.

Lids

Birmingham Stove & Range lids differ from most other cast iron lids. While other lids have ridges to allow condensation to collect and drip onto the food as it cooks, BS&R lids have "dimples" or indentations on the underside of the lid.  From the original production period of the 1920s until 1966, iron lids from the Red Mountain series were designed with the dimples placed on the underside entirely at random.  When BS&R began automated production in 1966, the dimples were regularly spaced in a pattern, and most (but not all) of the pans had a size number on the underside of the lid.

The handle on top of the lid was intentionally designed with one end larger than the other. Iron lids of the Red Mountain era had a size number printed on the top, underneath the handle. When BS&R began automated production in 1966, the size number was marked on the underside and the top was left blank.

Century Cookware lid, 1966 to 1992.

Red Mountain lid, 1930s to 1966.  This particular lid is an 8 F, signifying a size 8 lid cast in mold letter F.

How much is BS&R cast iron worth?

Truthfully, not much. Because there isn't a manufacturer logo or stamp on these pans, they are largely unknown to modern day users and collectors. This is an important reason why cast iron pans from Birmingham Stove & Range are mostly forgotten except by historians. These "unmarked" pans are unknown to the general public, and these pans can found at yard sales, flea markets, junk dealers, and places all over the country, often for pennies. I've bought more than one rust-coated BS&R pan for two dollars or even less, because the person selling it had no idea what it was (other than "a rusty old frying pan"). BS&R cast iron pans are widely available and not especially difficult to find, often at throwaway prices.

However, the years since about 2010 have seen an explosion in the popularity of vintage cast iron.  Antique vendors are looking to sell any cast iron they can get their hands on.  Many people have done research into antique cast iron over the past decade, especially in regards to its resale value...and this has uncovered quite a lot of the lost history of Birnimgham Stove & Range.  BS&R pans were largely unknown before the 2010s, and eBay listings often described these pans as "Unknown Vintage Made In USA" or simply "Unknown Cast Iron Skillet."  Today, if you search eBay and other sites for "BSR iron" you'll find hundreds of listings of these pans for sale...often at prices far greater than they're actually worth.  I personally would not pay $40 and $50 for a #3 sized Red Mountain pan when there's still a good chance it can be found at flea markets and yard sales for $5 to $10.

(On the other hand, the Sportsman's grill is a collector's item and can sell for hundreds of dollars in good condition! The Sportsman's grill has the Birmingham Stove & Range name on it, as opposed to their "unmarked" skillets.)

However, if you are looking for one of these pans to use in your kitchen – then that's the good news! It means that you are likely to find a BS&R cast iron pan somewhere, without a lot of effort. You'll only have to pay a very low cost for the pan…if you don't actually get it for free by finding it in a junk pile somewhere. (This actually happens frequently to people all across the United States.) The pan may be dirty, rusty, and encrusted with grit or even decades of old seasoning – it's not likely to be in brand new condition. But, that should not stop you from acquiring a BS&R pan if you find it in this manner. These pans are almost indestructible! It will not require a lot of effort to restore this cast iron pan into a condition as good as new. And when the pan is restored, you'll have a kitchen treasure that cooks like a champion!

From Rich Bails, posted to the Cast Iron Cooking group on November 23, 2013 – a tiny Red Mountain:

Some information from Cast Iron Collector: "You'll occasionally see on the bottom of some pieces what appears to be the head of a screw. This is not a repair of a defect, but rather a quality control measure some foundries used after the advent of automation. If a pattern became suspect of causing defective pieces, it would be marked so the pans made from it could be easily identified. A simple method of marking involved driving a screw into the pattern. A curiosity at most, and collectible value is not affected."

Posted to BSR Users Group: Birmingham Stove and Range on May 23, 2014 by Milton O'Dell. Saunders Jones replied: "The Jones family (Saunders II and family) moved to Birmingham to run the Foundry and the Birmingham operation in August of 1959. I don't remember a special skillet (I was six!?) but special skillets were easily made all the time for all sorts of occasions. These were hand molded patterns, so it was just a matter of adding in the right letters on the pattern. My father doesn't remember any specific skillet for the event, but like I said, people were making all kinds for all kinds of occasions. He sends his regards. He still has a great memory. What a treasure!!"