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Post by tux_sf on Aug 13, 2007 0:58:01 GMT -5
Waaaay back when I first found a Chambers discussion group (well, it wasn't all that long ago, but it seems like AGES ago), it was hosted on hostboard.com. One of the best threads there--if not the best, to my mind--was the one where all were invited to share their stories. This usually included how they found out about Chambers ranges & how they acquired their stove (or stoves, in some cases!). Finally, most everyone also named their stoves & explained where those names came from.
Well, I've missed that thread. A couple of weeks ago I was visiting family and happened to mention to my brother Tom that my stove was named 'Elmer' after our dad. I also mentioned the little story I wrote for the hostboard forum. This led to a request for it, so I found it and printed it out. Since my brother was reading it, my mom had to ask what it was, of course! Then she wanted to read it and asked for a copy.
Long story short, I think we should carry on this tradition. I invite everyone to 'tell their tale,' or tales, in this thread. If you wrote one of these before, feel free to simply add yours here or write a new and improved version for the group. I'm adding mine as the 2nd item in the thread.
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Post by tux_sf on Aug 13, 2007 0:59:25 GMT -5
Like many of you on here, I had never seen or heard of Chambers ranges. They aren't too common here in California, certainly not as common as Wedgewood or O'Keefe & Merrit stoves (or even Occidental, DeVille or Spark brands).
Anyway, our nasty modern stove that came with the house was finally too dead to use. I had been waiting for that day practically since we bought the place more than 10 years ago. Since I love old things I was thinking of something along the lines of the 50's O'Keefe & Merrit that my mother had when I was growing up in the 60's. It was a beautiful stove with a fold down top, chromed cast iron griddle in the middle, salt & pepper shakers on either side of the clock, etc. My mother wiped that stove down with white vinegar every night & it shined. After my father died she decided she couldn't keep up the house by herself, so we moved to a rented house. She also decided that the stove was too big to haul with us & so one of my older brothers hauled it to the dump (no one wanted them back in '68!). As a side note, Mom still regrets the loss of that stove. I couldn't tell you how many new stoves she has had since then, but none of them have lasted well or worked as well as that old OKM. Sorry to be so long winded. . .you are probably wondering how the Chambers gets in to the picture!
Well, I started looking on Craigslist for a 'new old' stove in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lots & lots of choices along the lines of what I was looking for, at lots & lots of different prices from free to outrageous. My partner wasn't too thrilled with the idea of an old stove--"what will we do if it breaks? Where will we get parts?"--etc, etc. As I kept an eye on Craigslist I noticed a couple of these strange looking stoves called Chambers. Most of the ads I saw mentioned the 'soup well' & that they are HEAVY. I was intrigued by the way they looked enough to get on google & try to find more information about them. Google brought me to Todd's chamberstoves.net site , which answered lots of my questions and made me want one of my very own.
Back to Craigslist. . .where, eventually, I saw a nice high back B listed. The owner had listed it for $250.00 or best offer. I emailed her, we exchanged numbers. Eventually, I convinced my still resistant better half to have a look at it on a rainy March Sunday. It turned out that the range originally belonged to the listers Grandparents. Her Grandmother wasn't much of a cook, but had purchased this B new back in the 40's. She lived in Pittsburgh & when she passed away her Granddaughter decided she wanted the range. Her parents arranged to have it shipped out to her. Unfortunately she was never able to get it hooked up. After having stored it in a couple of garages in San Francisco for the last 3 years she decided she couldn't keep it any longer as she was moving to Los Angeles & didn't want to move it yet again. When we went to see it, outside of some grime from sitting in the garage it looked to be in very good shape. The only obvious problems were a broken service door spring, broken timer & a missing 'leg' on the percolator grate & wear to the chrome on the ridges of the top. The enamel on the body was in great shape, it had the large pot with the top insert & double boiler insert (I don't think the top insert or little double boiler have ever been used, either!) & even the lights worked (though they need to be rewired). The owner made it very clear she was open to offers. She was clearly pretty attached to her Grandma's range & was more concerned that it go to a good home than anything else. I wanted it, my partner was another story. We left telling the owner we would talk about it & get back to her.
