3 Deckers, Coal Stoves and Gas Heaters.

Hey guys I have a question geared to the old timers (who I really appreciate). I grew up in Lawrence, Ma which is a old mill city on the Merrimack river. Anyway alot of my friends lived in 3 deckers. What they used for heat usually on the second and third floors were gas space heaters in the living/parlor. In the kitchen was usually a gas stove with a heater on the side. So my question is where the space heaters were could there have been coal stoves there. I think most of these houses were built late 1800's early 1900's. My family was fortunate to have grown up in a two decker with steam heat on both floors. Oh if only I know then what I know now. Wish I had pictures of the two American? steam boilers in the basement and the original coal bins. Oh well I'm a history nut so any replies would be appreciated. Board seems slow. Thanks for the good reading, Matt

Agent 79

If you go to Google search and type in "antique stove site:craigslist.org" you will see all kinds of gas ranges with coal heaters on the side. If you select a "grid" view it'll be easier to weed through the results

DePippo79 wrote:Hey guys I have a question geared to the old timers (who I really appreciate). I grew up in Lawrence, Ma which is a old mill city on the Merrimack river. Anyway alot of my friends lived in 3 deckers. What they used for heat usually on the second and third floors were gas space heaters in the living/parlor. In the kitchen was usually a gas stove with a heater on the side. So my question is where the space heaters were could there have been coal stoves there. I think most of these houses were built late 1800's early 1900's. My family was fortunate to have grown up in a two decker with steam heat on both floors. Oh if only I know then what I know now. Wish I had pictures of the two American? steam boilers in the basement and the original coal bins. Oh well I'm a history nut so any replies would be appreciated. Board seems slow. Thanks for the good reading, Matt

Most of those houses (as well as every other house East of the Mississippi was heated with coal at one time), Ive seen many of these old multy unit homes with huge coal boilers and furnaces in the basement. They then switched some years later to those kitchen stoves from the 30's-40's with gas heaters next to the gas oven and they plumbed in gas lights, etc.

Thanks for the replies so far, but more questions. Why take out a central heating system to replace with space heating. The few basements I have been in have no evidence of central heat at all. Maybe just for the first floor. Been looking for books on the subject, but no luck. Can't find any books on antique coal stoves for that matter.

Here in Hartford it's the opposite of what dcrane describes; many of the "three-family" homes (read Triple Deckers) built as factory worker housing were not originally fitted with central heating or with any domestic hot water heating. These homes (built between 1875 and about 1920) had two or three chimneys to accommodate stoves in the kitchen, living room, and sometimes another depending on the layout. Later on many of these stoves were replaced with gas (gas-on-gas heating stoves in kitchen, vented gas heaters in other rooms) and domestic hot water provided via take type hot water heaters in the basement, one for each floor. More recently, many of these apartments were fitted with hydronic baseboard heat. You still come across apartments without any central heating.

Most of the more middle-class apartment houses had central heating.

And to answer the OP question, yes these stoves would have been burning coal and/or wood.

Another interesting item are the single family houses built in the late 19th century. Many did not have central heating ducts or radiators in the kitchen as the room would have been heated with the solid fuel range. Later either gas-on-gas stoves were installed or radiators/ducts installed to heat the kitchens.

Thank you. I appreciate the reply and information. Matt