Saturday, May 9, 2009

Pink Saturday ~ Rock Springs Park Souvenir Creamer

While I normally like to show very pink items for Pink Saturday, hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound, this sweetie has just a hint of magenta pink roses on it...and it is adorable.


Last summer Dear Hubs came home from his travels with this sweet little pitcher/creamer.



Thank you, this has SOLD!


It surely looked old but at first glance, I didn't know exactly how old. On the bottom is a little piece of tape with this written on it:

"G. Grandma Byerly 1900"

Well that's pretty darn old in my book.




It also has "Rock Springs Park" printed on the side as though it were a souvenir.

Being the curious type....I did some research. I believe I have found where it came from.

Here is some history:

Rock Springs Park was an amusement park located in Chester, West Virginia, located just across the Ohio River from East Liverpool. (The town where many Ohio Pottery companies were located.) It operated from the late 1800s until the late 1970s when it was closed by a federal highway condemnation.





THE MERRY-GO-ROUND AND ROCK SPRINGS PARK

The Merry-Go-Round and the Cyclone were the two most popular rides at old historic Rock Springs Park which had its beginning as an amusement park in 1898 under the late Jim McDonald. Prior to that, the park had two different owners and was just used for picnics or family outings. The bridge construction moved the park forward swiftly.In 1900, C.A. Smith purchased the park and added many new rides. Mr. Smith purchased the horses for the Merry-Go-Round from a well-known company in Philadelphia. The carvings of these horses made them very valuable to antique dealers. Many people living here today can remember when as small children they tried to grab the brass ring to get a free ride. In addition to the large number of rides, the park had beautiful grounds, a swimming pool, a lake, a small zoo, and even live shows onthe midway.Rock Springs Park may be gone from the area but the memories of those happy visits to it will never be gone. There were often crowds of over 20,000 people at some of the larger picnics. People would come by excursion boats, trains, or automobiles. On special picnic days or important holidays, the park had giant fireworks displays. The Golden Star picnic was especially popular because ice cream was given away.





Here is a photo I found on a website about Ohio pottery....it is yet another souvenir !





I believe it was made by the same company TS&T that made my favorite dinnerware, LuRay. But I can't make out the marking on the bottom. It could be Homer Laughlin, another Ohio Pottery company. Either way, I discovered Taylor Smith and Taylor did make some of their souvenirs.




And the cool thing about that is.....the park and this company were in THE SAME TOWN!


TAYLOR, SMITH AND TAYLOR COMPANY:

The pottery was formed originally at Taylor, Lee and Smith in 1899. It began operations in 1900. Lee sold his interest to Taylor in 1903 and the Smiths purchased the Taylor interest in 1906. A West Virginia charter was granted to Smith in 1907. At one time,this pottery was the world's largest pottery under one roof. It had been expanded to 17 kilns by 1913 with over 400 employees and a payroll of over $140,000. At its peak, it employed over 800 workers. It soon became one of the leading dinnerware companies in the world. It was famous for many innovations it brought to the industry. The Smiths, both C. A. and W. L., upon retiring, passed the control to their sons who later passed it on to their sons. The Smiths sold the plant to Anchor Hocking Glass Company who operated it a very few years until it was closed and the property sold.




How cool is that? Not only did G. Grandma Byerly get to go the park and enjoy herself that day, she brought home a souvenir for us all to enjoy! (And she was somebody's mother....a Happy Mother's Day to all!)

I would love for it to find the home of a Rock Springs Park collector or someone who collects Ohio Pottery items. SO, the creamer is available for sale on my website,

Bella Rosa Antiques.


22 comments:

dana said...

Jillian, what a great history lesson you gave us today---all the wonderful research you did today just because your found a sweet old pitcher!! I love Homer Laughlin items and I used to own several pieces of off-white Taylor-Smith plates and small bowls (I sold em, too!)

I hope you have a WONDERFUL Mother's Day and a terrific Pink Sat!!! L, Dana

Unknown said...

It's great that you were able to find out so much about your little pitcher. Happy Mothers Day! Esther

Connie said...

Happy pink saturday, chickee! There is also a Rock Springs, WY and at first I thought that's what you meant.
Smooches for baby,
Connie

Anonymous said...

What sweet and wonderful pink things! I'm adding your link to my blogroll - will you add mine too, please? Happy Pink Saturday and Mother's Day to us, one and all!

xJ
MaidenShade.wordpress.com
MaidenShade.com

Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer said...

Happy Pink Saturday and Have a great Mother's Day ~ Susan

Lisa @ Fern Creek Cottage said...

The little creamer is so pretty. How sweet that your husband brought it home for you!

Ms.Daisy said...

Jillian,
Great post with a lot of research and work! Have a very Happy Mother's Day!


Love,
Ms.Daisy

♥Mimi♥ said...

Such a l♥vely post for Pink Saturday. This is the one day of the week when I get to visit some of the best blogs in cyberspace and indulge my passion for pink.

Happy Mother's Day. I wish you all the peace and joy that a day in celebration of motherhood can bring. You don't have to grow a baby in your womb to be a mother...all you have to do is to l♥ve a human being with compassion and tenderness.

Debby said...

WOW!!! You have really searched this out, such a great post. Happy Pink Saturday. Have a wonderful Mother's Day.
Debby

Claudia said...

What a sweet gift from your husband! Isn't if fun to research the history of a find? Happy Pink Saturday!

Lisa said...

Oh I just LOVE Ohio Pottery! Thanks for all the cool info! I need to get background on one of my collectables!
Happy Pink Saturday!
Hugs, Lisa

Char said...

Wow, that's great, what a story, Happy Pink Saturday and Happy Mothers Day too, Char

Dawn said...

Very interesting, I love it when I can research something and all the info is there. Happy Mother's Day.

Claudia said...

Jillian,

I got the stamps through Stampington - They are the publishers of Artful Blogging, Somerset Studio, Where Women Create, etc. You can google the company name and their site will come up. They have a online store, and that is how I ordered them. Hope this helps!

Claudia

Michelle said...

Happy Mother's Day!! I hope you had a wonderful day..

Michelle

Anonymous said...

Stopped by to say "hello" in there, xJ MaidenShade.com

Liz Harrell said...

I just LOVE history lessons like this! I wish I could track down the origins of a sugar bowl I have.

j said...

This is the most creative Mother's Day post that I've read! Love the history behind your creamer. And your husband gets to be the gift giving hero of this story!

Ms.Daisy said...

Hi Jillian,
I just posted a Golden Hearts Award for you!


L,
Ms.Daisy

Deanna said...

Hi Jillian!
I just loved this post and applause applause to your DH for finding that treasure! I read it all and wanted to read more...lol!

¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*´¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ Happy Pink Saturday
Deanna :D

Natasha Burns said...

What a gorgeous treasure of a jug! Love that Jillian!

Joseph A. Comm said...

I grew up in Chester, WV, one time home of Rock Springs Park and Taylor Smith and Taylor Pottery. Learn more at my blog which is all about the park.