Souvenir spoon: Fort Sumter, South Carolina
Melrose Highlands, Massachusetts
1893-1900
Maker
Shepard Manufacturing Co. (c. 1893-1923)
James Allan & Co (c. 1884-1960), retailer
Measurements
5-1/2 in x 1-1/4 in x 3/4 in
Materials
Silver
Credit Line
Historic Odessa Foundation, The David Wilson Mansion, Inc.
Accession Number
1971.1044
Inscription
“FORT SUMTER and “CHARLESTON” is in the bowl; “South Carolina” is in relief on the top of the handle.
“STERLING S” in relief and “JAMES ALLEN & CO. / OFFICIAL” is stamped into the underside of the handle.
Provenance
Ex coll. Mrs. E. Tatnall (Mary Corbit) Warner
Comments
The cast spoon has a wavy handle richly decorated with imagery suggestive of South Caroline, including a palm tree, cotton balls, and a rice plant. The bowl has an image of Fort Sumter.
The underside of the handle is stamped James Allen & Co., which seems to stand for James Allan & Co. The misspelled name was likely the fault of the manufacturer employed to make the spoon for James Allan & Co.
