Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library

Masonic "On the Square" Tobacco Pouch and Advertisement
1900-40
Maker not marked
USA (likely)
Cotton, ink, wax/oil
overall: 3-1/2"h x 4"w x 1/16"d
Gift of Peter J. Samiec
2018.009.2

Masonic "On the Square" Tobacco Pouch and Advertisement. Off-white cotton (likely coated with wax or oil) pouch is rectangular and flat. Has flap on one side that extends about a third of the way down the face of the pouch and has rectangular shape with rounded corners; edges are finished with tan-colored uncoated cotton tape. OBVERSE: Machine-printed text: "[black ink] CHEW / [black square and compasses] / [red ink] ON THE / SQUARE / [black ink] PLUG TOBACCO. / [red ink] PLEASES THE HARD TO PLEASE". REVERSE: Machine-printed text on flap: "[red ink] ON THE SQUARE / [black ink] A RICH, RIPE AND MELLOW / CHEW" (nothing on underside of flap); below and partly underneath flap: "[black ink] SELLS / [red ink] ON THE SQUARE / PLUG TOBACCO. / [black ink] ON THE SQUARE has a Rich, Ripe / Mellow Flavor which pleases lovers of / a good chew and places it in a class by / itself. It's [sic] fine quality never changes / but remains always the same. / TRY ON THE SQUARE and satisfy / yourself of its fine quality."

This small pouch was recently donated to the collection. It advertises "On the Square" plug tobacco and features a square and compasses at center. The Courier-Journal newspaper published in Louisville, Kentucky, included simple advertisements for "On the Square" tobacco in the early 1900s, a first clue to finding out what company may have manufactured this particular brand of tobacco and where they were based. For further information, Blog post, June 26, 2018, http://nationalheritagemuseum.typepad.com/library_and_archives/2018/06/tobacco-.html