Henri Charriere Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 2 hours ago, Woods020 said: Black Diamond Coal Mining Company Birmingham (Jefferson County) Alabama Absolutely stunning! I love that hexagonal look. Woods020 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post EdG_Ohio Posted March 9, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 9, 2021 A slight personal connection which I'll get into another time once I have all the info. Woods020, Just Bob, Alex in PA. and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post EdG_Ohio Posted March 17, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 17, 2021 The personal connection is that my Father attended the Ohio Mechanics Institute after serving in the Korean war in the late 40's and earning a degree in Mechanical design. He was also the Valedictorian of his class which we didn't find out until a couple of years before his passing. College of Applied Science cultivates 175 years of civic ties by Deborah Rieselman In the early 1800s, only 25 years after Ohio became a state, Cincinnati was a thriving town with mills, tanneries, foundries and a hospital. Notably lacking, however, were public schools for its 20,000-plus residents. Nevertheless, it did have an educational outlet of which few other American cities could boast -- a mechanics institute. At OMI’s Annual Fair in 1854, the public got its first glimpse of the steam-powered fire engine invented by OMI faculty member Alexander Latta. By 1878, OMI had partnered with the city and hosted exhibitions in Music Hall, which had been constructed partially to accommodate the events. The Centennial Exposition in 1888 required erecting a complex of temporary buildings on the grounds now known as Washington Park, and another building that stretched from 12th to 15th streets, over a canal (at top edge of postcard). There, men, women and even teenagers who were too poor to pursue a private education could attend free lectures in the evenings, presented by itinerant lecturers who traveled with their equipment. Eager to provide vivid demonstrations to the middle class, these lecturers followed a circuit of the country's five mechanics institutes -- New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore and faraway Cincinnati. Of those, only Cincinnati's Ohio Mechanics Institute, which became the College of Applied Science and is now the College of Engineering and Applied Science, has remained in continuous operation, says Maria Kreppel, former College of Applied Science (CAS) professor and archivist. Founded in November 1828, the college celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2003, in doing so, highlighted the variety of ways in which it has served Cincinnati -- avenues that seem quite surprising to a modern interpretation of a "mechanics" institute. In the pre-Civil War years, for example, a Cincinnati resident who wanted to borrow a library book headed to the OMI library, which was, virtually, the city's first public library. Likewise, Cincinnatians turned to OMI when they wanted to visit a museum or attend a concert. Ultimately, the institute was instrumental in setting the stage for the birth of Music Hall, the Natural History Museum, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Art Museum and the country's first professional fire department. Committed involvement in the community was common among mechanics institutes, stemming from two objectives -- to fulfill a community's educational needs and to nurture its common welfare. As a result, displaying fascinating artifacts like genuine Indian moccasins and newfangled machinery seemed natural for OMI. Eventually, such displays became entire museum exhibits. Similarly, OMI's initiation of a music program evolved into public concerts. And providing a rooftop from which volunteer firemen could keep watch for city fires cultivated the kind of attitude that led an OMI faculty member to invent a steam-powered fire engine and the OMI board president to develop the nation's first paid, professional fire-fighting squad. Firefighting and art, machinery and music -- all important components of the same institution? The subjects sound more dissimilar to modern ears than they did in the 19th century. In 1888, VIPs arrived at the Centennial Exposition by gondolas, via the Miami-Erie Canal. At top, a fire boat enters the Machinery Hall. In the middle, a fountain decorates the main hall of the Exposition Building. "No one distinguished between arts and industry," says professor Kreppel. "You built beautiful buildings, rich in architectural details. You created beautiful measuring instruments. Technology wedded arts and industry." Furthermore, the term "mechanics institute" simply had a broader meaning in the 1800s because the word "mechanic" was defined differently. As far back as Shakespeare's time, "mechanical" referred to a craftsman and his related social class. When mechanics institutes were born in Scotland in 1800, the intent was to provide free education to the working class, Kreppel explains. "Anyone willing and able to learn should be taught; that was the concept," she says. "An ideal mechanics institute had three L's and an M: a library that was free and open to anyone, lectures offering hands-on demonstrations, laboratories and a museum. "In 1800, education was