Wash on Monday, Iron on Tuesday

Not many people iron clothes anymore, never mind whether it is Tuesday or not. It would be interesting to know just how many households of young families even have an iron.  But in the early days of Lawrence County irons were essential for housewives.

Did you every wonder why those early irons were called ‘sad irons’? Did you think that referred to your grandmother’s emotion on Tuesday when she had to iron?  According to research the old English word- ‘sad’ meant heavy, dense and solid, and by placing it before the word "iron" it certainly described this household ‘appliance.’

The conventional solid metal clothes or sad iron of the 19th century weighed around 5 to 10 pounds and had to be heated on a stove. A thick cloth mitt or rag was used to pick it up and use it because it was so hot. Burned fingers often resulted. Ironing had to stop when the iron cooled down, and could not resume until ithe iron was reheated.

An Iowa housewife, Mrs. Potts, devised a way to work around these problems by inventing a detachable wooden handle for the iron. The handle was interchangeable with three iron bases in different sizes. The cooled base could be switched out with a waiting heated base and the ironing could resume immediately.  It also resulted in fewer burnt fingers.

The 1876 Philadelphia Exposition World's Fair displayed Potts's cold-handled sadiron. It was a favorite exhibit item at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. Montgomery Ward catalog of 1894 offered a gift box containing one Potts handle, three iron bases and one trivet for 90 cents.  Sears offered it for 78 cents in 1908.  It was manufactured until 1951.

Lawrence County housewives would have been familiar with it in 1880. We not only have a regular size one (although it may have be made by a competitor) in our collection but also a ‘toy’ one.  See them in our new textile exhibit to open in October.

Book Sale History Center 10-2 Saturday September 27