Well. . .after some back & forth I had to write & tell her we weren't taking her Chambers. She wrote back & asked if we would reconsider if the price was FREE. That was enough to convince my partner, so I quickly wrote back & told her we would be taking it.
Since as we all know, these are heavy babies & our kitchen is on the 2nd floor I had to start calling around for movers. At least the range was in the same city so it was a local move. Luckily, when I described it to the movers none of the companies flinched too much. When the day arrived we met the movers & removed what we could to lighten the range for the trip. I ended up with 4 guys & they were all needed to pick it up & carefully carry it up the stairs. They did a great job & didn't damage anything, including the mahogany bannister that I spent MONTHS refinishing. I had a set of furniture sliders & asked the movers to put them under the legs of the stove so I could move it away from the wall by myself to work on it. Once they were paid & gone I started working on a quick clean of my new Chambers.
Luckily, the range is in good shape & I was able to get it hooked up that very day. After a run to the hardware store to get an additional fitting for the gas I hooked him up & tested for leaks. Everything was looking good. And it was. Outside of some little things that still need 'improving' we have been happily cooking on my 1947 15-B since that day. I don't think I could go back to cooking on anything else without feeling I was taking a big step down.
I decided to name my range Elmer after my father. Unlike most men of his generation (he was born in 1918), he didn't think cooking was 'woman's work' and loved to cook when the weekend came along. He was also very good at it. He even did all the grocery shopping, something my mother was glad to give up to him. While he died when I was only 6, I can still remember his cooking & I think that was why I have loved to cook since I was a kid. It must be in the genes since of their 6 children--5 boys & 1 girl--5 of us like to cook & 3 of us are quite accomplished at it.
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Post by berlyn on Aug 13, 2007 4:54:45 GMT -5
Danny, I'm so glad you started this thread.
My good friend, Jamey's MIL passed away and Mrs. Gillespie didn't throw anything away!! Her house had such vintage items, Hubby & I were like in a candy store when we went over to take a look at Big Bertha. Jamey would bring me boxes of glasses, crochet items, etc.. and have me go through them and take what I wanted. She knows I love antiques & vintage things and have an 1880's cottage home that hubby and I have been restoring, updating but keeping historically accurate as possible. Jamey knew I was itching to start another remodeling project. She offered her MIL Chambers stove, but warned me of the shape. Jamey kept telling me, "it's free and the only investment would be your time and parts, if needed". I never heard of Chambers and asked my Mom and she said her Mom had one and told me all about it. Mom & Jamey kept mentioning their unique features; Thermawell and the griddle/broiler. I did an internet search to see what they looked like. I had been looking at Viking & Wolfe stoves and thinking of going with one of those. Saw the Chambers and fell in love, of course hubby was a different story!! After the remodel that had to be done for Big Bertha to fit in the kitchen, it was so worth it. Hubby just loves Big Bertha and the meals "we" cook.
How Big Bertha got her name......... When I saw this big white stove with all this chrome the first thing I thought of was Big Bertha, the University of Texas marching band's bass drum. It's the largest bass drum in the world. I grew up spending the weekends during football season attending every Longhorn home game. So in honor of Tom, who grew up with all his meals made on Big Bertha and in honor of his alma mater, UT, my "new old stove" was christened Big Bertha and it fits so well.
Hook'em horns & happy cooking ;D ;D ;D
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Post by pipercollins on Aug 13, 2007 9:16:18 GMT -5
About a year ago my wife and I decided to buy an old fixer-upper Victorian. As we started thinking about how to rework the already remuddled kitchen, we started having serious discussions about what sort of stove to use. For several years we'd had a rather nice 6-burner Heartland range...always going for the retro look, but in that case with a modern hardware. The Heartland is a great looker and a great cooker, nearly as massive as a Chambers. The weak spot is the electronic-controlled oven. After replacing two different circuit boards we realized that although pretty, this was not the stove for the ages.