typically offered in seminaries and castles, in other words, for the church and the rich. The mechanics institute was an effort to build a middle class, to present 'cooperative education,' before we knew that term, to workers who studied at night." The obvious drawback was funding this "free" education. In the early years, the Ohio Mechanics Institute (now the University of Cincinnati College of Applied Science) certainly struggled. Its first library was little more than circulation of private books among the citizens willing to loan them, Kreppel explains. OMI lectures were held in whatever public building was available, including city council chambers. Slowly, however, the OMI board of directors began cultivating donors, soliciting memberships and acquiring property, eventually building its own facility in 1848, located at Vine and Sixth streets. By the post Civil War years, OMI was on solid financial ground, while most of the city suffered financial hardships from being a border state that lost income tied to devastated Southern businesses. Soon OMI leaders were planning new ventures, hosting enormous exhibitions in partnership with the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trade -- events that were a precursor to World's Fairs, as we have come to know them today. In 1872, its third Grand Exposition of Manufacturers, Products and Arts was so successful that half a million people came to town to view displays set up by 30 different states. The city took notice. Within a few years, OMI directors proposed a plan "to erect a grand central building to be known as Music Hall to house future exhibitions," Kreppel says. The dream came true in 1879 when the city opened a building that would accommodate the May Festival Chorus in its central auditorium and expositions in its north and south wings. Along the way, community ties with the Ohio Mechanics Institute grew stronger. Because OMI was a pioneer in displaying museum artifacts, it was the logical place for the Ladies Academy of Fine Arts to begin exhibiting its collections in the 1860s. Decades later, between 1934-57, the Natural History Museum was housed on the first floor of OMI's newer building, constructed at Walnut and Central Parkway in 1911. Photos from the turn of the 19th century depict OMI Symphony Orchestra students, a machine shop and a class in clay modeling, which created molds for architectural features on buildings. Cincinnati philanthropist Mary Emery funded construction at that site with the stipulation the auditorium would be available to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. The Emery Auditorium remained the CSO's home for the next 24 years. Still, residents came to OMI for more than the CSO and free lectures. By the early 20th century, the school had a full curriculum in architecture, chemistry, household art and science, industrial art, lithography, mechanics and electricity for nearly 1,500 evening and day students. About the same time, OMI opened the city's first full-time technical high school, introduced continuing education for the city's public school teachers, housed a Student Symphony Orchestra of 50 musicians, opened an industrial museum and welcomed the community to its rooftop for parties on warm evenings. With a wonderful view, the parties were conducted next to OMI's vast greenhouses where staff raised homegrown vegetables to feed students and faculty during the day. "Mary Emery insisted on the greenhouses, a holistic approach," archivist Maria Kreppel says with a smile. "All the activities were part of a vibrant building in a vibrant community, offering education, art and opportunities for social gatherings. There was a seamless connection between what went on in the building and what went on in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood." As society changed, the school responded. "World War I brought a U.S. Army contract to provide technical instruction to more than 1,000 injured servicemen," Kreppel says. "After the war, a new two-year work/study program in power laundry attracted students from 17 states, plus Canada, England, and Scotland -- testimony to OMI's growing reputation for leadership in applied learning." In 1969, the institute, which had changed its name to the Ohio College of Applied Science by then, joined the University of Cincinnati. It moved from its Walnut Street location to the former Edgecliff College campus on Victory Parkway in 1989. Between then and 2010, UC students took CAS courses at both the Victory Parkway and main campuses, with baccalaureate degrees in information technology augment traditional programs in architectural, chemical, construction, electrical and mechanical technologies. The newest program additions were later in horticulture and culinary science. And as for community ties, every spring the college hosted a free, public performance of the Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival. In addition, senior students exhibited their first professional designs at a Tech Expo each May. In 2004, the expo was moved to the Cincinnati Convention Center in an effort to develop industry partnerships, welcome the public and open up the possibility of recreating some of the grandeur of the historic expositions, Kreppel says. Perhaps most exciting was the way students continually searched