In the crisp autumn of 1897, in a modest Cincinnati rowhouse, Florence Harper, a 32-year-old widow, stood proudly beside her most prized possession: a gleaming Triple Effect Estate Stove, soon to be known simply as "Florence" in her neighborhood. Florence wasn’t its inventor, but her life and the stove’s legacy became so intertwined that the name stuck, a tribute to her resourcefulness and warmth.

Florence had inherited a small sum after her husband’s passing, enough to purchase the newly released stove. Unlike the clunky, soot-stained stoves of her neighbors, this one promised efficiency: five heating tubes for warming the home, all with gas instead of wood. For Florence, who supported herself and her two young children by taking in sewing and running a small boarding house, this stove was a lifeline. It meant stretching her meager fuel budget, keeping her home cozy for her boarders—mostly factory workers who craved comfort after long shifts.