I'm sorry I don't know more about Griswold Iron Works. I think they were possibly still going when I was a small child, but what would I have known about pots and pans then? In the early 1970's I worked summers at Erie Malleable Iron. And they made what was called 'black sand castings' which I think is the same process as Griswold pans. The sand castings were these big blocks of black sand, probably mixed with a binder that served as a mold, and had to be broken apart with a sledge hammer,(the sand was reused), the iron had fins that had to be broken off and cleaned up and inspected before going on to finishing. Everyday I would go in white skinned and by evening I was as black as a coal miner (or more so). They had huge shower rooms to wash off and change clothes before heading home. And the huge ladles of molted iron that pored red-hot metal practically over your head was terrifying. Erie had a lot of Iron foundries and forges. Everything was Union where I worked-United Steelworkers. I remember Zurn, Urick, and I think Ridge Tools and General Electric (locomotive) and I believe they are still around. And a big paper mill-Hammermill; which was started at an old wrought iron forge in Erie in 1899. But I haven't been back for decades and I think most of those iron foundries are long gone. I worked two summers at Malleable Iron, and though the work was hard, I was young and could handle it. I memorized poetry in my head while working. Whole sections of town smelled like the Iron foundries. You could see it in the air on those still Winter days. Lots of Italian, Polish and Russian immigrants and Black folks worked side by side, but still maintained their neighborhood bars and eating places. I remember wanting to go to a Polish bar (Club) to go Polka dancing with some Penn State coeds- this is during the hippie period, ... but it was restricted and private, I had to find a friend of a friend who practically had to sponsor me with his blood to get me a membership card. Unbelievable- it was like stepping back in time by 20 years. We ate it up. I did not know about Erie and Griswold until I had to buy a new gas range (I bought a small Bluestar for my Berkeley apartment..also made in Pa.) I have since seen them at other people's homes.. and seeing the word Erie,Pa. just always sends me back. Maybe someday I'll buy a skillet or 5qt. dutch oven... not all the memories were good, but they were mine and they shaped who I became.

I realize this is VERY old thread. However some things need to be corrected. Just because people do it, doesn't make it safe. So here goes: A. NEVER use soap on cast iron, seasoned or otherwise. Best rule of thumb for cast iron: If you wouldn't put it directly into your mouth, it shouldn't go on your cast iron. Just because folks aren't concerned about ingesting SOAP themselves doesn't mean it's healthy. And since there are so many different soaps, one can't count that any product is OK. So, NEVER EVER EVER use soap on seasoned cast iron unless you're planning on stripping it down to iron and then starting the seasoning process from scratch. Otherwise that soap gets caught in your oil finish and sooner or later you ingest it. B. Clean your rusty cast iron this way: Wash it down to remove all food particles with a scrubber and NO SOAP! Then rinse well and place on a burner. Heat it until all the water disappears - add some oil (I use Canola) then use tongs to rub salt (I prefer pickling salt which is very fine while others go as far as coarse) around with a paper towel until the rust is gone. This works well and doesn't take long. Shut the heat off when you're done and let the pan cool down some before rinsing it out with hot water. Dry out the pan and put a light film of oil on with a new paper towel. You can heat it again and let it cool or not. But, you'll see a beautiful and fine non-stick finish build up if you do this consistently. And it WILL hold up to acid foods such as chili with little or no problem. If it doesn't you're one seasoning away from making it right. C. If it sounds like too much work, understand this: I'm cooking with my mother's 60 plus year old cast iron skillet. No other pan has ever measured up for certain foods such as fried potatoes. As mentioned above, it's browning properties are unique. And I've tried many s different cookware including Le Creuset cast iron non-stick. Once used to the process of creating and protecting the non-stick finish on your cast iron pans, you may never go back. (I know I won't). D. Not only does cast iron add iron to your diet, the non stick finish IT has is SAFE - no more worries about ingesting flaking Teflon or non-stick fumes. If you have children under three you want to be careful about how much food they eat cooked in cast iron so iron won't build up to toxic levels for the little folks.

The pan you have is known as a deep "chicken fryer" or a "double skillet". Your pan is not a dutch oven. You can sometimes find the lid for your pan on Ebay. Go to the search area on Ebay and type in "iron skillet double" in the search field and search under "all categories". This search will usually find "top" skillets for your type of chicken fryer. Also, you can type in "iron chicken fryer" in the search field and search "all categories". This search will usually find fryers with both the top and the bottom. One of these is currently listed on an Ebay auction......see link below. Dan Here is a link that might be useful: Ebay chicken fryer auction

This item is imported by Guillory Wholesale out of Mamou, La.......see link below. I own the 4 gallon jambalaya/crackling pot that is listed. It is a well made pot considering it's an import. I would put the quality on pare with Lodge products. I own and use quite a bit of bare metal cast iron cookware (Lodge, Pica Ware, Griswold, Wagner, Wapak, Hackman, LeCreuset, Loth Stove Company, many no-name items.....threw away several junk imports) and have a good basis for judging cast iron quality. I also have the 10 quart McWare cast aluminum stock pot that is listed and the quality is as good as Magnelite by GHC. I have seen but never really looked at their Camp Dutch Ovens......so I can't directly attest to its quality. All I can say is that I am very pleased with the quality of the two items I purchased. Dan Here is a link that might be useful: Cajun Classic Cookware