for answers to complications in the home or workplace. Many of their inventions made it to market, while others simply provided a new way of looking at things, whether they are "greener" building designs, IT networks for community services or adaptive equipment for special-needs users. In 2010, the College of Applied Science merged with the College of Engineering to create the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Students, faculty and personnel from the Victory Parkway campus moved to the main campus. Woods020, Just Bob and Fenntucky Mike 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henri Charriere Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 Libraries, Lectures, Laboratories and Museums... Nice combination. That's one unique token with a fascinating history to go along with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Woods020 Posted March 17, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 17, 2021 The Coffee Shop Selma Alabama EdG_Ohio, Alex in PA., Just Bob and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdG_Ohio Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 21 hours ago, Woods020 said: The Coffee Shop Selma Alabama The color gives the appearance of nickle...is that what it is ? ...or even a "polished" aluminum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woods020 Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 1 hour ago, EdG_Ohio said: The color gives the appearance of nickle...is that what it is ? ...or even a "polished" aluminum. The guide book lists it as aluminum. I agree it’s almost too clean. But it looks great In my newly started Alabama token album EdG_Ohio 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henri Charriere Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 48 minutes ago, Woods020 said: The guide book lists it as aluminum. I agree it’s almost too clean. But it looks great In my newly started Alabama token album What does the guide book say were the years of circulation for this coin? If there are signs of wear, I don't see any. This is one of the more interesting [generic] tokens I have seen. If you have to ask, Which 'coffee shop?, you're obviously not from the area. Never seen anything like it. Nice find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woods020 Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 34 minutes ago, Quintus Arrius said: What does the guide book say were the years of circulation for this coin? If there are signs of wear, I don't see any. This is one of the more interesting [generic] tokens I have seen. If you have to ask, Which 'coffee shop?, you're obviously not from the area. Never seen anything like it. Nice find. Darned if I know. I did some searching and couldn’t pin it down. The guidebook for Alabama tokens is a very primitive resource with little information. As I’ve started getting into tokens that’s been the biggest learning experience. Its nearly impossible to find much information on a lot of the historic businesses that utilized tokens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Woods020 Posted March 23, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 23, 2021 EdG_Ohio, Fenntucky Mike and Just Bob 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdG_Ohio Posted March 24, 2021 Share Posted March 24, 2021 17 minutes ago, Woods020 said: My old eyes can't read the -script between the 1 and system...hurts my whittle brain Woods020 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Just Bob Posted March 24, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted March 24, 2021 Back on page 4 of this thread, I posted a token by pharmacists Bearden & La Grone, and mentioned that there was another style token that was issued. I was watching one of those on Ebay at the time, but it was not in the best of condition, so I decided to pass. Shortly after that, another one showed up, and it was in a bit better condition, so I put in a bid and won. Woods020, Fenntucky Mike and EdG_Ohio 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henri Charriere Posted March 24, 2021 Share Posted March 24, 2021 (edited) 13 hours ago, EdG_Ohio said: My old eyes can't read the ---script between the 1 and system...hurts my whittle brain It's either Trade, Jingle, Girdle or Giraffe -- none of which make sense. 13 hours ago, EdG_Ohio said: Edited March 24, 2021 by Quintus Arrius Duplication EdG_Ohio 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdG_Ohio Posted March 24, 2021 Share Posted March 24, 2021 12 minutes ago, Quintus Arrius said: It's either Trade, Jingle, Girdle or Giraffe -- none of which make sense. The symbol just below the 1 that goes through the -script looks like a old school compass we used in geometry class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woods020 Posted March 24, 2021 Share Posted March 24, 2021 15 hours ago, EdG_Ohio said: My old eyes can't read the --script between the 1 and system...hurts my whittle brain It says Ingle. As I understand it Ingle systems was a leading manufacturer of these tokens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henri Charriere Posted March 24, 2021 Share Posted March 24, 2021 1 hour ago, Woods020 said: It says Ingle. As I understand it Ingle systems was a leading manufacturer of these tokens. Now that we have established that, why the double-loop in the l ? Oh, I get it. The engraver made a mistake but the manufacturer did not wish to embarrass him by emphasizing it, right? I love Token Tuesdays! