Great Grandmother's Irons

These irons belonged to my great grandmother, Carolina Abplanalp Alder. When my mother, Sharron, was about 15 years old  (around 1957) she visited her grandma Alder in their log cabin in Salmon, Idaho. She watched her grandma use these irons to iron their clothing and asked to help. She and her grandmother heated the iron on a wood stove until it was hot and then ironed with it. Due to continuous use over the years, the handle on the iron broke. Carolina's son, Glen Alder (my grandfather) repaired it when he was a teenager (around 1934) so she could keep using it. I'm sure it needed repairs multiple times and my grandpa finally repaired it years later with electrical tape. My mother loved her grandmother so much that when she passed away she asked for her irons and one of her oil lamps. She waited many years after her grandma died to get these and was given them by my grandpa a couple of years ago. He was using them as door stops. I asked my mother if I could have them when she died and she surprised me for my birthday a year ago and gave them to me! I have them displayed in my sewing room and I love them!

f/9, 1/30 sec, 105 mm