PIECES OF PISGAH MEMORABILIA
The purpose of this report is to document and preserve to the best of our ability the various pieces of Pisgah Memorabilia that we know exist. Most of these pieces come from various Pisgah businesses and were generally handed out as promotional / advertisement / loyalty / appreciation gifts from the local businesses, it seems. Other pieces include items that were from Pisgah, but not handed out as gifts.
We will list each item along with a photo, if we have one. We will give credit to the person who submitted it and fill you in on what we know about the item, which in many cases isn’t much. Still, we wanted to make record of these items because we think they are a neat reminder of Pisgah history and wanted to share them with others who weren’t aware of their existence. We are attempting to collect one of each item that we can to preserve in our own “Pisgah Library”.
The Pisgah Hats will not be included in this report. As our most significant (and popular) piece of Pisgah Memorabilia, the hats will get their own dedicated report. They’re also the piece we have the most information about to share.
This is a work in progress, so if someone has an item to add that we haven’t covered yet, please submit it to the group page along with a photo and all the information you have about it and I will get it ammended to this report as soon as I can. Or if you have more information on any of the pieces that we do have listed that you would like to share, please don’t hesitate to let me know. We would appreciate it very much.
PISGAH BELT BUCKLE
Susan Feuerbach shared a photo of her Pisgah Belt Buckle. She said it “came in a nice little navy blue case” And it had the “same font as the original Pisgah hat.” She descibed it as having nice leather with leather inlaid letters. John Smith said his came in a box. He believes it was made in the late 50’s or early 60’s maybe. Lea Bergschneider informed us that her family has a belt buckle, also. Joena Meier had one for sale at the So Jax Antique Mall, but it sold quickly. Gene & Gary Cully got theirs from the customer appreciation dinner, according to Terry Cully. Jeff Dixon also mentioned that he has a Pisgah Belt Buckle. I almost bought one on eBay and didn’t – a move that I regret. I keep searching for it and when it appears again, I plan to grab it. The bottom 2 photos were Gene Cully’s belt buckle in its box.
PISGAH STORE BOTTLE TOPS
Terry Cully shared a photo of bottle tops that were dug up right in front of Ernies porch at the Pisgah Store where people would pull up to park. When the pop machine lid box got full, Ernie would toss them out the front door. Right before they were going to tear down the store to build the new Pisgah Elevator office and weight scale, Terry picked up a variety of old fashioned pop lids and made button covers out of them! That was around 1976 or so.
PISGAH BOTTLE OPENER
Joe Wood shared a photo of his Pisgah Bottle Opener that he got from the fertilizer company.
It has the company’s address and telephone number on it.
PISGAH COASTERS
Jeff Dixon shared a photo of his colored Pisgah Coasters with us. The white coasters were shared by Gail Benton. She said they came from Curtis and Emma Crow. Her coasters show they came from the Pisgah Co-op. It gives us their phone number at the time and tells us that Don Shipley was the manager then.
PISGAH INDOOR THERMOMETER
Mary Beth Doolin Kruzan shared a photo of a small, indoor thermometer that was passed down from her grandparents, Mary & Earl Smith, to her mother, Mary Louise Doolin, and then to Mary Beth. It came from the Pisgah Fertilizer & Supply Company. The address and phone number are listed along with the name of the manager at the time, Robert Zeller Jr.
PISGAH MULTI-TOOL
Terry Cully shared a photo of a Pisgah Multi-Tool that came from the Pisgah Co-op. It came in a little white decorative box, complete with a phone number and the name of the manager, Don Shipley.
PISGAH OUTDOOR THERMOMETER
Tom Winner shared a photo of a few outdoor thermometers. One of them has the name of the Pisgah Elevator manager, Gus Kilver, on it. Tom believes it was most likely from the late 40’s or early 50’s.
PISGAH HAWKS PATCH
Because they look so similar, Terry Cully tells us that Bob Wood, (she guesses) used his old filet knife as a template to draw the Hawk Head for the patch they gave to the participants of the Pisgah Invitational Golf Tournament back in the 1980s. The patch was a free gift when the gentlemen 4-somes checked in for their tee-time at the Nichols Park Golf Course. Terry was the check-in girl at the desk for the first couple years. She remembers there were a hundred or more (men only) signed up to golf and then they all went to the Blackhawk, downstairs to the Pump Room to eat a steak dinner and awards were passed out for various achievements throughout the tournament. The size of the Pisgah Hawks patch changed after a few years. They became the size of a license plate. (Why bigger? Anyone….?) The three large patches shown below were from Jack Chapman’s collection that Terry acquired. They show the difference in size over the years.
PISGAH SALT & PEPPER SHAKER
Mike Smith shared a photo of a Pisgah Salt & Pepper Shaker he bought from eBay. It originally came from the Pisgah Co-op Grain Co. and lists Jack Kilver as the managaer at the time. It also says, “Pisgah, Illinois” on it.
PISGAH SCREWDRIVER
Telly Cully shared a photo of a Pisgah Screwdriver that came from the Pisgah Co-op Grain Co. It says that Gus Kilver was the manager at the time.
PISGAH WATCH
Terry Cully shared a photo of Gene Cully’s watch that originally came from the pisgah Co-op Grain Co. She believes it was given to him as a parting gift for serving on the Grain Board for many many years. It says the battery runs out in April of 1993, but we’re sure he received it many years before that.
