By Dave Mast
Twenty-five years ago Edward Erb began Erb's Stove Center near his home outside of Baltic.
The store was designed to furnish the Amish community with gas stoves, refrigerators, fireplaces and other products necessary for the Amish lifestyle, in which they have chosen not to use electricity.
One of Erb's largest dealers was Coleman, which, while being most well known for its lanterns, provided numerous products Erb was seeking to provide to his customers.
Through the years, Erb's passion for Coleman products has grown.
Since that time he has passed the company business along to his son, Duane, but Coleman stayed in Erb's blood.
He has collected assorted Coleman pieces over the years; out-of-stock pieces which caught his fancy, older items brought in by customers wanting to upgrade, and even products which people no longer wanted because they were too old and antiquated.
"Collecting Coleman became a passion," said Erb. "These products are part of the Amish culture and history, and as more and more people knew I was collecting, they started to bring in older things that they were no longer using, and the collection grew."
Today, with more than 600 Coleman products to his name, Erb's collection is one of the largest in the world.
Included in the list are some very old and rare products from Coleman's illustrious past, which began in 1900.
A hollow wire parlor room lamp adorned with a slide glass shade with fringes, a hollow wire parlor room chandelier along with a pair of tall single lamps designed for high ceilings, the first lantern Coleman designed in 1914, and a series of Coleman lanterns representing each year Coleman has been in business, line the largest of the two-room museum Erb has made at his home.
In the 15 large showcases, there are also a host of gas irons, a display dedicated to Coleman's involvement with the Armed Forces during World War I and II, poultry lanterns designed specifically for the hen house, some very rare ceramic vase lamps which are incredibly hard to find in good shape, numerous hand-painted lamp shades and all kinds of specialty Coleman products the company created as promotional items throughout the years.
And that's just in room No. 1.
In the second room, Erb has a collection of stoves, heaters and coolers built by Coleman in the 1920s and '30s.
Although the two-room museum is packed full of products, Erb can tell stories about each one.
"I think once people realized I was collecting, they started making a point of looking in their homes and bringing in old items they didn't use anymore," said Erb. "I started to keep an eye out through auctions all over the U.S. for some of the rarer items. For a long time you could get them for pretty cheap, but not any more."
As Erb made connections around the states, he began to realize he wasn't alone in his passion. He had a good friend in Indiana who collected and together they talked about the passion which they shared with others.
About a decade ago, Erb contacted Coleman after he and several other collectors got together to talk about forming a collector's club. Representatives from the company said that no such collector's group existed, and told Erb that they would be thrilled if they pursued such an endeavor.
The club grew quickly, with members joining from around the nation. The Coleman trend even caught on overseas, with around 50 collectors joining from Japan. They began meeting on an annual basis, with Erb hosting the first meeting in 1988 and again in 2005 - both at the Carlisle Inn at Walnut Creek, where more than 300 of the 650 members of the club gathered to talk all things Coleman.
"We figured there were a lot of other people out there interested, so why not form a collector's group," said Erb. "We found out that Coleman products were becoming very popular and collectible, and pretty soon we really started to grow."
Erb's collection ranks as one of the largest and most distinguished in the world.
While his museum is serviceable for the time being, it has become quite cramped, and Erb's dream is to one day be able to house his collection, along with other items of local interest which have helped to create this Amish community, in one large museum dedicated to things which have helped shape what Amish Country is today.
His plan would be to include his Coleman collection, his extensive toy tractor collection, an 1800s clothing and toy collection which belongs to a friend in Akron, Millersburg Glass items and another local man's large steam engine collection, into one giant museum designed to show visitors how the Amish community and Holmes County have grown and thrived over the past two centuries.
"All of these things are part of our history here, and they are all meaningful parts of how our community has survived and grown," said Erb.
"I would love to pursue a museum, but I simply don't have the funding to do it myself. It would be a neat historical look at Amish Country, and I think people would find it fascinating, but finding a place for it and funding for it isn't easy.
"It would be a perfect addition to the heart of the Amish community, and promoting our history.
"I would really like for that to happen, but I know it will take time and money to bring it all together."
Until then, Erb will continue to purchase highly prized Coleman collectibles and add them to the museum at his home between Baltic and Sugarcreek.
If you are interested in seeing this little corner of Amish Country's past and present, Erb would love giving you the tour, providing a unique insight on all of the Coleman products in his museum.
While you can stop in by chance for a tour, the museum is not always open. Erb suggests calling Erb's Stove Center at 330-893-3903 to schedule an appointment to experience more than a century of how America made light and heat in the good old days.
