Garrison Wood Stoves: Models, Parts and Modern Replacements

Garrison stoves are the octagonal steel boxes with double cast-iron doors — on the Garrison II, a sculpted relief of Fort Edgecomb. They were built at the height of the late-1970s wood boom, and plenty are still running. If you own one, you probably want to know three things: which Garrison it is, whether you can still get parts, and what replaces it without tearing up your fireplace.

Short answers: the company went bankrupt once the wood boom ended, parts are generic only, and the replacement depends mostly on your Garrison's size and the fact that it vents out the back.

What happened to Garrison

Garrison Stove Works, Inc. was based in Claremont, New Hampshire. According to the founder's son, Robert L. McCredie Sr. sketched the first design as a cardboard prototype in his own stove shop, The Firebox, in West Woodstock, Vermont, in the early 1970s. Production started on a $30,000 investment, plants followed in Goshen, Indiana and Portland, Oregon, and sales reportedly passed $10 million within five years. Trademark filings for Garrison's steel and cast-iron wood stoves, and for a coal stove, date to 1980.

The run was short. The line was at its peak from about 1978 to 1982. When oil prices fell after the 1970s embargo, demand for wood stoves dropped hard, and Garrison went bankrupt. That was years before the EPA's 1988 wood heater standard, so no Garrison was ever certified to it.

The models

Garrison built three sizes of wood stove and one coal stove, plus a short-lived dual-fuel model that burned wood or coal.

The Garrison II figures come from the factory literature. All models had a rear flue takeoff, designed so the stove could sit on the hearth and vent straight back into an existing masonry fireplace. The double doors were low-phosphorus gray cast iron with a fort relief on the Garrison II, and they open to a spark screen for fire viewing.

Parts, problems and value

With the company gone, model-specific castings and hardware are gone too. Firebrick, high-temperature paint and door gasket are the realistic repairs.

The known weak spot is air leakage. One experienced owner reports the doors only seal well if the body seams are also sealed with high-temperature caulk; otherwise a Garrison isn't truly airtight by modern standards. Garrisons that are sealed up can still perform: one Garrison II owner reports 8–9 hour burns heating a 900 sq ft house as the only heat source. If yours does that, there's no urgency to replace it.

Value is modest. A Garrison sells as a working heater, not a collectible.

The certification problem

Like every stove of its era, a Garrison has no EPA certification, no tested efficiency and no emissions figure. That rarely matters while it sits where it has sat for forty years. It matters when you move or reinstall it, when an insurer asks about solid-fuel heat, and when you sell the house. Call your carrier and your building department before you spend money either way. Our EPA certification guide explains the current standard.

What replaces a Garrison

Every stove below ships with No Sales Tax in any state and free shipping. Supply is tight this season, so we've led with models that ship soonest, and each shows its live shipping status.

Replacing a Garrison I

The Garrison I was the big one on an 8" flue. The Drolet HT-3000 ($1,899, Ships in about 2 weeks) heats up to 2,700 sq ft from a 3.5 cu ft firebox, takes 22" logs and burns up to 10 hours on a load. It vents on a 6" flue, so plan for a new connector and likely a liner.

If the Garrison I was more stove than the house needed, the Drolet Escape 1800 on legs ($1,549, Ships in 2–6 weeks) covers 500–2,100 sq ft on 20" logs.

Replacing a Garrison II or III

The Garrison II took 16–18" wood and, in owners' hands, heats a small house. The Englander Blue Ridge 100 N ($1,099, Ships in 1–3 days) is the size match: 250–1,200 sq ft, 75,000 BTU/h at peak, 17" logs, built by England's Stove Works in Virginia. The Drolet Escape 1200 N ($1,129, Ships in 6–10 weeks) is the same size class with a glass door. Both appear in our small wood stove guide.

One fit note: the Garrison II is about 26" wide and roughly 26" tall. The Blue Ridge 100 N is 18½" wide and 30⅜" high on its pedestal, so it's narrower but taller — check that against your fireplace opening or mantel if the stove sits in front of one.

If your Garrison vents into the fireplace

That rear takeoff is why so many Garrisons sit on a hearth, piped straight back through a fireplace. Today's code-compliant version of that setup is an insert with a full stainless liner up the chimney. The Drolet Escape 1800-I ($1,799, No confirmed date) heats up to 2,100 sq ft with a variable-speed blower included, and the faceplate and 25 ft liner kit bundle ($2,199) covers the whole install. For a smaller house, the Englander Blue Ridge 150-I ($1,589, Ships in 2–6 weeks) heats 250–1,200 sq ft. Measure your firebox opening before ordering; see wood stove vs fireplace insert if you're torn.

The honest comparison

A Garrison has the mass and the looks, and a well-sealed one burns long. What it lacks is secondary combustion: without it, a big share of the wood's energy leaves as smoke and creosote. A modern non-catalytic stove burns those gases inside the firebox, so you get the same heat from noticeably less wood, plus a glass door and a warranty.

Keep it if it's sealed, it draws well and nobody is asking you to permit or insure it. Replace it if it leaks smoke, the doors won't close tight, or the install needs to pass inspection. The adjustment going modern: certified stoves need seasoned wood to perform.

Before you swap

• Flue size and route. A Garrison I vents at 8"; everything above uses 6". If the old stove ran its rear pipe through a fireplace damper into an unlined flue, expect to add a liner. See the chimney liner guide and the stovepipe guide.
• Clearances. Take them from the new stove's manual, not from where the Garrison sat.
• Floor protection. Requirements differ by model. See the hearth pad guide and the installation guide.

Bottom line

HT-3000 for a Garrison I, Blue Ridge 100 N or Escape 1200 N for a Garrison II or III, and an Escape 1800-I insert if the stove has always vented into the fireplace — each shows its live shipping status above. No Sales Tax in any state and free shipping over $250. Browse all wood stoves for sale or call 1-888-914-0022 with your model and the square footage you're heating.

Replacing another vintage stove?

Same honest assessment for the other brands owners still run: Fisher, All Nighter, Schrader, Nashua, Dutchwest and Federal Airtight, Vermont Castings Vigilant and Resolute and Timberline.