More About Seats

Cast iron seats were made for the horse drawn implements from about 1850 through 1900. Most of the seats came from implements that were built in munitions factories following the Civil War.

 

Cast Iron Seat Club.Org

It is a form of Agrarian art to us.  Seat collectors like to do many different things to the seats they collect. Many leave them in the original condition in which they were found; others clean them up and paint many details on them; some even paint scenery on them. It’s unbelievable how beautiful they become!

 

There are over 2,200 different seats known, with others appearing frequently. There are collectors proudly holding on to some one-of-a-kind items.

It is said that the implement seat was the greatest improvement in agriculture. Just imagine the great advancement that was made when the farmer could ride instead of walking behind the machine. When he was able to ride, it left his feet free to operate levers and drive the team of horses. It was in this era that agriculture began to grow, and so did the country.

 

The seats were cast out of brittle cast iron; some had round holes, some had frills or curves and some had lace effects.  Many had the name of the manufacturer cast into them, some indicated the city where they were made, and some of the seats had a patent date included in their face.

 

The original patterns were made from wood, except for one, “Wishusen,” Stafford, Kansas, which was cast from a pattern made into the clay.  The letters were crudely scratched into the clay before the seat was dried.