In the book "As I Remember It" by Uncle Uria, he wrote about roasting chestnuts in a pot-bellied stove.

These chestnuts were gathered by the feed bag full on the farm on bottom of Durkee Hill. Only the house and one other building are standing there now. The rest is all under water and known as Akron Dam.

I don't know how they used to roast chestnuts in those days, but my Mother remembers doing it on cookie sheets on top of the living room stove.

It is also easy to roast chestnuts in your oven. Heat oven on low, probably 200 degrees or so, and roast for about 1 hour.