The “Comet No. 2”

Without a woodstove, the McKeen store would have simply been closed for about seven months of the year (though if you ask someone new around here, they’d probably tell you closer to nine).

This particular woodstove, while most certainly a product from the turn of the last century, given the tall, cylindrical body, urn finial, and door draft wheel typical of parlor/column stoves of the time, is actually quite enigmatic. One would think that with “Comet No.2” stamped boldly to the front of it, that tracking down a manufacturer would be a cinch. Not so. Apparently, the name “Comet” (along with “Eclipse,” “Meteor,” “Sun,” “Gem,” “Royal,” and “Favourite” ) was used by any number of foundries in the US and Canada in the 19th Century. This appears to be a result of the “Victorian Age of Invention” (when celestial imagery made things sound more science-y) combined with non-existent, or at least unenforceable trademark laws. There were “Comet No. 2"s all over the place, and without any (as yet discovered) foundry stamps or patent marks, we’ve made the assumption that it’s not the kind of thing that was likely to be shipped long distances, and therefore relatively local.

Our investigation continues. In New Brunswick, the Enterprise Foundry (Sackville, founded 1872) was a major manufacturer and sold widely in the Maritimes, so it’s a plausible regional maker/supplier for our stove, and we have it on our list to check catalogues currently stored at the New Brunswick Archives. Stay tuned.