Little Brown Church Building Souvenir Replicas

The most common replica of the Little Brown Church is made of cast aluminum, measures 4 1/8" high by 5 1/4" long by 2 1/4" wide and is painted brown ( see photo below). The coin slot is on the top and the coin bank unscrews to remove money. These versions are offered on eBay often. Another, less common version is one made of lead and stands 3 ¼ inches tall by 4 inches long and 1 3/4 inches wide (photo above). On the base are the words, "Little Brown Church” on one side and “paper weight" on the other. Another version is a set of ceramic salt & pepper shakers. According to the real church’s website, “The first settlers came to the Bradford area in 1848 and with an abundant water supply and virgin timber, the town grew. By 1855 the first members of the Puritan-Congregational Church had begun holding meetings. By 1856, Bradford had 500 residents and was the first town in this part of Iowa. By 1860 the foundation was laid for the structure. When it came time to paint the building, the cheapest paint to be found was Ohio Mineral Paint, which would protect the wood but which was unhappily brown. With help from friends in the east, the building was finished, complete with bell, in 1864. The location inspired the hymn "Church in the Wildwood," which references a "Little Brown Church in the Vale."

Carol D.'s Collection of S&Ps

Salt and his parter, pepper, are the most popular spices in the world. This popularity has spawned a mini industry of mini shakers. If you have to have a set of S&P shakers, why not create them in the shape of something…ceramic pigs, U.S. state outlines, out houses and, most interesting, buildings and monuments. S&P collector Carol D. inherited both here interest and some of her collection from her Grandmother. "When we traveled we would get two sets, one for me and one for grandmom," Carol said. "Then after she passed away I inherited her collection. My collection holds a lot of memories of my grandmother, trips I have taken and gifts from friends. I just like them" A subset of her S&P collection are replicas of buildings which could dispense condiments. But, collectors never fill their metal shakers with salt as it will corrode the material. "I always liked souvenirs and I had started looking for some buildings." She said. "Then several years ago (I guess October 1994), I was at Atlantique in Atlantic City and came across a booth with lots of metal buildings. It was David and Margaret. They had information in their booth about the SBCS that I picked up. I joined the club shortly thereafter. I missed the first New York convention (1995), but attended the second in Washington DC in 1997." Her collection is always growing. "I have been collecting shakers for about 45 years. I have about 1,000 sets of salt and peppers. I would say I have maybe 50 to 75 or a few more that are buildings." Her very first shaker was the corn palace. "It was in my grandmother’s collection. I think she got it when we visited the corn palace on our big 3 week trip out west. I think the first building I got on my own was probably a ceramic Washington Monument and Capitol. I got them in April of 1976 on a one day trip to DC." Like parents, we never tell our collections which among them is our favorite, but secretly, we all do have one we enjoy the most. " My favorite building set I guess might be the corn palace. Nice memories of our trip there and my grandmother." As collectors, we are always on the hunt for additional pieces. Carol adds to her collection through "Gift shops when we travel, at the S&P convention, Ebay and looking around antique shops. I also have gotten several sets as gifts." Carol has her collection displayed in a few different rooms of her home. "My uncle built cabinets that hang on the wall and show my shakers off very well. That is how I display most of my collection. I also have two curio cabinets. In one room I have a real 6 ft long, cast iron pig trough that I use to display my pig shakers." Carol continued, "With collecting souvenir shakers I have fun when I travel trying to go see the places that I have shakers of. It was great to see the corn palace, the Irish Hills towers, or the Duck Baby and Frog Baby statues. I have salt and pepper shakers from a restaurant in Portland. When the S&P convention was in Portland several of us went and had lunch at the restaurant. Waddles – their motto was “walk in waddle out”. The portions were huge. Their symbol was a duck and that is what the shaker is of. I am sorry to say that the restaurant has since closed and been demolished." Her collection is close to her heart. "I have lots of memories with my shakers because of my grandmother and because of the places I have been. But meeting fellow collectors and the friendships I have made are a very important part of my collecting," Carol said. Souvenir building collectors have the SBCS. Similarly, S&P fans have their owns collector's group - the Salt & Pepper Novelty Shakers Club. "Salt and Pepper collectors are crazy and proud of it." Carol said. "We are much more informal and just plain fun. (Recently) at the S&P convention, they had a pajama party. I was amazed at the crazy outfits that people wore. I just can’t imagine the SBCS doing something like that. But by the same token, I really enjoy going to the SBCS and touring the cities and learning about the buildings and architecture. They are both great groups of people, but very different." I have written in the past about salt & pepper replica buildings, but wondered about the history of these ubiquitous condiment holders. Before there were salt and pepper shakers as we know them today, Victorian-era diner placed their salt in open cellars. Salt came in large rock form and had to be chipped off to be utilized in smaller quantities. Later, salt mills used an arm device to break the salt up. As Salt was sold in small, granular form, salt shakers began to take their more modern appearance. According to another website devoted to S&P's, "The production of salt and pepper shakers really took off in the 1940's with the birth of modern ceramics. It became easier to make shakers in a variety of shapes and designs. The market for souvenir shakers and novelty shakers grew with the capacity to produce such items affordably. Today, salt and pepper shakers can be found in nearly every conceivable shape and size. They are made in a variety of materials including wood, metal, ceramics, glass, and plastics." There is even an Museum of Salt & Pepper Shakers in Gatlinburg, Tennessee!

