Last updated: April 18, 2026
- Founded: 1896 by Joseph Lodge
- Location: South Pittsburg, Tennessee
- Products: Cast-iron skillets, Dutch ovens, grill pans, hearth cookware
- Role: Largest private employer in Marion County
Lodge Cast Iron is a family-owned cookware foundry that has operated continuously in South Pittsburg since 1896. It is one of the longest continuously operating cast-iron cookware manufacturers in the United States, and it remains the largest private employer in Marion County.
Founding (1896)
Joseph Lodge founded what became Lodge Manufacturing in South Pittsburg in 1896. The town's coal, rail, and smelter infrastructure, inherited from the Sequatchie Valley iron boom, made South Pittsburg an attractive location for a cast-iron foundry.
Through the 20th century
Lodge survived waves of industry contraction as nearly every other American cast-iron cookware maker closed. It has stayed in the Lodge family for multiple generations and has continued to add capacity over time, including a second foundry in South Pittsburg.
Cast iron as local identity
Because Lodge has been in South Pittsburg since 1896, cast iron isn't just an industry in Marion County, it's part of the region's material culture. Skillets, Dutch ovens, grill pans, and hearth cookery show up in local homes, restaurants, festivals, and museum displays.
Museum and festival
The Lodge Museum of Cast Iron in South Pittsburg is home to the world's largest cast-iron skillet, a 14,360-pound skillet on permanent display. Each spring, Lodge is the anchor sponsor of the National Cornbread Festival, which opens the foundry to public tours.
Related
About South Pittsburg →
About the National Cornbread Festival →