March 21, 2008
I ran across an old and beautiful (not to mention HUGE) coffee urn in front of a Portland antique store today. Just like a magpie, shiny objects catch my eye — so I stopped to check it out.
It’s become a running joke that there’s always a San Francisco angle, and sure enough there was … and a sort of mystery as well: the metal label affixed to the side reads as follows:
WESTINGHOUSE
SAN FRANCISCO
STEAM COFFEE URN
My first thought: “Westinghouse had a factory in San Francisco?” But then I saw that the thing had been manufactured in Ohio.
So, it’s a “San Francisco Steam Coffee Urn” … that “Steam” instantly put me in mind of the local beer style; could there have been an analogous coffee style — “San Francisco steam coffee” — unique and well-known enough to warrant a national brand?
Hmm.
I can just picture it: Dashiell Hammett slouching at the counter in a cheap Eddy Street diner, scowling down at his reflection in a chipped mug full of black, acidic San Francisco steam? I can feel the chill of the fog, the warmth of that steaming mug of “San Francisco steam” … Oh yeah. That’s got to be it.
So how come I’ve never heard of it?
The owner of the shop wasn’t around, so its provenance is a mystery. It does occur to me that “SAN FRANCISCO” might just be a model name, and that “steam” simply refers to some generic brewing method, but how disappointing would that be? I’m sticking to my much more romatic interpretation, thank you very much. (And if anyone cares to burst my bubble, this blog sports a nifty “comments” function.)
If you’d like to nip up to the Pacific Northwest and take this relic home, it’s right here — and the price tag is $600.
Sparkletack was the blog and podcast of a guy obsessed with diggin' up San Francisco history. The site is on permanent hiatus.
1-click updates
Join me on Twitter!
March 23, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Some bored googling gave me this:
“Upon his return to San Francisco in 1865, James became a full partner of The Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills. In 1872, James bought out the other partners, renaming the company J. A. Folger & Co.”
from here:
http://www.folgers.com/pressroom/history.shtml
I guess the old Folger coffee mill in SF (where in town was that?) was powered by a steam plant. So the engraving on the urn could be a reference to the name of that plant.
March 23, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Interesting speculation, Thomas … who knows, you may be on to something!
A little judicious Googling of my own produced the fact that this mill was located right downtown, somewhere on Powell between Broadway and Pacific.
Further, apparently Mr. Folger had actually helped to build the mill (for one Mr. William H. Bovee) in 1850, returning from a sojourn in the gold country to buy him out.
March 27, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Powell between Broadway and Pacific? Wow. There is literally nothing left of any kind of industrial activity – at least at the level of a steam-driven coffee and spice mill.
I wonder what spices they were working with… and that place must have smelled like crazy if they were milling coffee and spices at a large scale. :)
March 27, 2008 at 8:53 pm
FYI: In that link to google books – the mill was between stockton and dupont (grant). But there is no trace of any old factories left in that area – I guess the 1906 earthquake wiped out the last of that…
March 27, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Of course, I didn’t read far enough! The Broadway location was where the steam mill was built after being forced to move from the Powell shop with its over-taxed hand-cranked mill. I love the detail about attempting to use power from a Telegraph Hill windmill – I’m picturing some serious Rube Goldberg machinery there …
I’m sure you’re right about the ’06 fire wiping out any trace of the Broadway mill – take a look at this map of the extent of the fire’s reach; that stretch of Broadway is well within the boundary.
March 30, 2008 at 10:36 am
Windmills on Telegraph Hill – that brings up a whole alternative-history scenario of what SF could have looked like. And a very romantic scenario at that. Let’s put that one into the list of ideas for a novel. :)
March 30, 2008 at 11:24 am
No kidding, Thomas, great idea …
April 5, 2010 at 7:27 pm
I have an Antique Steam Ran TJ Hopper Co Coffee Urn that i cant find any info on. its absolutely beautiful. its copper w/ rosewood knobs approx 5 gallons patent number 1468527….PLEASE HELP?????