Architecture Costumes

This is the time of year for costumes and carnivals. New Orleans has it Mardi Gras. Both Venice and Rio de Janeiro hold elaborate costumed carnivals. I found some interesting examples of architectural costumes. From a person dressed as the Statue of Liberty in a public park to Architect Philip Johnson featured in a print advertising wearing a hat in the shape of PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pa. which he designed. During a 1931 Beaux-Arts ball, architects dressed as the buildings they designed including William van Alen, architect of the Chrysler Building, who donned a towering hat for the occasion. Evidently, many American architecture schools hold similar costume balls. A fashion model strutted down the runway with twin capital domes. Other collectors groups such as the Salt & Pepper Shakers Club hold costume contests during their conventions. Perhaps the Souvenir Building Collectors Society (SBCS) could do the same? What do you think? Write your thoughts in the ‘comments’ link below.

Lincoln’s Log Cabin, Homes and Tomb

Abraham Lincoln’s entire life - from birth to death – has been commemorated in both historical sites and souvenir replicas. Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin in rural Kentucky. Young Lincoln received little formal schooling and was largely self-taught. The family moved to Indiana and later to Illinois. Souvenirs of Abe’s log cabin birthplace in Hodgenville, Ky. range from copper colored pot metal versions to cast iron - which looks older, but is a coin bank from the 1980’s. For a while as a young adult, ‘Honest Abe’ lived in the pioneer village of New Salem, Illinois and during the 60’s visitors could purchase salt & pepper shakers which were made in Japan. The Lincoln Home National Historic Site preserves the Springfield, Illinois home Abraham Lincoln lived in from 1844 to 1861, before becoming the 16th President of the United States. The presidential memorial includes a four-block historic district surrounding the home and a visitor center. A metal replica of Lincoln's home in Springfield is from the 1960's and stands 2.5 inches tall. A somewhat lesser know location is The Wills House in downtown Gettysburg, Pa. When David Wills invited President Abraham Lincoln to stay in his home before the dedication of the Gettysburg military cemetery, he hardly suspected that America's most famous speech would be completed in his guest bedroom. In a second-floor bedroom, President Abraham Lincoln put the finishing touches on the Gettysburg Address - the speech which transformed Gettysburg from a place of sorrow to the symbol of our nation's new birth of freedom. Wills, a prosperous 32-year-old attorney, owned the largest house on the town square. Under his direction, Pennsylvania purchased 17 acres for a cemetery to honor the dead from that summer's battle. He arranged for the cemetery dedication on November 19, 1863, with Edward Everett as the main speaker. President Lincoln was invited to offer "a few appropriate remarks." On the edge of town, a crowd of more than 10,000 would hear Lincoln's brief masterpiece, now considered the product of an entire lifetime. The David Wills house, built in 1816, is now a museum which will reopen after recent renovations. InFocusTech makes a pewter-colored replica, which is also a coin bank, of the Wills House which stands 3.25 inches tall. Finally, souvenir replicas of Lincoln’s Tomb have been produced in a few different sizes and most are copper-colored pot metal. Lincoln's Tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois, is his final resting place along with his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln and three of their four sons. Built in1874 and designed by Larkin G. Meade, Jr., the tomb was almost the site of a crime. In 1876, two Chicago criminals failed in their attempt to steal Lincoln's body and hold it for ransom. As a result, the National Lincoln Monument Association hid his body in another part of the memorial. When Mrs. Lincoln died in 1882, her remains were placed with those of the president and then in 1887 both bodies were reburied in a brick vault beneath the floor of the burial room to protect them.Other Lincoln-related souvenirs include a set of salt and pepper shakers which are busts of Lincoln.

