By Ruth A. Ringelstetter
As I plan our photography trips, I am always on the lookout for places to stop and take a break on the way. Illinois is usually on the list, since we can’t get to many places without venturing into Illinois.
In 2009, our planned destination was southern Ohio. That meant planning places to stop across Illinois and Indiana. We got a late start on this trip due to some unexpected early morning car trouble, but finally we got on the road around 11 AM (a very late start, if you know us at all).
Our first stop in rural Illinois was an old stone barn. Stone barns in this part of the country are hard to find, so whenever we have the chance to stop at one, we take it.
Another barn we’ve stopped at several times is a barn we had seen as we passed it on the interstate. Finding it on the backroads was a little harder, and the couple of times we hunted it up, we thought we must have taken a wrong turn until we finally stumbled upon it.
After the stop at the stone barn, we got back on the highway and headed east. At a small town called Mansfield, we saw a sign that advertised “General Store” and pointed off the highway. Never ones to pass up a general store, we veered off the highway and into town.
It was quiet on the downtown street with the general store, but luckily the store was open. The old door had several antique advertising signs on it, and the inside still had the old wooden floors and a vintage cooler section.
After chatting with the store’s owner and buying a couple of sodas for the road, we went back to the car and headed down the highway.
Another planned stop was a small town we had visited on a previous trip. The main highway runs along the edge of town and along the highway sits an old depot and an old farmstead with a Mail Pouch Tobacco barn.
The depot has many interesting details, and Joann spent some time photographing the doors and architectural details.
The depot is unpainted, and the wood is varying shades of brown, making all of the details of the building that much more interesting.
Hidden off the main highway is an old Bull Durham advertising sign. We had to ask a local to find out the location of the sign. When we know something is in town, but we aren’t sure where it is, we’re always glad to find someone who knows.
By now the sun was setting and we were getting tired. We had intended to get quite a ways into Indiana that first day but, due to our late start, we only made it just across the border. So we had to hunt up a motel in the dark. This is never the best situation, but we have to do what we have to do sometimes just to find a place to fall into bed.
Early the next morning, we hit the road. We decided to take the historic National Road. It would allow us to make pretty good time, yet keep us off of the interstate. We kept our eyes on the old buildings we passed for unique architectural details.
Joann loves old doorknobs and keyholes, so we always have to watch for old doors that may have possibilities. I keep my binoculars handy, so if we see a possibility, she can slow down or pull over and I can check out the door.
The old barns we find are almost always just stumbled on. There are very few sites that document old barns or give away their locations. We love old barns with interesting details, like this barn with unusual cupolas.
Right before we reached Ohio, we made one last stop at an abandoned farm, where I had a short conversation with a local cop.
No matter where we’re headed, we can always find interesting things along the way. On your next trip, pay close attention and see what you find.
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
Shunpiking To Heaven Backroads Blog
Showing posts with label Bull Durham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bull Durham. Show all posts
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Do You Know Uneeda Biscuit?
By Joann M. Ringelstetter
A few years ago, on a trip to photograph in Iowa, we noticed a Bull Durham sign on the side of a building as we drove on the highway past Dubuque. We ended up seeing it on several more trips to Iowa. Finally, we decided that we’d better photograph it before it faded away.
Seeing an advertising mural from far away or in someone else’s photograph is one thing, but getting to the appropriate location to photograph it yourself is another. As we drove up and down the streets of Dubuque trying to find the best location to capture the Bull Durham sign, we noticed a Uneeda Biscuit advertising mural on the side of a nearby building.
Although the Uneeda Biscuit scene wasn’t particularly picturesque, we decided to photograph it because we hadn’t seen one of these before and didn’t know anything about the product. This year, in researching for our recent trip to North Carolina, Ruth learned of a picturesque advertising mural for the National Biscuit Company, the makers of Uneeda Biscuit.
The mural was located on the side of an old general store known as the C.W. Burleson Store in Avery County, North Carolina. It consisted of four panels; three of them advertising for the National Biscuit Company, and one containing the names of three other businesses.
The first National Biscuit Company panel advertised Graham Crackers. The second panel advertised Zu Zu Ginger Snaps. For any of our readers who enjoy the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” little 5-year-old Zuzu Bailey’s name came from Zu Zu Ginger Snaps. Toward the end of the movie, George Bailey says, “Zuzu, my little ginger snap.”
The third panel advertised Uneeda Biscuit. The National Biscuit Company was formed in 1898 through the merger of three large biscuit manufacturing companies. Prior to that time, crackers were delivered to general stores in unbranded wooden barrels. Mothers would send their sons to the store to buy crackers, which were scooped from the open barrel into a paper sack. These crackers were fairly fresh if they were purchased immediately after the barrel was opened. Soon, however, the quality deteriorated due to the crackers taking on humidity and becoming broken.
Around 1900, the National Biscuit Company came up with a lighter and flakier cracker. They also developed a revolutionary packaging system called the In-Er Seal package that would “seal the freshness” of the crackers in small packages made of wax paper and cardboard. Then they developed an advertising campaign sequence to get the public’s attention: Uneeda Biscuit. Do you know Uneeda Biscuit? Of course Uneeda Biscuit. These slogans were accompanied by one of the most famous advertising icons in history, the Uneeda Biscuit Boy, wearing a yellow rain slicker and hat and carrying a box of Uneeda Biscuit. This was to signify that mothers could send their sons to the store for crackers and they would stay dry and fresh, even in the rain.
