Harold R. Henry, Cast-Iron Collector

Preface

Harold Henry, of Hamilton, Missouri, passed away on June 8, 2025, at the age of 90. He was a delightful storyteller, a hardworking farmer, and a retired auctioneer of cattle. Harold was also an avid collector of cast-iron cookware. He was my friend.

Harold had a deep affection for Lodge cast iron, both for the products and the people behind the brand. He aimed to own every piece of Lodge cookware. The admiration was mutual; Lodge Manufacturing Company holds several pieces from Harold’s collection in their museum and has even honored him as a “Lodge Legend.”

Harold admired the “survival instinct” of Lodge, believing that Lodge’s resilience is unmatched. He was also impressed by the fact that generations of family members have worked for the company and guided its direction. Harold’s passion for vintage and antique cast iron extended to other makers, too. His collection included pieces from many other makers, notably Griswold.

I first became acquainted with Harold around 2011, when I attended a large cast iron auction outside of St. Louis, Missouri. My attention was drawn to him at the auction for several reasons, not the least of which was his enthusiastic bidding and prolific buying. Although we hadn’t yet met, he invited me through another collector to stop by and see his collection. I was struck by the kindness of the offer.

This was true of Harold; he was a gracious and hospitable man.

Over the years, I wrote a fair amount about Harold, learned from him, and took countless photos of his collection. Linda and I had wonderful visits with Harold, both at his home and during cast iron events we attended. While I believe Harold liked me well enough, he was particularly fond of Linda, often calling her “Darlin’.”¹Harold had a special way of making everyone he met feel that they were important to him.

Harold was a beloved figure in the cast iron collecting community. Countless collectors and enthusiasts have learned from him, listened to his stories, and enjoyed his hospitality and his collection. He always had a big smile, and he had an even bigger laugh. He was one of a kind.

Rest in peace, my friend.

The Harold Henry Farm

Harold’s farm, located just outside of Hamilton, Missouri, spans approximately 1,300 acres. The farmland was previously owned by James Cash Penney, founder of the J.C. Penney chain of department stores.

Mr. Penney, as Harold called him, was an influential person in Harold’s life.² Harold began working at Mr. Penney’s store in Hamilton when he was 11 years old, sweeping the floors, assembling toys, and stoking the furnace. He also helped with chores at Mr. Penney’s farm, “Home Place.”³ As an adult, Harold purchased most of the acreage of Home Place farm, a fact which pleased Mr. Penney. Harold and Mr. Penney were close friends until Mr. Penney’s death in 1971 at age 95.

Harold Henry’s Career

Until he retired at age 65, Harold worked as a livestock auctioneer, in addition to working the farm. He conducted auctions around the United States and Western Canada, as well as at the farm. ⁴He also showed prize cattle across the United States.

Harold said that once he retired from livestock auctioneering, he pretty much became a full-time cast-iron collector. He also continued to work the farm, alongside his grandson Will.

Harold’s house and farm buildings were filled with mementos that told the story of his rich and fulfilling life, hobbies, family, and career.

Harold Henry and Cast Iron Collecting

Harold Henry collected cast iron for many years.⁵ His collection numbers in the thousands.⁶

Harold told me that he did not recall the first piece of iron that he purchased. This is because cast iron has always been a part of his life. Although he didn’t begin cooking with cast iron until he was around age 70, he grew up eating meals prepared in cast iron by his mother and grandmother. Cast iron was part of Harold’s heritage.

When Harold first began buying iron, he found it readily available at farm sales. As time went on and the interest in vintage iron became more widespread, however, it became harder to find.

Harold Henry and Cast Iron Auctions

Harold purchased many pieces of vintage and antique cast-iron cookware at cast-iron collectors’ auctions. Numerous pieces in his collection still bear their auction lot numbers. Harold enjoyed attending cast iron auctions, and I got a kick out of watching him in action.

In an interview with Lodge, Harold said with a laugh that collecting cast iron is “addictive.” He also noted that collecting could get competitive, but said that was part of the “business.” I have seen this first-hand. Bidding can become fierce when serious collectors aim to acquire a scarce piece in good condition.

It was easy to see that Harold loved collecting cast iron, enjoyed the competition, and relished acquiring special pieces to add to his collection.

At auctions, Harold was very focused when bidding. If Harold was determined to win a piece, he would do so. By the same token, you could see that Harold had set a limit in his mind about what he would spend. I’d see him grimace, shake his head, and stop bidding when his maximum price was reached; he would then look around to see who had outbid him.

