Long before Americans had access to natural gas, propane, fuel oil, or electricity, and long before there were automatically controlled central heating systems, wood was the most commonly used heating fuel. The Alliance for Green Heat states the first evidence of wood-fueled heating occurred 1.4 million years ago, and the first European hearths date back about 500,000 years.
In early Americana, a wood-fired stove was the centerpiece of many kitchens. A parlor stove or fireplace provided comfort, albeit somewhat crude by today’s standards, in family gathering rooms.