Label
Still Bank, 1975-1985
Vermont Castings (1975-present)
Randolph, Vermont
Cast iron
In memory of Joseph & Laura Algar and Raymond H. Adams, 2008.38.6
Duncan Syme was one of many innovators and tinkerers drawn to Vermont during the 1970s. A Yale-trained architect, he worked out of his wood shop in Warren, VT with the goal of building a better wood-burning stove. His quest fused back-to-the-land values of self-reliance with a new awareness of renewable and more efficient sources of energy. Heating with wood was a new concept to many who came to Vermont from more temperate climates, and the learning curve was steep.
Syme began production on his prototype and called it the “Defiant.” The company that grew around that original model was named Vermont Castings, headquartered in Randolph. Its growth was extraordinary – in five years, it was listed as the fastest growing stove company in America by Inc. The Defiant wasn’t just more efficient and better-constructed: it was elegant, combining art and practicality in a way that typified the spirit of invention at communes across Vermont.