Old Glory Coffee Mill

Circa Early 20th Century: Theodore Roosevelt became an instant American hero in 1898 when he gave up his post as the U.S. Navy's Assistant Secretary in order to form the Rough Riders, the first volunteer cavalry of the brief Spanish-American War. Roosevelt subsequently served as Vice President under William McKinley and assumed the presidency after McKinley's assassination in 1901. While the new President rose in popularity and rode the wave of nationalism that resulted from both our victory in the war with Spain and McKinley's untimely murder, many companies promoted Roosevelt's image and accomplishments in order to brand their products for the American market. A prime example of this early 1900s patriotic americana advertising boom is this scarce and desirable Old Glory coffee grinder manufactured by Cleveland, Ohio's Bronson-Walton Company. This antique coffee grinder is decked out on all four sides with high quality tin lithographed patriotic images, including two likenesses of Teddy Roosevelt on horseback on the side panels and a 45-star American flag on the mill's front panel. The forty-five star flag (1896-1908) combined with President Roosevelt's term in office (1901-1908) help date this Old Glory coffee mill to the time frame of Roosevelt's presidency, which also coincides with the era in which Bronson-Walton blossomed into one of America's leading manufacturers of coffee mills and other coffee making supplies.