Name/Title
Allen Bros. Milling Co. Promotional PencilEntry/Object ID
2018.6.17Description
Yellow pencil with the words "Allen Bros. Milling Co. Adluh ‘Table Tested’ Flour Columbia, S.C. Greenwood, S.C." printed in red. Between the words and the eraser is the Adluh logo.Context
Previously affiliated with the Columbia Grain and Provision Company, B.R. Cooner (1872-1930) formed the Adluh Milling Company in 1914. The name "Adluh" and the reference to the drum originated from the Columbia Shriners Drum Corps, established in 1913. Captain of the corps, Pierre Mazyck (1872-1950), named the band "Adluh," the reverse spelling of his daughter, Hulda's (1905-1991), name. Cooner, a Shriner, asked Mazyck if he could use the name for his new company, then located in a three-story building at 804 Gervais Street. In 1915, a depiction of Hulda in the center of a drum became the logo of the company.
Soon after its establishment, Adluh expanded its distribution to include restaurants in addition to grocery stores. By 1924, however, Adluh had declared bankruptcy. The Allen Brothers Milling Co. of Wadesboro, North Carolina, purchased the Adluh Mill in 1926 and retained the brand established by Cooner. In the 1930s, drumsticks were added to the logo. Today, the mill at 804 Gervais Street is South Carolina's only operating flour mill and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This promotional pencil was produced sometime after Allen Bros. Milling Co. opened its plant in Greenwood, South Carolina, in 1937.Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
LabelTranscription
Allen Bros. Milling Co. / Adluh "Table Tested" Flour / Columbia, S.C. Greenwood, S.C.Material
Wood, Rubber, GraphiteRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Adluh Flour Mill
