by Helen W. Smith
PREMIUMS
Following the Great Depression in the 1930s-1940s in America, merchants including those in our area began using a marketing plan known as “premiums” to appeal to customers looking to save money. There were several different kinds of plans. One was a free premium by which a purchaser of a specific product received a free gift with each purchase. The second was a premium by which the customer could purchase a special item at a reduced cost after spending a certain amount of money at the store. The third kind of premium was the one which had a prize packaged in the product’s box or bag itself. This third kind was sometimes referred to as Children’s Premiums. The concept of using premiums for marketing strategy was first started in New Hampshire as early as 1793 when a merchant in Sudbury started giving out tokens that could be used to purchase other products.
Many of us may remember the excitement of finding the toy in a box of Kellog’s Cereal or Betty Crocker’s offer to buy silverware at a greatly reduced price or licking stamps to fill a book of S & H Green Stamps that could be used to purchase items from an extensive catalog.
The exhibit Signs of the Time currently on display at the Museum though December includes not only the business signs that are part of the Museum’s permanent collection but also samples of premiums offered at Phillip’s Store in Mayland, Fulks Run, and Cootes Store, the D. S. Wampler Store in Timberville, and the Timberville Department Store operated by Allen Spitzer. We encourage you to put a visit to the Museum before the end of December.
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MUSEUM CALENDAR OF EVENTS
On Sunday Sept. 21, museum visitors were treated to a Heritage Day that featured two exceptional speakers. Mark McCauley presented an illuminating and inspiring talk on his father, Charles (Mac) McCauley, the founder of Plains District Memorial Museum. He described his father as an exceptionally intelligent, inventive, self-motivated man who rose from his humble beginnings on a farm in Kansas to become a jet pilot during WW II, later a successful business executive at Howell Metal in New Market, Va and finally a member of the Timberville Town Council and Mayor of Timberville. As founder of Plains District Museum, one of the collections that he started was that of the business signs currently on display. Our second speaker, Timberville Town Historian Bev Garber ended the afternoon by tracking the thriving businesses on Main St. Timberville in the early years. A special THANK YOU to all who came to celebrate our 27th Heritage Day.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Sunday, October 12
“Meet the Writers of the Chimney Rock Chronicles”
Meet and greet the writers of the popular local newspaper and its founder and Editor, Tammy F. Cullers.
Wednesday, October 22
Antique Car Club Tour of the Museum
Organizer Terry Spitzer
Sunday, November 9
Veterans Day Talk. David Wood will speak on his book, Chiefs Letters, a World War II Memoir. The book was written in memory of his father Harold Wood.
Friday -Saturday, November TBA
Holiday Indoor Yard Sale
December (TBA)
Timberville Winter Festival at American Legion Park
