Antique Tin Picnic Basket Lunch Box Educator Crax Crackers Lowell Cambridge Mass
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:43272786 |
Antique Tin Picnic Basket Lunch Box Educator Crax Crackers Lowell Cambridge Mass. Measures about 7 1/2" x 12 1/2" & 5 3/4" high closed. Marked: Educator Bakers of Crax Megowen Educator Food Co. Cambridge & Lowell Mass. Tin lithographed in the basket weave pattern. A classic vintage tin picnic basket, lunchbox, bread cake box. Vented on one side. Nice vintage condition, very little wear, solid & sturdy - see my 10 detailed photos. Has the 2 original bent wood handles. <...br>Educator CrackersEducator brand crackers were produced in Boston from 1885 through the 1980s. They were a direct early competitor to the National Biscuit Company (aka Nabisco). Through the years, the company has undergone several reoganizations, mergers, and name changes. The registrations for both manufacturers and trademarks have expired. The brand is no longer in production."Let's go back to the days of clipper ships when iron men from New England sailed wooden ships to far off corners of the globe...One of the foods used was 'ship's bread, ' a dehydrated wheat product conceived by a New England baker made from flour, salt and water. To satisfy this need for ship's bread, and other cracker products, many small bakeries sprang up along the Eastern seaboard. Massachusetts can claim credit for being the mother of the biscuit and cracker industry in the United States, as within her borders were located the three bakeries, one of them being Butler's bakery at Newburyport, founded in 1791. This was operated by its original owner and his heirs until the plant was sold in 1891 to the Johnson Educator company, just 100 years after that business was founded. Dr. William L. Johnson, a practicing dentist, concluded that his patient's teeth were in poor condition because most diets consisted of white flour products and other soft foods. Dr. Johnson decided that a cracker made from whole wheat which had to be thoroughly masticated, would be much more beneficial to his patients' dental health. After extensive experimentation, he was able to make a satisfactory whole wheat cracker. He called his new cracker Educator, as he knew only too well that changing the dietary habits of people required a lot of food education. In addition to being benefitted by Educator crackers, many people liked their taste and before long, the good doctor had the nucleus of a biscuit business. he opened the first Johnson Educator food store on Boylston street in Boston, May 15, 1885. His business thrived; other health-giving foods such a cereal, coffee, maize meal, hominy, peanut butter and grape juice were sold. He made arrangements for Butler's Bakery in Newburyport to manufacture his products for him. After Dr. Johnson's death, the business was carried on by his daughter, Norma Johnson Barbour. In 1934, demand for Educator products increased to such a degree that additional capacity was installed in a large brick building located in Lowell which is the headquarters of his company today. In June 1937, Robert Lee Megowen became interested in the company and changed the name to Megowen Educator Food company. Possibly the greatest contribution made by Megowen Educator food company was the introduction of small packages of cookies wrapped in cellophane. After Mr. Megowen's death in 1954, the business was carried on by his on, William J. Megowen. In March 1962, Megowen- Educator food company was sold. In June 1962 the name was changed to Educator Biscuit Company, incorporated."
