Priscilla cook stove

[lknight]

Hi there,
My place of work recently bought an old farm house and inside was a "Priscilla" cook stove (see photos). It seemed more decorative than functional but looks in relatively good condition. My work wanted to throw it out, so my husband and I decided to bring it home. We have had a long term plan to buy a cook stove for heating/cooking. Though this "Priscilla" stove was not what we had envisioned, I am wondering if it is worth investing time and energy to fix up. Does anyone know about this stove? Is it efficient and worth it? Is it a better idea to trade/cash in and buy a more functional cook stove? Any help is appreciated! Though we are comfortable and familiar with our little wood stove, we are new to the world of cook stoves. Thanks!
Laura

 

[stoveliker]

I have no knowledge of these stoves.
Though generally, they are good for short hot fires, not long heat. Some are also coal stoves (see if there are shaker grates) - those eat even more wood, if you use them for wood. And no, they are not very efficient. But their pros are in being able to cook without power, and (my god) the beauty of this thing.

So if you want heat, you'd better go with a different stove, unless you enjoy reloading every 2-3 (I think) hours or so. Note that modern (non-cook!) stoves easily go 10 hrs on a load.

But if you want beauty, and the intangible benefit of cooking (or being able to cook) the way our ancestors did (and that feeling could have quite some value), use this one.

I believe @SpaceBus has a cookstove. @bholler knows a lot about old stoves because he has seen a lot of them.

 

[begreen]

Other than barn dust, the stove appears on the surface to be in very good, original condition, but it will need to be gone over in detail to look for cracks and/or missing pieces. Has it ever been used?

Can you post a picture of the inside of the firebox? It may be set up for coal, in which case this stove may be less than ideal for your situation if the goal is to burn wood in it.

 

[Max W]

Good advice above. It may be better to start with a stove that provides more heat than the Priscilla’s little firebox can. If you can have this back into operating shape ok and decide to start with this for cooking and to add some extra heat until you get something newer you’ll want to pay attention to the flue / chimney needs and location compared with other stoves you might consider in the future. Pipe and chimney can be a big part of a stove’s expense. If this stove has a 7” outlet there is a good chance a future stove could call for a 6” flue. I wonder that the stove has had a really detailed paint job.There is a spot of rust on the oven door and it looks like chips in the front rail under the silver. Is the stovetop painted? Not great if it is.

 

[daveneal]

I have a picture of my great-grandfather in his kitchen with their Priscilla cookstove. Judging by his apparent age, I'd say the picture was from the late 196o's, maybe early 70s'. I remember he and my great-grandmother used it to cook until she died, which is when he moved.
I have his butchering knives, his axe, his scythe, a hand-forged garden rake and a pitchfork.

 

[begreen]

Good looking stove. It looks like it was made around the turn of the century.

 

[daveneal]

Good looking stove. It looks like it was made around the turn of the century.

They were married on Christmas day, 1900. She died I think in 1972. He died aged 92, still sharp, still having a couple of nips daily.

 

[begreen]

Nice. Maybe the stove was the newlywed's first big purchase.