By Staff
The Museum at Southwestern Michigan College is currently displaying several rare artifacts related to the Round Oak Stove Company of Dowagiac.
In preparation for the Antique Stove Association annual meeting held in Dowagiac in early August, the Museum assembled a collection of rare Round Oak artifacts, many which have never been publicly displayed.
Philo D. Beckwith founded the Round Oak Stove Company in 1871 and the firm became a leader in the nation's stove industry by the time of Beckwith's death in 1889.
The company thrived for another 60 years before closing shortly after World War II. The Round Oak name is still synonymous with heating stoves; the stoves and advertising are collected worldwide.
The collection on display at the Museum includes company advertising, most models of the heating stoves and original paintings that were eventually used in company calendars and catalogs.
Two of the paintings were done by world-renowned Western artist Remington Schuyler while another was done by artist Herbert Roth. The paintings will be on loan to the Museum through early September.
This exhibit also features nearly 20 Round Oak stoves, including two very special stoves on loan from Historic Charlton Park in Hastings, Michigan. One stove dates to 1871 and is a basic P.D. Beckwith stove. It was manufactured before Round Oak was incorporated and is the oldest Beckwith heater known to still exist.
The second stove is likely the first stove model to bear the Round Oak name and dates back to 1873.
As part of its mission of preserving and displaying local history, the Museum at SMC maintains a permanent collection of Round Oak artifacts.
The Museum will continue to modify and add to this collection as loan items are returned.
Museum hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Museum is closed on college holidays and holiday weekends. For more information, call (269) 782-1374.