Tag Archives: stove

1920’S UNION LADY GAS STOVE – EXTREMELY RARE!! STILL FUNCTIONAL FAMILY HEIRLOOM! GREAT GRANDMA WAS A UNION GAS LADY!! ORIGINAL CONDITION, UNREFURBISHED, MUSEUM READY. ALL THE ORIGINAL PIPING AND FITTINGS ARE STILL ON THE STOVE WIT NO LEAKS!! NOTICE THE WIDTH, AS IT WAS NOT NOT VERY WIDE. THE REASON FOR THIS WAS SO THAT IT FIT ERGONOMICALLY IN THE APARTMENTS AND SMALL HOMES FOUND IN INNER CITIES DURING THAT TIME FRAME. “Union lady” relates to the pioneering “Home Service” demonstrators and female home economists who traveled to teach women how to use the new gas stoves. When gas stoves first hit the market, many homemakers were terrified of GAS explosions and didn’t know how to cook with controlled gas. To sell more gas appliances, utility companies hired female home economists, dietitians, and instructors-often called “gas ladies” or home service directors. My Great Grandmother, Julia Strba, was a “Union Gas Lady” providing demonstrations in the New York City/North Jersey area! The family was poor, this was the only way for them to procure a gas stove. This Union Lady stove is one of the original stoves to be used for demonstrations, as there is no pilot light or regulator. There is no model number for this stove, as it was never meant to be mass produced. THE STOVE TOP IS STILL COMPLETELY FUNCTIONAL, AND YOU CAN COOK ON IT, AS I’VE FITTED IT WITH A PROPANE.