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Battle Creek Sanitarium

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    Posted 9 years ago

    SpiritBear
    (813 items)

    Main Building of the Battle Creek Sanitarium, where Kellogg's Toasted Flakes were invented. Made by H. Boulenger & Co. in France. There is also a 10 on the back-- could that be a 1910?
    This building was constructed in 1903, so either date seems logical (celebration of the new facility?) Or just a gift shop thing?

    I think this is transferware, but I'm not familiar with such.
    The clay had a lot of iron in it, seen as little red-brown specks under the glaze.

    As notes of interest on the images, on the roof at right are many people. There is also a trolley-car at the bottom right and a fountain.
    I jokingly told my mom that the smokestack pouring out toxins is where they burned the bodies, and she took me seriously. Whoops. LOL.

    A Sanitarium, before you begin reading the history, is not just for the undesirables of society and mentally ill, as the perceptions of many back in the day and now were and are. This one was touted as a health resort at one point.

    History:
    Battle Creek Sanitarium was based on Seventh-Day Adventist Church ideology. Opened in 1866 as a Sanitorium (with the 'o' and not 'a', it's a place for invalid soldiers,) reconstructed in 1878, and burned down in 1902, it became the Sanitarium in 1903. It was purchased in 1942 by the Military to become the Percy Jones General Hospital until 1953, where it then became the Battle Creek Federal Center till the 1970s where it was still a psychiatric facility.
    In 1986, the main building was demolished.
    It once had the creator of Post Cereals, Warren Harding (29th President,) Amelia Earhart (first female pilot to fly across the Atlantic,) Henry Ford (yes, the car guy,) Abraham Lincoln's wife, Sojourner Truth (women's rights and slave abolitionist,) and the founder of J.C. Penny during its years in service.

    Over all, a very historic facility.
    This is my only antique plate. I picked it up because I had liked it and researched it, couldn't find another, and decided to go for it.

    Unsolved Mystery

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    Comments

    1. blunderbuss2 blunderbuss2, 9 years ago
      Good research & great presentation . Where is Battle Creek ? Mich ? Sorry, I don't eat a lot of cereal. Probably a cold place !!
    2. SpiritBear, 9 years ago
      Thank you, Blunderbuss.

      http://pix.epodunk.com/locatorMaps/mi/MI_21626.gif
      2 hours South East of me. We get a lot of their stuff over here.
      As it is inland, it likely is cold. Close to Lake Michigan keeps you closer to at least 20 degrees F during the day. (And that's us, suckers!!! LOL.)

      http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/180213-1919-kelloggs-cereal-ad
      Ad to Kellogg's Corn Flakes, 1919. I have a few pieces of Kellogg's-related history.
    3. SpiritBear, 9 years ago
      I found one other, finally. I will declare this a scarely-rarely seen plate:
      http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/transferware-plate-battle-creek-sanitarium
    4. blunderbuss2 blunderbuss2, 9 years ago
      Oh ! You're just W. of the Ann Arbor & the "Hash-Bash". I was a supplier for several yrs. ! LMAO !!! Great party !!
    5. SpiritBear, 9 years ago
      I hear many great things about Ann Arbor, most of which I'm against. LOL.
    6. blunderbuss2 blunderbuss2, 9 years ago
      Hey SB. It was a lot of fun & made a bit of money ! Slipped down from Canada and, (whatever)!! LOL!! You obviously missed the Nam protests etc.. Well, being honest, some of it was just plain FUN !!
    7. SpiritBear, 9 years ago
      I'm too religious to have (all that kind of) fun. :P
    8. blunderbuss2 blunderbuss2, 9 years ago
      Well, I won't try to "corrupt" you. Religion has probably already done that! LOL!!
    9. SpiritBear, 9 years ago
      I took it to the Bottle Club meeting today. No one had seen one before, and there are a few diggers from Battle Creek.
      The die-hard collectors (of which there are several) of Battle Creek Sanitarium stuff may have seen some, though.
      There is one plate-collector who doesn't seem to have seen one, either, albeit he mostly does Muskegon stuff.

      So this pleases me further.

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