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henri Charriere Posted March 24, 2021 Share Posted March 24, 2021 14 hours ago, Just Bob said: Back on page 4 of this thread, I posted a token by pharmacists Bearden & La Grone, and mentioned that there was another style token that was issued. I was watching one of those on Ebay at the time, but it was not in the best of condition, so I decided to pass. Shortly after that, another one showed up, and it was in a bit better condition, so I put in a bid and won. One font used on one side; another used on the other. An absolutely gorgeous #5 and an ampersand written the way it was when it used to be the 27th letter of the alphabet. Great stuff, Just Bob! Just Bob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woods020 Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 Woodward Iron Company Dolomite (Jefferson county) Alabama Just Bob and Fenntucky Mike 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenntucky Mike Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 1893 Columbian Exposition, Forgot I had tokens from this. Not my prime token interest but I like it. Just Bob and Woods020 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henri Charriere Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 1 hour ago, Fenntucky Mike said: 1893 Columbian Exposition, Forgot I had tokens from this. Not my prime token interest but I like it. CHAMPION LOAD OF LOGS WEIGHT: 144 TONS and only two horses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Just Bob Posted March 31, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted March 31, 2021 Oliver Baylis Overstreet ran a general store in Beaumont, MS from 1913 until his death in 1929. His store passed to his heirs, and was run by his wife, Laura, until 1940. When I bought this token, it came with a note to a former owner that was written by LLoyd Wagaman, in which he attributed the token to Beaumont. Mr Wagaman was a founder of the Indiana-Kentucky-Ohio Token and Medal Society, and wrote the book on Indiana tokens, He was also an attributer/identifier of tokens, and designed and created many series of elongated cents. More on Mr. Wagaman at a later date. Woods020, Fenntucky Mike and RonnieR131 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenntucky Mike Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 (edited) 10 hours ago, Quintus Arrius said: CHAMPION LOAD OF LOGS WEIGHT: 144 TONS and only two horses? Tis true, 144 tons or just over 36,000 board feet (12' x 12' x 1'). Dang, forgot I had this picture. I need to go through my stuff and rediscover some things. Found a few more pics online. Edited March 31, 2021 by Fenntucky Mike Grammar Just Bob and RonnieR131 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdG_Ohio Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 4 hours ago, Fenntucky Mike said: Tis true, 144 tons or just over 36,000 board feet (12' x 12' x 1'). Dang, forgot I had this picture. I need to go through my stuff and rediscover some things. Found a few more pics online. Couldn't help myself.... Fenntucky Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Fenntucky Mike Posted April 6, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted April 6, 2021 1893 Columbian Exposition "Michigan Building" From worldsfairchicago1893.com "THE MICHIGAN BUILDING.—Of all the State buildings on the Fair grounds none was more popular than the Michigan Building. Standing near the Fifty-seventh street entrance, its handsome front catching the eye of visitors, its doors always hospitably open, not to Michigan people alone but to the multitude, and its spacious rooms and luxurious appointments inviting all to their enjoyment, it was generally the resting place of an appreciative throng. The structure was one hundred by one hundred and forty-four feet in ground dimensions, was three stories high, and partly surrounded by broad balconies to the first and second stories. In the center of the west front rose a tower, pierced with windows, one hundred and thirty feet in height. The grand tiled reception hall was sixty-two feet wide and the entire depth of the building. There were the usual offices for officials and a series of finely furnished rooms for visitors, beautifully finished in Michigan woods and having great fire-places with carved oak mantels. Though not intended as formal exhibits, there were some fine displays in the reception room, such as mineral specimens and curiosities, among other things a pair of wolverines, the wolverine being the typical animal of the State. On the second floor was the assembly room, equipped with a pipe organ, and, to the south of this, a splendid display of the fauna of the State, that former paradise of game, from the moose and bear down to the quail and woodcock. The general outside color of the building was gray, and its effect, both as to exterior and interior, was handsome and homelike on a large scale." EdG_Ohio, Henri Charriere and Just Bob 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Bob Posted April 7, 2021 Author Share Posted April 7, 2021 William Head, Sr opened his drug store in 1902, and ran it until 1940. His