Critical to the success in the early 20th century southern textile industry were the mill villages. Like coal camps and mining towns that supported their respective industries, mill villages supported textile and cotton mills, and consisted of company-provided worker homes, schools, a church, and of course, the company stores. And like the coal camps, housing […]
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The Hernsheim Brothers’ Cigar Tokens
In the year 1857 Simon Hernsheim, a native of New Orleans, established a tobacco company in the city. Born in 1839, Hernsheim was but only 18 years old when he founded the business. The tobacco trade, a booming American industry, received much demand from overseas markets. (more…)
The Store at Alleghany Furnace & Its Scrip
The Alleghany Furnace was established by Andrew Henderson and Robert Allison in 1811. For 8 years the partnership was in operation, until ceased in 1818. Facing stiff competition from more profitable and less costly furnace operations elsewhere, its owners could no longer afford (more…)
The Smith & Wicks Canning Token of Baltimore, MD
The Smith & Wicks Canning Factory and Packing House was a prominent and influential business in Baltimore during late 19th century. The company was founded by R. Tynes Smith and William A. Wicks, who grew their partnership from a small operation (more…)
Strawberry Picker Checks of Sarcoxie, Missouri
During the 1920s most of the strawberry growers located in and around Sarcoxie, Missouri participated in a farming cooperative. Like today’s orange growers, the purpose of the cooperative was to pool and leverage the resources of all the growers who were located in close geographic proximity. (more…)
The Kendall Lumber Co. of Garrett County, Md
Situated in the panhandle of Western Maryland, Garrett County has a historic connection to the logging and lumber Industry. During the mid to late 19th century, the county was rich with old growth forests. The region was virtually untouched by mankind, and stands of trees such as Giant Oaks (more…)
Wilmington’s Champion Compress & Warehouse Co
On or about the year of 1879 the Champion Compress & Warehouse Company was incorporated in the city of Wilmington, North Carolina. An economic powerhouse, the company quickly attained a dominant role in the exportation of cotton crops grown and cultivated in the southern United States. (more…)
The Tokens of the William Seymour Company Store
The coal mining towns of Dewar and Coalton, Oklahoma were located on the peripheries of what was once considered the greatest oil fields in the Western United States. The towns were located in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, and were situated along the tracks of the Missouri, Oklahoma, and Gulf Railroad. (more…)
The Explosive Tokens of Hiawatha, Utah
The community of Hiawatha, Utah was founded on or about the year 1910 on the grounds of an old cattle ranch. Sitting at the headwaters of Miller Creek, the town sat just south of Price, Utah, where rich veins of coal (more…)
The Eccles West Virginia Detonator Token
Situated in Raleigh County, West Virginia, the town of Eccles is thought to have been named after the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Holy Bible. Not to be confused with Eccles Collieries in the UK, the town is located in the south central part of the state, about 5 miles from the city of Beckley. […]
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