Stanley\'s Texas and Pacific Railroad Restaurant 2 plates 1 cup 1940s
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Stanley\'s Texas and Pacific Railroad Restaurant 2 plates 1 cup 1940s:
$189.95
I\'ll be listing a few other pieces in this pattern and will combine shipping.These very scarce, wonderfully decorated pieces are from a long-ago eating house operation in Baird, Texas, whose history was inexorably intertwined with the Texas & Pacific Railway. It was run by Frank and Bertha Stanley and later their children. We will include a a copy \"Stanley\'s - The Story of a T&P Eating Cafe\" by Warren Taylor, an article published in the RCAI Express, the reference magazine of the Railroad.The 6.5\" wide plate and 2 1/8\" cup are very clean, the 9\" plate has been well used and had lots of utensil marks. There are NO cracks, chips, flakes, hairlines or repairs on either piece. The bottom marking identifies the maker as the Iroquois China Company of Syracuse, New York. \"Iro-Tan\" is the name of the nearly caramel color base ware that works so well with the maroon and black artwork chosen for this pattern.Dating is difficult, but we are estimating this plate dates from between the 1940s and early 1950s. The Stanley family operated restaurants between 1912 and 1952. The bottom marking was used from the 1940s through the early 1960s, according to \"Restaurant China Volume 2\" (Conroy). The E-2 date code in the marking is indecipherable, according to Conroy, because what year \"A\" represents is not known on USA-made Iroquois pieces.Although this is technically \"restaurant ware,\" it is as close to \"railroad china\" as any can be that was not actually ordered by a railway operation. Frank Stanley was first employed by the Texas & Pacific, and when his job in their coal operation was eliminated, he opened a small cafe near the station. Business expanded rapidly with a great many railroad employees as well as travelers patronizing the restaurant, and Stanley expanded rapidly into what became the \"T&P Cafe.\" Train crews in particular took advantage of the special punch-card tickets they were issued for up to 40 meals, and with his employee background, Stanley enjoyed and appreciated the business his former employer generated. According to the Express article, the cafe continued in business until approximately 1952.
Stanley\'s Texas and Pacific Railroad Restaurant 2 plates 1 cup 1940s:
$189.95