son, Will, Jr., who had joined him in 1920, continued running the store until he closed it in 1976, at the age of 80. These tokens were used in the very early years of the 20th century. There were two styles, both for a 5 cent glass of soda water. Henri Charriere and Fenntucky Mike 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Bob Posted April 14, 2021 Author Share Posted April 14, 2021 In addition to being a partner in a real estate firm, B.F. Lampton owned a general store in Darbun, MS from 1916 to 1940. Although Chatham only lists a $1.00 and $.05 token, denominations of $.10 and $.25 are also known. I own examples of all but the $1. Here is the $.25 piece. Fenntucky Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Just Bob Posted April 21, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted April 21, 2021 In 1937, Mssrs Breisch, Miller, and Sexton joined forces to form the City Ice and Coal Company in Greenville, MS. Their business was created to, among other things, "Manufacture, prepare, cut, gather, collect, harvest, store, preserve, pack, keep, buy, sell, import, and export, trade and deal in, at wholesale and retail, all kinds of ice, including dry ice..." (From the Charter of Incorporation, State of Mississippi.) This coupon book is my latest acquisition. It was good for 500 lbs of ice, delivered to the customer's home. The newspaper ad is from the January 16, 1955 edition of the Greenville Delta Leader. EdG_Ohio, Henri Charriere, rrantique and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdG_Ohio Posted April 22, 2021 Share Posted April 22, 2021 @Just Bob Interesting, didn't realize there were "coupon" books for such things and I wonder what 500lbs of ice costed back in the day. Reminds me of my ration cards in the military overseas. ...and perhaps the 1st combination of "Fire and Ice" I've seen in print (coal/ice)....haha Just Bob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Just Bob Posted April 28, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted April 28, 2021 History by Gil Hoffman: On March 21, 1900, L. B. Batson and Henry T. McGehee bought the sawmill plant and timber holdings (amounting to 2,880 acres) of R. B. Haney at Millard, Pearl River County. This mill had been built in 1896 and was logged by oxen. For about a year Batson and McGehee operated the Haney mill as a co-partnership under the name Caledonia Lumber Company. The co-partnership was succeeded by the Batson-McGehee Company which was incorporated at Millard on September 19, 1901, by L. B. Batson, of Columbia; Henry T. McGehee, of Millard, and Nathaniel Batson, of Poplarville, with authorized capital stock of $30,000. A new circular sawmill with a cutting capacity of 50,000 feet per day was built at Millard to replace the old Haney mill. In later years this mill was changed to a band type. In the spring of 1902 a standard gauge logging railroad was constructed to log the mill. The mill finally shut down in early 1940. Pictured below are two of the companies Shay locomotives, with their trademark side-cylinder engines. Batson-McGehee No. 1 sat behind the commissary in Millard after the mill shut down, and was bought by Goodyear Yellow Pine in 1943. It is shown here in Millard about 1940. Batson -McGehee No 2 is pictured at the manufacturing yard in Lima, Ohio Tokens were issued in denominations of 5 cents through one dollar. All issues are listed as R9 (2 to 3 known.) rrantique, EdG_Ohio, Fenntucky Mike and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Just Bob Posted May 5, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 5, 2021 The previous post was about Lorenzo Batson, who was the brother of this week's subject: Randolph Batson. In 1883, the two brothers built a store in Hillsdale, Mississippi, to serve the workers who were building the new roadbed for the Southern Railway. As they prospered, they began buying tracts of virgin timber. In 1893, the partnership was dissolved, and L.B moved to Millard (see previous post.) Randolph remained in Hillsdale and continued to purchase timberland, eventually owning 100,000 acres in Mississippi, and another 20,000 in Florida. In 1910, he established the Southern Lumber and Timber Company in Hillsdale, a token of which is shown in the very first post in this thread. That mill burned in 1922. In 1924, he joined with N.P. and W.H Hatten to purchase the sawmill of the Ingram-Day Lumber Company, and with it, the sawmill town of Lyman, MS. At full capacity, the Batson & Hatten mill produced 200,000 board feet of yellow pine lumber per day, and employed 500 hands. (The town of Lyman still exists today. It is located just north of Gulfport, on Highway 49.) "Ran" Batson was an influential figure in southern Mississippi, and was instrumental in replanting the forests after all of the virgin timber had been cut. At the time of his death, he owned 14,000 acres which had been replanted in pines, and stocked with deer and other wildlife, along with other pieces of property throughout south Mississippi. The octagonal lumber company tokens are known in denominations of $.05, $.25, and $1; The round mercantile tokens are known in these denominations, plus a one cent token. No ten cent tokens are known for either. rrantique, Fenntucky Mike and EdG_Ohio 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...