With that in mind, we paid a visit to Ed Sammelroth (www.antiquestoves.com) whose storefront is about a 45 minute drive from home. Chambers aren't all that common in Michigan, but Ed had a few in his shop (among some newer and older gems, including OKM, Detroit Jewels, and several Magic Chefs including a dazzling 1920 commercial Magic Chef with 2 ovens, 8 burners, and lots of chrome...$20,000). Although the Chambers ranges were among the least expensive stoves Ed had, he told us they were the Cadillac choice for folks who really want to use a vintage stove for real cooking and not mere set decoration.
We came away convinced that a fully restored (& warranted) Chambers B would be worth every penny of $4,000 when the time came. (Especially compared to Heartlands and Vikings starting at $5,000 or $6,000.) But we hadn't been able to close on the house yet, so we had some time to bide.
Of course this coincided with a sharp downturn in the housing market, Michigan leading the rest of the country. Plenty of beautiful houses available to buy, but no one making any offers on our nice modern 4-bedroom ranch. No sale, no down payment, no move to a different house. (Still trying...still waiting for a deal to close...) Since we weren't moving yet and I had time for a project, I started watching craigslist and eBay and shopping other restoration shops. Prices and condition available ran a wide range, but for the longest time there was never anything Chambers available within an easy drive of mid-Michigan.
After a few months, an eBay sale came up in central Indiana. Four (count 'em, four) Chambers B's all at once. Two had been used "recently", one upstairs, one downstairs, two were for parts. A little old lady was selling them off as she was moving out of the old family home into an apartment. I didn't really want 4 stoves, but as I watched the auction, $800 for the lot seemed to be too good a price to pass up for the only stoves I'd seen within a couple of months that were anywhere close to me. My last minute bid was the only one.
A buddy and I rented a large U-haul trailer and we made the 4-hour drive to pick them up. "Recently used" turned out to be about a year before and all 4 stoves had garage rust on them, but two were in distinctly better shape than the other two. After I got them home and inventoried 3 full size kettles, 1 double boiler insert, 2 sets of triples, and 1 pair of doubles (along with 3 pot lifter handles), I decided once and for all that I had definitely got my money's worth.
The end of the tale isn't writ yet. We're still trying to find a buyer for the modern house so we can follow our hearts to an old house. But I've had a liesurely 10 months to fully restore two of the stoves, including new safety systems. One to keep, one to sell (finishing touches are nearly done as of this writing). I have a buyer for a third stove in non-restored-but-working condition. The fourth stove was completely parted out, mostly to get the other three into shape.
I have to say, having several stoves to work with has been outstanding for the learning experience. I've been able to always have at least one stove nearly intact so I've always had a reference to work from. Although at this point, I really do know my way around the Chambers B by heart.
It's been tremendously fulfilling to see the burners finally light, and also to be part of the online community of Chambers lovers. Both online and off-line projects have had their rocky places, but still have been very rewarding.
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Post by antheat on Aug 13, 2007 10:23:52 GMT -5
Hubby and I have been stove shopping for just less than a year. Everything 'modern' we looked at was not worth the price of the steel in it. I wanted a fuel efficient stove (convection) and because the house had piped gas, the range had to be gas. We looked and looked and my heart was set, of course, on the top of the range GE. I don't care about stainless steel (hate it actually, so fussy to clean, yeuch!) but white was perfectly okay. We looked in the papers, craigslist, etc and I just never found one that I was perfectly happy with from either a cleaning standpoint, or a cooking standpoint. So, my hubby changed jobs about 4 - 5 months ago and went back to being a pest control technician (he wages a personal war against german roaches ;D). During the normal course of his day he is in and out of people's homes, spraying houses and yards etc. He went into one house and came home all agog. He phoned me after doing the call and said this lady has this huge cast iron stove, it was called a "Chambers", she had had it for 16 years and bought it for $200 and did I think I could live with one. So, I started researching. The more I researched and shared with hubby, the more excited we became. Then, after looking at 2 ranges one weekend, he mentioned that we had been looking at Chambers Ranges to his boss. His boss said he had one in his garage he'd be willing to get rid of for $400. He'd picked it up from a lady who was going to dump it, apparently it had been in filthy condition and he cleaned it up (superficial, but I think he used SOS on the chrome and so its very scratched), We said, sorry, too much so he dropped the price to $300 on account of the oven control being missing. He supplied pictures, I fell in love We went and fetched her that next weekend and by dint of a lot of huffing and puffing and creative thoughts got her in the kitchen. Because we thought initially she might be a copper, and because her colouring is sort of salmonish, I decided to name her "Ms Copperptone". She has a BWAB, the oven holds steady and we were pretty much able to get her up and running the next day (too pooped to deal with checking for leaks the same day!). The BWAB didn't work so the manual eventually arrived this weekend and after making a call or 2 to Sam, we got the burner up and running (well, after we had a gas leak, or 2 that lead to an unintentially exciting time *lol*) Thankfully hubby and I work well as a team and I had him ready to put the gas off (though why he thought blowing would do any good I have NO idea and he knows better! *lolol*). We had to remove the gas stop cock and clean it and then replace it and we hadn't replaced it correctly. After some bruised feelings (I got it in correctly much to hubby's annoyance - but my fingers are smaller than his!), we got her all fired up. The BWAB has a few other kinks to iron out, like one side is slightly bent so the flame is not consistent, but at least we know what we are doing when it comes to cleaning and getting the knob to work correctly. We turned off all the pilots except for the oven and t-well so I'm leaving the gas on for this week to see how we do. The t-well is kinda hot though, may have to monkey around with the pilot - and I'll put my thermometer in it tonight to see what the running temp is. The pilot in the stove is running at a consistent 120F so that should be just peachy for me to use for rising bread and rolls ;D We may just light the stove when we need it, depending. I have no doubt that the cats will be sitting on the t-well and stove come wintertime *sigh*. Hedonistic buggers ;D Anyway, that's our story, and I really am enjoying cooking on Ms CopperTone. She turned out a splendid roast chicken last night and creamed spinach and roast potatoes. The only thing I have to adjust to are the sizes of what fits inside the oven and I'm not finding that too onerous Next stop is a pie making and bread baking next weekend.!
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Post by pipercollins on Aug 13, 2007 12:34:42 GMT -5
Next stop is a pie making and bread baking next weekend.! Neat story Anthea. Glad you found us.
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Post by antheat on Aug 13, 2007 13:42:27 GMT -5
piper,
glad I did too ;D
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Post by ahappycamper on Aug 13, 2007 17:02:33 GMT -5
I became a Chambers stove lover about 28 years ago. My ex husband and I bought a house with a very old, very funky looking stove. I knew nothing about it. It had 3 burners, a well with 3 pots in it a griddle with a broiler underneath and a griddle cover. I loved the stove and was so happy to have it. My dad decided that as a gift he was going to put in a new kitchen for us. I so wanted to keep my stove but allowed myself to be swayed to put it in the shed for a while. Foolishly I did only to find out several months later that they put my stove out to the curb. I was devastated but not much I could do. I never forgot the stove.
Last year I got the opportunity to relocate to a new area due to my job. Since my company bought my house downstate and it was mostly paid for I walked away with a nice chunk of change. I decided that when I bought my new home and I because I was moving to a small town I was getting an older home. Wasn't sure what kind but it had to be old or at least very funky.
I was lucky enough to buy a 1900 colonial. The funny thing was that when I looked at the house there was a vintage Tappan range in it and was I told by the new owners that the stove was not included in the sale of the house. Because I was going to need a stove and I had the money from my house sale I decided to indulge myself and buy a Chamber again. I was fortunate to buy a restored one and I don't see myself ever cooking on anything else.
I've made my daughter promise then when I'm no longer here that she not sell my stove with the house. Her husband found it very funny that when they were having their home built this year that she told the builder she had to have gas in the kitchen. When her husband asked why she was so insistent she told him about getting my stove when I pass. Hopefully I'll be around a few more years before she claims what she refers to as "her stove".
Janice
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Post by chamberslover on Aug 13, 2007 19:57:33 GMT -5
Just thought I'd pass this along because some have mistakenly called the Chambers "the Cadillac of stoves". NOT TRUE. The O'keefe & Merritt is known in the stove business as the Cadillac of stoves. The Chambers,on the other hand,is known in the business as the ROLLS ROYCE of gas stoves.
