Realistically, there’s more out there than there is in here. So when we come across an excellent resource, we’re going to link it here.
The first thing to mention are some of the best possible resources, and we cannot link to them directly: Your local libraries, Historical Societies, and Universities. No joke. These are the places that house the collections prominent local businessmen from history. Their letters and effects were donated by their great grandchildren when clearing out their own parents or grandparents things. Your local library likely has archives of your local newspaper, which can be accessed while connected to their network.
This is where The Cast Iron Historical Society needs your help. We cannot possibly check all of these locations. Call, email, Facebook message, mind-meld. It doesn’t matter. The smaller the organization, the more thrilled they will be to connect.
Now for the links:
Howell Harris’s Blog: Sometimes I feel like this is all the world of cast iron needs. Howell is a world class historian and just so happens to have spent a lot of time researching the United States stove industry. Sometimes when we find something new, we Google the name of the foundry followed by “Stove Less Ordinary.” It’s remarkable how much help that’s been. Spend some time on his page.
The Internet Archive: If you’ve never heard of this site, you’re welcome. Go to our digital trade literature section and look at how many of the trade catalogues are hosted there. There are a lot more we haven’t added yet. And sometimes more are added.
The Library of Congress: Maybe it speaks for itself, but the Library of Congress has a wealth of resources from trade literature, to newspaper archives, to advertising. It’s sometimes tough to navigate, but this is a good one to have in your arsenal.
Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library: The Winterthur has an excellent trade literature collection. It’s hard to overstate how important their collections are. Joe secretly wants to go there for a Masters Degree to officially move into the field of history.
The Smithsonian: More fantastic trade literature. Sometimes it’s just nice to look through what they have even if you can’t see it.
The American Antiquarian Society: This may require a physical trip, but it’s well worth it. Enormous collection and wonderful staff.
The Henry Ford Museum: More great trade literature and collections.
Google Books: This is a freakishly good resource. You’re going to have to get creative, but it’s really, really good. Set the custom date range to filter for your time period and use your Google Fu. This site led Joe to find a Waldo Family Genealogy which had a single line about Henry Clay Waldo, including that he died at the Barstow foundry. Joe now lives 15 minutes from where he’s buried.
WorldCat: This is a wonderful resource that oftentimes leads to laying awake at night wondering where in the world a certain publication is. It’s a global catalog of library materials; however, some things just don’t register as at any specific institution. Where did they go? I don’t know, but a lot has been tracked down from this.
The Cast Iron Historical Society 
