Griswold Manufacturing
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| Industry | Cast-iron cookware |
|---|---|
| Fate | Acquired |
| Successor | McGraw-Edison |
| Founded | 1865 |
| Founder | Matthew Griswold Selden brothers |
| Defunct | 1957 |
| Headquarters | Erie, Pennsylvania, United States |
Griswold Manufacturing was an American manufacturer of cast iron home products founded in Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1865 that finally closed in 1957. For many years the company had a world-wide reputation for high-quality cast-iron cookware. Today, Griswold pieces are collector's items.
The Seldon-Griswold Manufacturing Company was founded in Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1865 by Matthew Griswold (born 6 June 1833) and his cousins, the brothers J.C. and Samuel Selden. The company made separable butt hinges and other light hardware products at a building called the "Butt Factory" beside the Erie Extension Canal. Other products were stovepipe dampers, thimbles, and other stove furniture.
In the 1870s Griswold began to manufacture skillets, pots, grinding mills and waffle irons. The company was renamed Selden & Griswold Manufacturing Company in 1873. In 1884 Matthew Griswold bought out the interests of the Selden family. The next year there was a fire, and the factory had to be rebuilt. In 1887 the company was reorganized and chartered as the Griswold Manufacturing Company.
Matthew Griswold was twice elected as a Republican to Congress, sitting from March 1891 to March 1893, and from March 1895 to 1897. He died on 19 May 1919. His son, Matthew Griswold Junior, was president from 1905 to 1914.
The Griswold Plaza in Erie is named in honor of his efforts to develop downtown Erie with a post office and railway station. Matthew Junior's brother Marvin was president from 1914 until his death in 1926, during a period of rapid growth.
Griswold began making tobacco cutters in 1883. In 1884 Matthew Griswold patented and manufactured a wheeled spittoon. Over the years that followed the company added products such as kettles, Dutch ovens, roasters, a grid iron and other various pots and pans. Cast-iron stovetop waffle irons were one of the company's earliest and most successful products, manufactured into the 1930s.
The company gained a reputation for quality cast-iron products, particularly cookware, which were sold world-wide. The first aluminum cookware was a tea kettle made around 1893. In 1903 the company moved to new premises at 12th and Raspberry Streets. In the 1920s Griswold began producing enameled items, and in the 1930s had added electrical items to their product line. Griswold acquired many patents over the years.
Miss Etta Moses worked for Griswold for over 50 years. She was given the job of handling letters asking for advice on using the company's products. In the 1920s she began publishing recipes and advice on cooking with cast iron using the pen name of "Aunt Ellen".
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