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Post by pacific on Aug 13, 2007 20:56:22 GMT -5
My folks had a Chambers and I grew up learning to cook on it. I still remember the open faced sandwiches they made in the grill, and when we moved, I threw the original cookbook in a box with other cookbooks, I built 2 houses and in the first had a Thermador and the second a Jenn Air. This current home came with a GE, nothing special. When I decided to make changes to my kitchen I looked at AGA and Gaganeau, then Viking. I remembered the old cookbook and pulled it out along with some pictures of my Mom's old kitchen with the stove sparkling in the background. I began searching the net and came across the Chambers Rangers site and realized that there were people out there (and stoves and parts) that the stove would be attainable. Bought one on Craigslist from a guy in NJ who just bought a house and wanted a newer stove, shipped it out for restoration and now awaiting for the arrival of "Jersey Girl", Incidently, my folk's stove was in NJ, too.
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Post by haasfan on Sept 16, 2007 18:34:14 GMT -5
I was sleeping soundly, having a wonderful dream about gene kelley and cyd charise asking me to please stay with them in Brigadoon when I was shocked out of my sleep by a brilliant white light filling the room. I sat up in bed, the light turned lime green and focused on me. I began to elevate off the bed, through the ceiling and roof and was deposited in a room with...some type of miracle foam walls. the light turned blue and pink when a group of small "people" entered, they all wore aprons and carried metal objects in their hands, some type of pot lifting device i later found out There was a "leader" who approaced me, "ALMA....ALMA......ALMA....." i heard over and over...."RETAIN HEAT...RETAIN HEAT...." "THERMOWELL, THERMO BAKER, THERMO POTS, SINGLE, DOUBLE TRIPLE, DOUBLE BOILER, ICE CREAMMAKER, DEEP FRYER.......SLOW COOKING, FAST COOKING.....PRE HEAT BROILER, PREPARE MEAT......." i was prostrate and unable to move...ready to pass out....the leader used some sort of tool on me....it was .... well, it was.....i can't talk about it, sorry. the next thing i knew, i was at my breakfast bar perusing ebay for a Chambers Range. That's exactly how it happened.
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Post by triplepots on Nov 20, 2007 16:43:54 GMT -5
We lived in a 1922 bungalow in Wichita at the time, and were taken with all things antique to make the house look more like a "period" house. We remodeled the kitchen from a 1970's era remake back closer to the 30's, and had finished most of the work except for the electric cooktop and stove, which were the crap brown of the disco era. We were at an estate sale one day when I spied an antique oven in the basement/garage. Ran home and looked up the Chambers brand on the internet, discovered that this was the "cadillac" of stoves back in the 40's. Neither of us had heard of it. So we went back, planning to offer half the asking price just to haul it off. They accepted. We dragged her home, and I planned to just to a bit of cleanup and then hook her up. Little did I realize once I'd popped the top, that I would end up doing a nearly full restoration including a safety system. We named this 1949 White Model 61C, "Mrs. Adams," after her original owner. We cooked on her for a year, then moved to California and a new house that had no place to hook her up. Finally I just sold her on eBay to a fellow in Indianapolis, close to where she originated. Hopefully she'll cook many happy meals there. Meantime, I'm looking for a "stove of color" to begin my next restoration project.
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Post by cinnabar on Apr 2, 2008 11:29:41 GMT -5
My knowledge of Chambers stoves was limited to the one in the basement at the lake place. As a kid in the sixties, I remember my mom would cook on it during our summer visits. It was her mother's and she got it new in the 1930's, the story of procurement is now confirmed. It must have been a deal as it was an older model at that time.
My grandparents moved often to homes without natural gas or propane so the stove was unused in these residences. Grandfather was a pastor and Grandmother an artist, she sold her artwork during the depression to help support them. They met in China and spent time in India where my uncle was born. Upon coming back to the States my grandmother had learned many types of cooking and was a wonder at it. In 2004 I compiled a family cookbook of her recipes and others. I also included photos of her paintings, family photos and stories,songs,and quotes of our unique family. This was a wonderful project that I urge you do if you can.
