designertothestars.com

Timbers sorted during demolition, Photo: Pioneer Millworks.

At its peak, the Wehrle Stove Factory employed nearly 3,000 workers helping to produce more than 900 – 1400 stoves per day in sixty-five different styles and thre sizes.

Pioneer Millworks salvaged over 120,000 board feet of wood during the demolition of the Wehrle Stove Factory — wood that otherwise might have been ground to dust or ended up in a landfill. Reclaimed oak, heart pine, eastern white pine, chestnut, and a few Ohio hardwoods were reclaimed from structural timbers, flooring and trusses.​

Newark Stove Company May 1955

There are hundreds of photos in the Newark Stove Company collection of my late father, Willard Vaughn. Most were taken by him, as he made his way through the plant each day as Safety Engineer. Others were collected by Willard, along with news articles, about the company. 

Many of the photos are Polaroid and fading, it is my strong desire to scan these and preserve them for historical purposes. This will be a long and time consuming journey. As this work progresses, the photos will be posted to this website, for your enjoyment and recollection. 

Willard's Father, Roy Vaughn, worked at the stove factory for fifty-two years, Willard, forty-two years, and myself, two years. Willard was the last of three employees at the company. After retiring he became a guard, in the security detail, at the closed plant. Please enjoy the memories he brings to you. 

​
​Philip Vaughn 2014
philipvaughn4@gmail.com

Willard Vaughn

NEWARK STOVE COMPANY

STOVES 1

IN 2010 THE MASSIVE 
STOVE FACTORY WAS DEMOLISHED.