Harold told me about ten years ago that the only Griswold piece he did not have that he still wanted was a particular Griswold number 1 skillet. I don’t know if he ever acquired that precious and pricey piece.

Harold Henry’s Cast Iron Collection

Harold’s cast iron collection was spread throughout his property. On our visits, Linda and I saw iron in Harold’s mud room, kitchen, hallway, dining room, living room, bedroom,⁷ basement, family room, garage, outbuildings, barns, and in rooms in one of the barns. I even saw an old skillet being used as a watering pan in a kennel outdoors.

Most of the pieces in Harold’s collection had been carefully cleaned and stacked on shelves for display. Others were in containers awaiting cleaning or sorting, while still others were scattered around the farm, some of which appeared to have been untouched for many years.

Harold Henry’s Basement Collection

It seemed to me that Harold had organized his collection so that his basement primarily featured Griswold and Wagner pieces. Shelving units lined the walls and were packed to the brim with a multitude of pieces of cast iron and aluminum.

Harold had a glorious display of Griswold cast iron Dutch ovens – all with lids and trivets – on the pool table. A pretty collection of Griswold Flamingo Red enameled pieces was on the bar. Chromed Griswold took up an entire shelving unit. Small pieces were in a wooden and glass cabinet. Tote boxes held random lids. The fireplace hearth had pieces on display, which changed over time.⁸

Some of Harold’s favorite pieces were kept in this area of the home. Among them were his Griswold number 14 bailed skillet with lid, and Griswold number 13 skillet with lid. We also saw Griswold small square fry skillets, the Griswold bicentennial George Washington lid, fruit and lard presses, the entire Griswold Iron Mountain collection, numerous gem and muffin pans, a plethora of lids, Wagner Magnalite pieces, Griswold aluminum, and multiples of every Griswold size, logo, and handle imaginable.

The Main Level of Harold Henry’s House

Harold’s collection was not limited to the lower level of the home. The main level was also chock-full of iron.

Harold’s mud room had vintage and antique irons on shelves lining the walls. Iron was also stacked on the floor.

The cookware that Harold regularly used was kept on two tall shelving units adjacent to his kitchen. His favorite piece to use for cooking was a vintage Lodge cast iron number 10, 3-notch skillet. He also enjoyed cooking chili and soups in his number 9 cast-iron Dutch ovens.

Harold’s dining room table always had pieces of iron on it during my visits – either newly acquired pieces or items he wanted to show us. It was always fun to see Harold’s special pieces.

Harold’s living room was a feast of Lodge. Lodge cast iron was stacked on multiple shelves and racks. A sign about Lodge’s “Collector’s Tent” was affixed to the wall.⁹

Harold also had a shelving unit in his guest bedroom that was stacked with iron. This area contained a small collection of iron from Mi-Pet, Favorite, Ozark, Martin, and Sperry.

The Garage, Barn, and Outbuildings of Harold Henry’s Farm

Harold stored yet more iron in the garage, barn, and outbuildings at the farm. He had a fantastic collection of Lodge cast iron in the garage, some in original boxes. Many pieces were hung on an original Lodge rack; some sat on a large wooden table, and many more were on shelving units. While there were also pieces by other manufacturers in the garage area, Lodge cast iron definitely dominated the space.

One of the outbuildings on the farm appeared to have been used as an office by Harold. There were shelving units with cast iron in the office. We also saw cast iron in one of the rooms in a barn that appeared to have been untouched for many years.¹⁰

A Few of Harold Henry’s Special Lodge Pieces, as Presented at the 2019 Lodge Cornbread Festival

In 2019, I was honored to be invited to speak at the Lodge Collector’s tent about Lodge Collectors and Collections. Harold was one of the featured collectors in my presentation.

Harold was in the audience during my talk, seated next to fellow collector Milton O’Dell. I could hear Harold making a running commentary in the background as I spoke; I knew he was itching to elaborate on my presentation. If you watch the video of the entire presentation, you can hear Harold’s comments in the background.

I featured a few of Harold’s very special vintage Lodge-made cast iron pieces in the presentation: Walmart 25 and 50-year anniversary commemorative skillets, Belknap number 5 cast iron skillet, Trunz Pork Stores advertising skillet, number 29 cob pan, and a Blacklock number 6 teakettle.

