Cast Iron Research & Resources

Explore cookware history, identification, care, and the collector community. The pattern-number reference, historical reproduction lists, and GCICA newsletter archive require member sign-in. Other resources are available on their original sites.

For education and research: References and collector opinions may be incomplete or revised as new evidence emerges. GCICA does not certify authenticity or provide appraisals, estimated values, price quotes, or valuation letters. Compare original sources and seek independent qualified help for decisions requiring professional documentation.

GCICA resources

Museums & Historical Collections — Visit our Hagen History Center feature and explore Griswold’s Erie connections.

• Restoration & Care — Download GCICA’s one-page skillet care guide and explore cookware care resources.
• Cookware Makers: Past & Present — Meet Griswold, Wagner, Favorite, Wapak, and Lodge, then explore companies making new cookware today.
• Collecting and Identification — A practical starting guide to identifying a piece, with references and ways to ask questions.
• Legends in the Business — Collector stories by Mary Theisen, plus documented GCICA founders and charter members.
• Griswold Pattern Number Reference — Search 1,768 entries compiled by Lee Lasher (April 22, 2022). Read and search the reference on the website. Member sign-in is required.
• Historical reproduction lists — Items documented in the 1998 and 2008 GCICA handbooks by the Appraisals and Reproduction Committee. Member sign-in is required.
• GCICA newsletter archive — Past issues of the Griswold & Cast Iron Quarterly. Member sign-in is required.
• GCICA events — Conventions and chapter meetings where collectors exchange knowledge in person.
• Where to Buy Cast Iron — Vintage marketplaces, collector groups, direct links to new cookware makers, and a checklist for evaluating a piece.

Museums & Historical Collections

Discover places preserving cookware and the stories behind it. Our first museum feature takes us to Erie, Pennsylvania, home of Griswold manufacturing.

Hagen History Center: Griswold in Erie

Watson-Curtze Mansion · Erie, Pennsylvania

Griswold Ironware Exhibit. Image/source: Hagen History Center.

Hagen History Center preserves an extensive cast iron collection, with Griswold cookware displayed in the Watson-Curtze Mansion kitchen. The museum currently lists an expanded Griswold Ironware Exhibit among the mansion’s exhibits.

In an April 2022 collection report, curator Becky Weiser described about 720 pieces of cast iron, mostly Griswold, including 582 pieces from collector Alan Stone. Those figures describe the collection at that time; only a portion is exhibited. Her article also locates the old Griswold factory at West 12th and Raspberry Streets in Erie.

The Watson–Griswold connection

The mansion has a family connection to the cookware maker. In 1910, Winifred T. Watson married Ely Griswold in the Watson mansion. Hagen’s account connects the family story with Erie’s manufacturing heritage.

Plan a visit or explore from home

Hagen History Center
356 West 6th Street, Erie, PA 16507
Phone: (814) 454-1813

• Current hours, admission and visitor information
• Guided tours and group visits — arrange guided visits with the museum in advance.
• Take Hagen’s virtual tour

Read the museum’s stories: The Griswold collection and Alan Stone donation (April 13, 2022) · The Watson–Griswold Connection (June 17, 2019) · A History of Griswold Cast Iron (December 13, 2020).

Sources: Hagen History Center. Links checked October 28, 2026. Exhibits and visitor arrangements may change; confirm details with the museum before traveling.

Identification and history

• Google Patents — If a piece has a patent number or date, use it to research the original patent.
• Internet Archive — Search for historical cookware catalogs and other reference material. Check each item’s access and reuse terms.
• Larry O’Neil on reproduction Griswold cast iron — An article on Mary Theisen’s Griswold Cookware website.
• ERIE Skillets by Roy Meadows — A detailed study of ERIE skillet variations, published by the Wagner and Griswold Society.
• Cast Iron Collector’s News — Historical newsletter issues available through the WAGS forum.

Restoration & Care

GCICA Cast Iron Skillet Care Guide

Keep cast iron clean, completely dry and protected. Our one-page guide covers gentle cleaning, seasoning, storage, and preserving collectible pieces and original finishes.

View or download the GCICA Cast Iron Skillet Care Guide (PDF, 1 page)

Seasoning instructions apply to bare, uncoated cast iron intended for food use. Enameled, plated and rare pieces need special care.

Care references and collector help

• Cast iron and aluminum care — WAGS guidance on cleaning and maintaining collectible cookware.
• GCICA Members and Friends group — Ask identification questions and share discoveries with collectors. Facebook sign-in and group approval may be required.
• Cast Iron Community — An active group for cast iron discussion, identification, and restoration. Selling and trading are not allowed in this group. Facebook sign-in and group approval may be required.

Facebook cast iron groups

These independent groups cover discussion, cooking, collecting, identification, and restoration. Facebook sign-in and group approval may be required.

Discussion and community

• GCICA Members and Friends — Our association’s discussion group.
• Cast Iron Addicts (CIA)
• Cast Iron Connection Plus
• Cajun Cast Iron Collectors
• The Official Lodge Cast Iron Community
• Cast Iron Cookware
• Southeast Cast Iron & Carbon Steel Network
• Cast Iron King Group "The Original One"
• Cast Iron Friends: BSR & Lodge
• Cast Iron Enthusiasts

Cooking and recipes

• Cast Iron Cookin’ BBQ’n w/ Recipes
• Cast Iron Campfire Cooking
• Cast Iron Waffles ~ Pizzelles ~ KrumKakes ~ Novelties
• Cast Iron Skillet cooking/collecting

Collecting, makers, and identification

• Magnalite Community (Cleaning, Cooking, Collecting, etc.)
• Hammered Cast Ironware
• Lodge Commemorative and Advertising Cast Iron
• Bottom Gate Marked Cast Iron Cookware
• Martin Stove, Favorite, and CHF Cast Iron Collectors Forum
• How Much Is My Cast Iron Worth?
• Crescent Ozark/G.F. Filley/Excelsior Made in Missouri C.I. Enthusiasts
• Sperry Cast Iron Collectors
• Wagner and Griswold Society - BSR, Atlanta Stove, Lodge, Favorite, Wapak

Restoration

• Electrolysis Tank Builders

External websites and independent groups are maintained by their owners. A link does not mean GCICA endorses or verifies their advice, sellers, products, or transactions. GCICA’s Members and Friends group is our association’s discussion group; individual posts express their authors’ views and are not official GCICA appraisals or authentication. Review each site’s rules and privacy practices before posting information or making a purchase. More GCICA research guides and indexes will be added as they are prepared.

Help grow the archive

Have an old cookware catalog, advertising leaflet, instruction sheet, research paper, or other unusual cast iron material? Tell us what you have and whether it may be scanned and shared. Contact historian@gcica.net or website@gcica.net to discuss scanning and return of originals. Include the maker, approximate date, and any information about ownership or permission to reproduce it. Please arrange a scan before mailing irreplaceable originals.

Before sharing: Send only material you are authorized to share, identify its source and any known reproduction restrictions, and remove private information such as personal contact details, signatures, or financial information. Possession of an original document or photograph does not by itself establish permission to publish it.