WENDELL AUGUST FORGE DESTROYED BY FIRE

The historic Wendell August Forge factory in Grove City, Pennsylvania, was destroyed in a major fire on Sunday, March 7. The company has made aluminum, pewter and other metal pieces since 1923. The employees and customers who were in the building when the fire started were all able to get out unharmed. The fire appears to have been caused by a malfunctioning fan. Firefighters were able to save many of the dies that made patterns in the metal products, but the plant's machinery and most of its contents were ruined. The company president said the forge will rebuild and could be open by Christmas. Its retail stores in other cities are still open. Wendell August Forge makes hammered aluminum pieces and other hand-wrought metalware popular with newlyweds in the 1950s and later.

SMF PITCHER

Q: When I was a child I watched my grandmother use this little pitcher, so I know it is at least 75 years old. Can you give me any information about the company that made it?

A: The initials "SMF" in a shield were used by the Schramberger Majolica Factory in Schramberg, Wurttemberg, Germany, beginning in 1918. The pottery was founded by Isidore Faist in 1820 as a stone goods factory and was originally located in an empty castle. It operated under various names and owners until 1912 when it was bought by Moritz and Leopold Meyer and renamed Schramberger Majolikafabrik (Schramberger Majolica Factory). The pottery made majolica, stoneware, and porcelain. The pottery closed in 1989.