A Private Collection of Ohio Cast Iron
Dedicated to the descendants of Henry J. and Cecilia Brandewie Thaman
What This Is
Steve's Seasoned Classics is a private cast iron collection focused on obscure, defunct Ohio foundries — the makers whose work has largely been forgotten by the standard collector references. The collection currently includes 130+ pieces representing 50+ Ohio makers, spanning the mid-19th century through 1905.
This is a hobby collection, not a museum. Steve buys the pieces and photographs them. The research, writing, and historical documentation on this site are generated by AI tools and are not independently verified against primary sources. Treat everything here as a starting point for your own research, not as established fact. Read more about how this site is made.
Anchor Pieces
Two pieces hold particular personal significance in the collection:
The Crown Jewel — A Shinnick Hattan & Co. No. 9 tea kettle, cast in Zanesville, Ohio and dated June 23, 1863. The oldest datable piece in the collection.
The Centerpiece — A complete production run of Wagner Ware Sidney “-O-” skillets, No. 0 through No. 14, made in Sidney, Ohio.
Where to Start
The Collection — Pre-1905 Ohio cast iron, Wagner Ware, Favorite Piqua Ware, Columbus Hollow Ware, and more.
Library — Identification notes, research write-ups, and (coming October 2026) two free public-domain books.
Restoration — Cast iron cleaning and seasoning services for privately owned pieces.
Iron Pot Kitchen — Heritage recipes cooked in cast iron. Fried chicken, cornbread, pot roast, and more.
Contact — Identification questions, restoration inquiries, and general correspondence.
How This Started
The active collecting began in August 2025, after a 2024 visit to Ohio reconnected Steve with his family's roots in the German Catholic farming communities of Mercer, Auglaize, and Shelby counties — the “Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches.” The iron made in Sidney, Piqua, and Wapakoneta became a personal interest, then a collection, then this website.
A long-form family history tracing the Thaman and Brandewie lines from medieval Westphalia to western Ohio — The Road from Nellinghof — will be released alongside the cast iron book The Kettle and the War as free public-domain PDFs in October 2026.
The collection is not for sale. It is being preserved for eventual donation to an Ohio institution, kept intact as a unified record of Ohio's cast iron heritage.
Preserving Ohio's Cast Iron Heritage — One Piece at a Time.
www.stevesseasonedclassics.com