Artifact of the Month Book

Artifact of the Month

September 2011

Commerative Spoon from The Order of the Eastern Star (OES)

On display at the Western Illinois Museum as the Artifact of the Month for September is an engraved sterling silver spoon from the Good Hope Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star (OES).

Organized in 1867, The Order of the Eastern Star (OES) is a nation-wide companion organization to the Masons. The ceremonies in Eastern Star are similar to Masons. One major difference is that both women and men may be members of Eastern Star, but only men may be Masons. At one point in time, in McDonough County, there were Eastern Star Chapters not only in Good Hope, but also in LaHarpe, Blandinsville and Roseville. Now there are very few Eastern Star chapters left in the county.

The Good Hope Eastern Star Chapter now no longer exists. Due to a diminished membership, in 1988 the chapter merged with the Macomb Eastern Star. This sterling spoon remains as a reminder from a time when the Good Hope Chapter was thriving and commemorating special occasions.

Long-standing Eastern Star members, Eloise Ross, Donnamae Hocker, Katy Huston and Norma Chatterton remember the Good Hope Chapter and its part in the history of Good Hope. Members recollect that the chapter was in Good Hope for over 100 years. For many years, the Good Hope chapter met on the upper floor of Corky’s Grocery Store on Main Street. After Corky’s building burnt to the ground, the Eastern Star held their meetings at another Main Street building.

In the past, many Good Hope area married couples belonged to the Eastern Star together, and at one time there were over 150 members. For many years, Eastern Star in Good Hope was active and flourishing and played a significant part in the community. The chapter not only was for socializing, but also was a way to gather together and do good work and support local charities. The Good Hope Eastern Star was famous for its “ham balls” at the annual community supper.

The spoon on display is engraved on its handle and bowl. On the handle in flowing script are the words, Good Hope, Ill. Engraved into the bowl of the approximately 6 inch sterling spoon are the words “Good Hope Chapter No. 225” and a five-pointed star with the letters FATAL inscribed in the center and O.E. S. beneath the star. The five-pointed star is significant to Eastern Star and represents the Star of Bethlehem.

The star is symbolic. Each point on the star represents a different heroine of the Bible and each one represents a different virtue. The word FATAL is also symbolic and is recited as part of one of the ceremonies in Eastern Star. The letters stand for Fairest Among Ten-thousand, Altogether Lovely. This phrase is a rewording of a phrase found in the Song of Solomon. In the Song of Solomon, the man in chapter 5 was called chiefest among ten thousand and altogether lovely and he represents Christ. This phrase has been used by Christians to express their love for Christ.

Ron Scott, a life-long resident of Macomb, recently donated the sterling silver spoon to the museum. Scott recalls purchasing the spoon at a local auction, “a long time ago, probably 30-35 years ago.” Scott remembers the spoon stood out to him because of the Good Hope engraving.

For many years, Scott worked in the antiques business and attended many auctions. He collected sterling and had a particular interest in spoon collecting and in finding spoons with a small town connection. Scott noted that over the years, he came across many sterling souvenir spoons, but he said the one at the museum is the “only one I’ve ever seen” with the town of Good Hope engraved.

When silver is exposed to air, it develops tarnish, or a dark film. The spoon at the museum is tarnished now, and Ron Scott explained that while he owned it, he never polished the spoon. To him, part of the appeal of the spoon was the history behind it, and removing the tarnish and making it shiny, would have been like removing a bit of the history of the spoon. As Ron Scott said, he decided to, “Leave it the way I found it”. Thus, he was keeping intact the integrity of the spoons historic past.

The back of the spoon handle is stamped “Sterling”. All American and Canadian made genuine sterling silver will be marked with the word "Sterling". The word sterling applies only to an item that has a guaranteed silver content certified as containing a minimum of 92.5% by mass of silver and 7.5% by mass of other metals, usually copper.

Also stamped on the back of the handle is the mark of the manufacturing company that produced the spoon – Gorham Manufacturing Company. The Gorham company mark is a right-facing lion, an anchor and the capital letter G. The silver pattern is called “Lancaster”, with beaded edges and floral adornment, it was produced from 1897-1991.

Founded in 1831 in Providence, Rhode Island, Gorham’s specialty was producing high-quality sterling silverware and hollowware (items such as table service items-teapots, sugar bowls, and soup tureens). During the heyday of American silver manufacturing, approximately 1850-1940, Gorham dominated American silver.

Collecting spoons in the United States began around 1890. At around this time Europe held large expositions that generated substantial quantities of souvenir items –spoons being one of those items. Travelers brought spoons back as mementos and the fad was transplanted to the United States. The 1890s were the “golden age” of souvenir spoon production.

Still popular today, it is easy to create a spoon collection. Souvenir or commemorative spoons are not hard to find at flea markets and auctions, and are fairly inexpensive.

Sometimes spoons are created to commemorate a particular occasion or as mementos. Even today in Eastern Star when there is a noteworthy event – gifts are given and many of the gifts have Eastern Star symbols. So too, presumably, was this Good Hope sterling silver spoon created to mark some special occasion in the past.

This little spoon can tell us a big story. From its beginnings commemorating a Good Hope women’s organization that no longer exists, to its time as a piece in a personal collection of a Macomb antiques dealer, to now its current life as a featured artifact in a regional museum display, this spoon has played a part in the history of this county.

The sterling silver spoon will be on display at the museum from September 1 – September 30, 2011

From an essay by Heather Munro