The Thorne & Windsor parlor stove, crafted in the late 1890s by the Lakeside Foundry in Chicago, was a symbol of Victorian elegance, designed to radiate warmth in family living rooms with its ornate cast-iron body and efficient coal- or wood-burning chamber.

Its story begins in 1895, when Delia Hawthorne, a young widow named after her Italian grandmother, bought it for her Illinois farmhouse after her husband's farming accident. Drawn to its gleaming nickel accents, Delia saw it as a source of comfort for her children, Elias and Clara, through harsh winters.

Placed in the parlor, the stove became the heart of the home, its steady heat banishing the chill during the Blizzard of 1898, where it kept the family huddled safely as winds howled outside. Delia tended its firebox daily, feeding it oak logs that filled the room with gentle warmth, fostering evenings of storytelling and quiet reflection.

In 1905, after remarrying, the stove heated gatherings of neighbors, its glow symbolizing resilience. Even during the 1913 flood, Delia protected it, ensuring it continued to warm the household for generations. Passed to her daughter Clara in the 1940s, it endured as a cherished heirloom until the late 20th century, when antique restorers revived it. Today, valued at $5,000–$6,000, it evokes Delia's enduring spirit—a delicate name for a woman of unyielding strength, much like the stove that heated her world.