Santa’s Workshop at North Pole N.Y.

I don’t know of any souvenirs from the real North Pole, but Santa's Workshop in Adirondack Mountains of Upstate N.Y. sold salt and pepper shakers of Santa’s House in the 1960’s. Originally, the metal S&P’s came with a metal tray. A colorful ceramic set was also sold. Founded in 1949 and designed by Arto Monaco, Santa’s Workshop in North Pole, N.Y. was a forerunner of present day theme parks in the United States. The Christmas-themed family amusement park in has rides, shows, storybook characters, a petting zoo and shops. On 16 December 1953, The U.S. Postal Service, recognized the great interest in North Pole, NY awarded it "Rural Postal Station" status. The same year Santa and his reindeer team traveled to the nation’s capital to participate in the Pageant for Peace and New York City's Thanksgiving Day Parade. One of the main points of interest here at Santa's Workshop, Santa's House is a picture of beauty any season of the year. Inside the Alpine-Style house is Santa's Living Room where Santa personally greets every guest who comes in. Do you know of other Christmas-related souvenir buildings?

Building Collector Holiday Gift Guide

We search antique stores, frequent flea markets, exist for hours on ebay all in pursuit of souvenir buildings. To assist your search, I scoured the internet for ideas and tips for a Building Collector Holiday Gift Guide. There’s still time to buy for a loved one, friend or to even treat yourself. Of course, InFocus Tech always has great and finely-detailed building replicas which make great gifts. For the dinning table, how about S&Ps such as Eiffel Tower Salt and Pepper Shakers andNew York Landmarks Salt and Pepper Shakers Set Here’s a twist on the old standard neck ties…architectural-theme neck ware like Chicago Skyline by RM Style multicolor polyester ties or Commercial Blueprint by Wild Ties blue polyester ties Check out this interesting gothic lantern called the Pickford Indoor/ Outdoor Luminary Lantern Perhaps a building pop-up book such as Architectural Wonders: A Pop-Up Gallery of the World's Most Amazing Marvels Show your worldliness with a Cathedral World game Family Games Cathedral World Pewter Plaza offers some souvenir buildings on their website including: Heidelberg Castle, Bratislava St. Michael's Tower, Germany’s Neuschwanstein Castle and Bamberg Cathedral and others. Don’t forget Timothy Richard’s building models. Gift shops, such as Washington D.C.’s National Cathedral, have an online stores with architecture-related items. Do you know of other online sources for souvenir buildings? Let us know using the ‘comments’ link below.

Salt & Pepper Buildings

We all have at least a few in our collections…salt and pepper dispensers in the shape of buildings and monuments. S&P holders can be a subset of your souvenir building collection or buildings can be a branch of your S&P shaker collection. A few S&P building replicas I have only seen as condiment dispensers and not as larger, traditional souvenir building. Made in metal, plastic, ceramic, bakelite and resin, S&P buildings and monuments come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Like thermometers or pencil sharpeners, these replicas play duel roles on our stage-like display shelves. S&P collector hint: although you may be tempted, don’t put salt in your metal building replicas. The sodium will corrode the metal and damage the souvenir.