My First Q & A Session with Harold Henry

During my first visit to Harold’s farm in 2015, I sat with a notepad and pen, diligently taking notes on Harold’s responses to a list of questions I had prepared. Ultimately, I had to give up the idea of limiting the discussion to my questions and his answers; Harold was a storyteller.

While reviewing my files to write this post, I came across my original notes from my first visit. Here are a few of my questions, and Harold’s (abbreviated) answers.

QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION WITH HAROLD HENRY

• How do you feel about using soap to clean your vintage cast iron?

  Harold’s mother and grandmother never spared the soap; in fact, they used lye soap to clean their iron. Harold uses soap when he wants to use soap.

• How do you clean your pans after cooking?

  Harold likes to use a scrub brush. He will use chain mail, stainless steel scrubbers, and SOS pads if he wants to.

  Harold says that if the seasoning comes off, it wasn’t seasoned right.

• How do you season your pans?

  Harold is not picky. He uses oils that have a low smoke point. Harold has used lard. Harold says that if you use lard to season, be sure the lard does not contain salt.

• How do you clean the vintage cast iron that you acquire?

  Elbow grease and lye when necessary. Harold keeps his lye bath outside, in what used to be his dog kennel (the lye bath is in the black bucket in the photo below). ¹¹

• Can you use cast iron on a glass cooktop?

  Of course you can! Harold is baffled by the belief that some people hold, that you will scratch your glass cooktop if you cook with cast iron. Harold showed us his glass cooktop – nary a scratch.

  If you scratch your cooktop, Harold says it’s because the bottom of your pan was not smooth. Just be sure to cook on a burner at least as big as the bottom of your pan.

• What advice does Harold have for a new collector?

  “Get someone to help you buy a piece and learn how to use it.” Harold did not learn to cook in his cast iron until he was 70.

• Cooking advice?

  Make sure the skillet is hot before you put your food into it, but “don’t get it too damn hot.” How hot is too hot? “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to cook on an electric stove.”

• Does Harold have other collections?

  Harold laughed. He collects pocket knives and hunting knives that were made in the United States. How many does he have? “Quite a few,” he said with a chuckle.

• What are Harold’s favorite pans to cook with?

  Lodge cast iron, of course. His favorite pans to cook in are two Lodge number 10 cast-iron skillets: one from the 1930s and the other from the 1960s.

1. Harold had a certain charm, and I imagine he referred to several women as “Darlin’,” but don’t mention that to Linda. Linda likes to think she was Harold’s number one “Darlin’.”
2. The stories in this post are stories Harold told me, to the best of my recollection and notes, unless otherwise cited.
3. Home Place Farms was one of the top Angus breeding operations in the United States in the 1940s and 50s.
4. During one of my last visits with Harold, he mused that he probably would be remembered most for his cast iron collection. “But I was a pretty good auctioneer, too.” He told me that the first item he sold at auctioneering school was a skillet clock.
5. I have seen references stating that Harold collected cast iron for 20 years, and another reference said he had collected for 28 years. In 2015, he told me that he had been collecting for over 50 years. Regardless of the precise duration, it’s clear that he was a dedicated collector for many years.
6. I don’t think Harold knew how many pieces he had in the collection. When I asked if he had an inventory, he smiled and tapped his temple. I know he has estimated 4,000 or 5,000 pieces; I’d wager that the actual number is much higher.
7. Harold said in an interview with Lodge that “someone” (me) had written that he had iron in his bedroom, and he “really didn’t.” When I later challenged him on that, saying that I had personally seen iron in the bedroom, he clarified to me that he had iron in the guest bedroom, not his bedroom.
8. During one visit, we discovered an interesting addition to the collection downstairs – a snake! Eric McAllister gathered the intruder and brought it outside where it belonged, as Freda McAllister, Brenda Bernstein, and I sprinted upstairs.
9. The “Collector’s Tent” is a special feature at the annual Lodge Cornbread Festival, which Harold religiously attended. His last visit to the festival was on April 25-26, 2025. A handful of Harold’s pieces were featured in my talk at the Collector’s Tent at the 2019 festival. An excerpt is at the end of this post.
10. Harold told us a story about an old Griswold skillet he had found some time ago in one of the barns. He figured it had been sitting there for 30 or 35 years.
11. At some point, the lye bath disappeared, and this kennel was used to contain Harold’s rabbits.