In the mid-60's the house was built atop the basement and electricity was added, so the stove and oak icebox were finally retired. During the years in the basement, the stove was left to gather rust and mice poop. Many times we kids would play with the stove and I often thought how cool it would be to use it again. The neat legs and gas valves really was so different than stoves we were seeing those days.
Several years ago my Tappan range started acting-up and I toyed with the idea of using the Chambers. I first convinced the family that it wasn't worth thousands of dollars. Then told them that IF it was ever sold the proceeds would go to the property taxes on the place, and agreed that I would have help to get it up and running. They said last fall,"Just take it out of there". My husband was so against all of this, he would grumble under his breath at all times. But, my track record is good for restoration, and I'm pretty low maintenance. He knew he couldn't win and said OK. I hit the internet like a fiend. When the stove was done, however, I was not the first one to cook a meal. I woke the next morning to the aroma of bacon and eggs.... for one. I came down the stairs to empty cast iron and dirty dishes. I guess he is alright with the Chambers now.
I never knew my grandmother as she died less than a year before I was born, but through stories of her, the artwork and now the stove, I feel a bit more of a connection to Grandmother Reubey.
Sue
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Post by pipercollins on Apr 2, 2008 11:47:09 GMT -5
My knowledge of Chambers stoves was limited to the one in the basement at the lake place. As a kid in the sixties, I remember my mom would cook on it during our summer visits. It was her mother's and she got it used in the 1930's, although the story of procurement is not confirmed. My grandparents moved often to homes without natural gas or propane so the stove was unused in these residences. Grandfather was a pastor and Grandmother an artist, she sold her artwork during the depression to help support them. They met in China and spent time in India where my uncle was born. Upon coming back to the States my grandmother had learned many types of cooking and was a wonder at it. In 2004 I compiled a family cookbook of her recipes and others. I also included photos of her paintings, family photos and stories,songs,and quotes of our unique family. This was a wonderful project that I urge you do if you can. In the mid-60's the house was built atop the basement and electricity was added, so the stove and oak icebox were finally retired. During the years in the basement, the stove was left to gather rust and mice poop. Many times we kids would play with the stove and I often thought how cool it would be to use it again. The neat legs and gas valves really was so different than stoves we were seeing those days. Several years ago my Tappan range started acting-up and I toyed with the idea of using the Chambers. I first convinced the family that it wasn't worth thousands of dollars. Then told them that IF it was ever sold the proceeds would go to the property taxes on the place, and agreed that I would have help to get it up and running. They said last fall,"Just take it out of there". My husband was so against all of this, he would grumble under his breath at all times. But, my track record is good for restoration, and I'm pretty low maintenance. He knew he couldn't win and said OK. I hit the internet like a fiend. When the stove was done, however, I was not the first one to cook a meal. I woke the next morning to the aroma of bacon and eggs.... for one. I came down the stairs to empty cast iron and dirty dishes. I guess he is alright with the Chambers now. I never knew my grandmother as she died less than a year before I was born, but through stories of her, the artwork and now the stove, I feel a bit more of a connection to Grandmother Reubey. Sue Really neat story Sue. Congratulations on the restoration.
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Post by girlie726 on Apr 19, 2008 9:12:19 GMT -5
My Grandmother had a Chambers stove when I was growing up. She was a wonderful cook and I remember eating all kinds of goodies that she'd cook on her stove. She was very proud of her stove and kept it spotless. I think I heard that she paid around $500 for it and that was a lot of money back in the 50's. I had always told her how much I loved that stove.
When she and my grandfather got too old to live alone, they moved in with my parents in the late 70's. They live about 200 miles away in southwestern Louisiana (Cajun country to the rest of you) and moved to New Orleans where my parents lived. She told me that the stove was mine but at the time I was single and living in an apartment and had no where to put it. I had a cousin who lived in the same town as my granparents and had just gotten married and they were renting a small house and needed a stove. It was agreed that the stove would be mine when I had somewhere to put it.
Twnety years went by and during that time they built a new house but made room in their new kitchen for grandma's Chambers because they loved it too. Finally, about 8 yrs ago, I had a wonderful old bungalow to put my Chambers in. The only problem was that the stove was in Louisiana and I was living in New jersey...LOL! But my husband knew how much the stove meant to me and was willing to pay to have it shipped up here. YAY!
