October 31, 1936, Winnipeg Tribune
A local company, The Furnace Experts, recently held a contest to find Winnipeg's oldest working furnace. The prize? A brand new furnace system !
This Global News story covers the winner. A Luxton Avenue homeowner who had a 79-year old beast taking up most of her basement, still churning out heat until this past winter.
Western Foundry Co, Wingham Ontario, ca. 1907 (source)
The photos indicate that it was an Acme brand furnace. Acme was a line made by the Western Foundry Co. of Wingham, Ontario. The company formed in 1902 and a few years later signed an exclusivity agreement for its stoves and furnaces with with Eaton's that lasted through the 1950s. (Read more about Western Foundry here.)
As you can see form the above ad from the year the Luxton Avenue home got its furnace, the purchase price was around $100, making it excellent value for the money ! Eaton's also offered a financing plan in 1936 because, after all, it was the tail end of the Depression and not many working class homes would have had $100 in savings built up.
The company has moved on to another contest: the oldest air conditioning unit in Manitoba !
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