On our way back from North Carolina and West Virginia, we had planned to spend our last full day of photographing on the backroads of Kentucky. Unfortunately, it had begun raining the night before and the heavy rains continued throughout that day. Around mid-morning, we drove down some flooded roads and decided it wasn’t safe to remain on the backroads. We then headed to Lexington to hunt up a couple more Uneeda Biscuit signs that we knew were in downtown Lexington.
Because we didn’t know exactly where the signs were, it took some serious hunting and neck-craning to locate the signs. And, not only did the rain continue to pour down, but lightning and thunder moved in making for a dangerous situation. Not wanting to leave Lexington until we had captured the Uneeda Biscuit signs, I took my chances with the thunderstorm and managed to get the photographs. I also managed to get completely soaked even though I was wearing a rain suit. This was due to reaching into my pockets for filters and lens caps and sloshing through deep puddles. In other words, I wasn’t doing as good of a job as the Uneeda Biscuit Boy in keeping things dry and fresh.
In 1971, the National Biscuit Company officially changed its corporate name to Nabisco. If, after reading this blog post, you feel like Uneeda Biscuit, you’ll have to settle for one of Nabisco’s other brands. Sadly, I have to report that the Uneeda Biscuit brand was discontinued in 2009 after 110 years on the market.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this bit of biscuit history and, as always, Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
A few years ago, on a trip to photograph in Iowa, we noticed a Bull Durham sign on the side of a building as we drove on the highway past Dubuque. We ended up seeing it on several more trips to Iowa. Finally, we decided that we’d better photograph it before it faded away.
Seeing an advertising mural from far away or in someone else’s photograph is one thing, but getting to the appropriate location to photograph it yourself is another. As we drove up and down the streets of Dubuque trying to find the best location to capture the Bull Durham sign, we noticed a Uneeda Biscuit advertising mural on the side of a nearby building.
Although the Uneeda Biscuit scene wasn’t particularly picturesque, we decided to photograph it because we hadn’t seen one of these before and didn’t know anything about the product. This year, in researching for our recent trip to North Carolina, Ruth learned of a picturesque advertising mural for the National Biscuit Company, the makers of Uneeda Biscuit.
The mural was located on the side of an old general store known as the C.W. Burleson Store in Avery County, North Carolina. It consisted of four panels; three of them advertising for the National Biscuit Company, and one containing the names of three other businesses.
The first National Biscuit Company panel advertised Graham Crackers. The second panel advertised Zu Zu Ginger Snaps. For any of our readers who enjoy the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” little 5-year-old Zuzu Bailey’s name came from Zu Zu Ginger Snaps. Toward the end of the movie, George Bailey says, “Zuzu, my little ginger snap.”
The third panel advertised Uneeda Biscuit. The National Biscuit Company was formed in 1898 through the merger of three large biscuit manufacturing companies. Prior to that time, crackers were delivered to general stores in unbranded wooden barrels. Mothers would send their sons to the store to buy crackers, which were scooped from the open barrel into a paper sack. These crackers were fairly fresh if they were purchased immediately after the barrel was opened. Soon, however, the quality deteriorated due to the crackers taking on humidity and becoming broken.
Around 1900, the National Biscuit Company came up with a lighter and flakier cracker. They also developed a revolutionary packaging system called the In-Er Seal package that would “seal the freshness” of the crackers in small packages made of wax paper and cardboard. Then they developed an advertising campaign sequence to get the public’s attention: Uneeda Biscuit. Do you know Uneeda Biscuit? Of course Uneeda Biscuit. These slogans were accompanied by one of the most famous advertising icons in history, the Uneeda Biscuit Boy, wearing a yellow rain slicker and hat and carrying a box of Uneeda Biscuit. This was to signify that mothers could send their sons to the store for crackers and they would stay dry and fresh, even in the rain.
On our way back from North Carolina and West Virginia, we had planned to spend our last full day of photographing on the backroads of Kentucky. Unfortunately, it had begun raining the night before and the heavy rains continued throughout that day. Around mid-morning, we drove down some flooded roads and decided it wasn’t safe to remain on the backroads. We then headed to Lexington to hunt up a couple more Uneeda Biscuit signs that we knew were in downtown Lexington.
Because we didn’t know exactly where the signs were, it took some serious hunting and neck-craning to locate the signs. And, not only did the rain continue to pour down, but lightning and thunder moved in making for a dangerous situation. Not wanting to leave Lexington until we had captured the Uneeda Biscuit signs, I took my chances with the thunderstorm and managed to get the photographs. I also managed to get completely soaked even though I was wearing a rain suit. This was due to reaching into my pockets for filters and lens caps and sloshing through deep puddles. In other words, I wasn’t doing as good of a job as the Uneeda Biscuit Boy in keeping things dry and fresh.
In 1971, the National Biscuit Company officially changed its corporate name to Nabisco. If, after reading this blog post, you feel like Uneeda Biscuit, you’ll have to settle for one of Nabisco’s other brands. Sadly, I have to report that the Uneeda Biscuit brand was discontinued in 2009 after 110 years on the market.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this bit of biscuit history and, as always, Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
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