So.....I contact my cousin about the stove and they are surprised that I still want the stove after all these years and are so attached to it that they don't want to give it up. Now, I love my cousins and don't want to start causing problems within the family and realize that they are very attached to the stove. I figure as long as the stove is loved and has been cared for all these years, they should keep it.
So......my husband decides that we should just start looking for one closer to where we live. It takes about 6 months but I locate one in Baltimore and the owner is willing to bring it here to NJ for an extra $50. SOLD! It took 4 men and a lot of manuvering to get "The Dutchess" into our house. She still sits in the corner waiting to be installed. As anyone knows who is restoring an old house...you have priorities.
The end of this story is that we have decided to move back to New Orleans to be closer to my family. My parents are getting up in age...my Dad is 86 and still works two jobs and my Mom will be turning 77 in May. My sister needs help in taking care of them. So now we will move into an all electric house...yikes! I am trying to figure out how to move The Dutchess down there and get some type of gas to fuel her. I'm thinking propane might be the easiest.
I was actually considering selling her but after finding this site I am going to try and take her with me. I thought I was the only person crazy enough to go to all the trouble of keeping this stove...LOL! Live and learn.
Thanks to everyone here for helping me make my decision.
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Post by pipercollins on Apr 21, 2008 14:19:56 GMT -5
You are so one of us already. Welcome home.
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Post by girlie726 on Apr 24, 2008 17:15:39 GMT -5
Awwwwww....thanks! ;D There's no place like home.
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Post by brooktondalehippie on Jul 9, 2008 19:24:13 GMT -5
July 2008. I have spent the last year and a half nurturing an obsession with vintage electric kitchen appliances. can't tell you my favorites--still gotta get more!!--but they are very well chromed.
so, I moved out of an apartment with a tiny stupid cheap brand new never lights when you need it to 4 burner gas stove and saw the light-----I WOULD find a chambers stove and drive my pickup wherever I had to and get her!!!
$200 later..
everyone who comes over is stunned. It's just a white 1951 highback, pretty darn good shape!
and it's the best cooking machine I've ever found. The broiler is insane. So hot, so EVEN, really like a broiling OVEN 'cause it's perfectly sized. And no getting down on the ground like a dog to make nachos!!!!!
thermowell oatmeal gets me through the Ithaca winter. keeps a pile of pulled pork hot forever. Clams.
I have so much to learn--I've only had this baby for six months!!!!!!!!!
The oven is amazing. I have a lisk roaster. Everything that comes out of the oven is juicer and more tender and just BETTER than with a cheap modern oven--THIS IS TRUE AND I'M NOT SURE WHY! however, my friends use a solar oven in the yard and the food has a similar ENERGY. whoa. maybe it's about evenness...
this is one of the most well made machines I have ever owned(up there with my 1963 fender super reverb)-get one if you cook--do it no matter what fool tells you not to. then you will know what we know.
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Post by momtommk on Jul 23, 2008 15:13:17 GMT -5
[][/ihttp://www.photoworks.com/util/slideShow.jsp;jsessionid=316E616077B71E5DF7897312F6BF0433?stackID=44350778&cb=PW&toh=&svr=web22&showShare=true&showPrints=true&showBooks=true&title=View Large Photo&startIndex=0mg] [][/ihttp://www.photoworks.com/util/slideShow.jsp;jsessionid=316E616077B71E5DF7897312F6BF0433?stackID=44350778&cb=PW&toh=&svr=web22&showShare=true&showPrints=true&showBooks=true&title=View Large Photo&startIndex=2mg] I hope I did this right. My intent is to post 2 pictures of the Imperial. I have the top but won't put it on til I finally place it. This is for all of my cyber buddies who thought I was just delusional and didn't really have an Imperial. Of course, if the pictures don't post, you'll still think that.
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Post by catsiron on Jul 30, 2008 14:40:36 GMT -5
I wonder if somebody could help with these pictures, they don't seem to work for me and I would love to see the Imperial.
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