At the flea market this weekend, I found two skillets, a HUGE (maybe #12?) WW DO and this lovely old gate marked #8 kettle marked "TRS CO" and "8" on the bottom. It has four feet, but most unusual is the off-center raised section in the bottom. I understand why the raised section is there (to fit it into the stove eye hole), but what I don't get is why it's off-center.
I started doing some research on the foundry and found out that this kettle was made by Thomas, Roberts, Stevenson & Co. of Quakertown and Philadelphia, PA. The foundry in Quakertown burned down in 1880, so they rented another foundry in Philadelphia and resumed production, selling the burned facility to former employees who rebuilt it and continued to manufacture stoves and heaters.
I'm not sure when they ceased making CI hollowware, but my guess is that many of the original patterns burned up in the 1880 fire. After the move to Philadelphia, I can find no further mention of hollowware being available from them. That would date this piece from between 1866 (when TRS&Co was founded) and 1880. Old indeed!
If anyone has any further knowledge about either this piece or the foundry in general, please post it up!
