Sections of this article: Intro | Who was Count Rumford? | What is a Rumford? | Why They Work | Rumford Cook Stoves | Plans, Supplies & Other Resources
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A modern Rumford Fireplace constructed by author Jim Buckley. Click here to see a larger image. |
Rumford fireplaces are tall and shallow to reflect more heat -- and they have streamlined throats to eliminate turbulence and carry away the smoke with little loss of heated room air.
Rumford fireplaces were common from 1796, when Count Rumford first wrote about them, until about 1850, when they began to lose favor to coal and gas heating devices.
Rumfords used to be very popular in this country when people heated their homes with fireplaces. Thomas Jefferson built Rumfords at Monticello, and George Renick (who introduced shorthorn cattle to Ohio in the 1790s, creating Route 22 in the process) built them in Chillicothe, Ohio.
By 1834 Henry David Thoreau, in Walden, listed Rumford fireplaces along with plaster walls and Venetian blinds among the comforts taken for granted by civilized man. And by mid-century everyone had Rumfords and the word "Rumford" was synonymous with "fireplace."
There are still many original Rumford fireplaces in old houses throughout the U.S., though they often are buried behind newer renovations. While most are (or were) used mainly for heating, some were constructed as cooking stoves as well.
In this article, we'll examine both types.
Jim Buckley has built more than 600 Rumford fireplaces since starting his own company in 1980. He also has written extensively on the subject, in the process becoming one of the country's leading experts on historic, energy efficient fireplaces.
