San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-08-22
SPOONS AS SOUVENIRS.
TRADITIONAL HISTORY PRESERVED
IN A BEAUTIFUL WAY.
Nearly Every City in the Country Seems
to Have Stamped a Spoon with Figures
Pieturing Local Characters OF Famous
Historical Incidents.


Historical Incidents.
The idea of souvenir spoons came from
Europe. To an unknown jeweler in Salem
belongs the credit of having brought out
the first distinctive souvenir spoon in this
country. He knew that his town and
witchcraft were closely linked together in
Puritan days, so he stamped witch,
broom, high hat and all, upon the handle
of his spoon, while just below the figure of
the witch were three crossed pins, the
pins of torment" He sold several hun
dred dozen such spoons.
The New York souvenir spoons came out
short time after the Salem spoon. A
Union square jeweler tells an interesting
story of how he made his first souvenir
spoon. For several years tourists came
into his store and bought spoons or knives
and had the word "New York" engraved
upon them, and took them home as souve-
Mrs of their visit here. This business kept
growing every year, and when the Salem
man got out his spoon the New York jew
eler saw his opportunity. He lay awake
one night thinking about it, and the next
morning he had the idea Of design in his
head. The upper end of the spoons ham
die was to be a little statuette of Peter
Stuyvesant, wooden leg and all. An old
woodcut of the famous Peter was hunted
up, and when the first spoon had been cast
and finished off it gave striking likeness.
The spoon sold well from the start, and
the jeweler followed it with several others.
The Knickerbocker spoon, upon whose
handle was the stout figure of Diedrich
knickerbocker contentedly smoking his
pipe, came out next, and then the Rip Van
Wrinkle spoon, with old Rip waking from
his long sleep.
NEW ENGLAND SPOONS.
From New York the idea spread to other
towns, and the different designs that are
sold today would amount to 500. The
amount of workmanship that is put upon
some of the spoons is positively bewilder-
ing The New Bedford spoon has perched
on top of the handle a miniature whaling
ship, full rugged, while on the handle itself
is the outline of a harpoon. The interior
of the bowl is bit of ocean, out of which
whale is poking his head. Then there is
the Saratoga spoon, whose handle is an In
dams paddle with culver of arrows ris-
ing at the back On the blade of the pad
die is miniature figure Of Uncas, the last
OF the Mohic&u.l, drinking from High Rock
spring, which is pictured Us it was sup
posed to appear originally Where the
handle runs in to the bowl Is seen turtle,
the totem" of the Mohcan tribe.
Many of the New England towns are
now riCa ia sD&vanir spoons, upon which
some wei Known bit of history is en-
biRZDu2l There are several varieties of
the PiynOth loon, but they all bring in
Plympuih Rock or the G"'d ship May
flower Then there are the Priscilla and
Miles Sjaulish spoons, upon v nose handles
the figures of those interesting persOnages
are STAMPED Newport boasts of half
dozen different Spoons designed in its
honor. The bowl of one contains the like
ness of the old stone mill while in another
is a view of Lime Rock.
Connecticut comes out strong in souvenir
spoons too. The state itself has the nut
meg" spoon, whose bowl is the nutmeg
while the handle is the twig from which it
is growing. The whole effect is very strik.
ing. Hartford has the Charter Oak spoon,
which has view of the famous old tree
upon the handle
CHICAGO SPOONS.
Springfield, Mass, has a spoon which
hears on its handle likeness of Miles
~
bunderbuss over his shoulder. Lord Tim
Uthy Dexter is preserved on the handle of
the NewburyporU spoon. The Lowell spoon
has an excellent bust of Benjamin F. But
Ter perChed on the handle.
Boston is peculiarly rich in souvenir
spOO One represents Paul Revere on
his = might ride, and the amount of de-
tail brought out inaa small space on the
l.,
Boston spoon hits hard at one of the towns
pecuIiarities-beans. A pot of beans on
the handle tells the whole story. Another
has view of Faneuil Hall in the bowl,
with the Boston tea party" depicted on
the handle The Bridgeport spoon has
likeness of p. L. Barnum on the handle.
The Windy City isfespecially enterpris-
ing in the souvenir spoon line The
Worlds fair city souvenir spoon" is the
most complicated of them all. In the bowl
of this spoon group of Indians are watch
ing the approach of Columbus fleet. On
the handle is stamped picture of the Co
lumbar tower on the Worlds fair site,
while at the end of the handle is a bas-re-
lief figure of Columbus, with the western
hemisphere as background Another
spoon upon which Chicago has let loose its
ideas is the "Phenix." In the bowl is
etched a representation of Fort Dearborn,
erected on Chcago's site, while the top of
the spoons handle consists of the Phenix
rising from its ashes against a background
of the rising sun. The design of another
Chicago spoon shows lincoln's home at
Springfield, and gives quotation from one
of his speeches and view of Fort Dear
born besides.
BROOKLYN SPOONS.