So there I was, alone in the Mansion last night, looking through a 1931 Memphis City Directory — you know, like most people do on their Thursday evenings — when my attention was caught by several pages of ads for Memphis coal companies.
Yes, that's right. Coal.
It seems to me this was probably a hard item to advertise. At the time, when most homes in Memphis were heated by coal-burning furnaces, coal was an essential item. And for those of you living in older homes in Midtown, you may still find coal doors and coal chutes in your basement, where the coal companies delivered coal directly to your home.
But still — back to my main point here, if you're still with me — the challenge was convincing a Memphis homeowner to buy YOUR coal, from YOUR company. And I'm sure most people thought coal was coal, it all looked alike, and what difference did it make where you got it?
Well, the coal companies tried to persuade you that their coal burned better, or hotter, or cleaner, than coal from their competitors. And so you would encounter ads from the Service Coal Company, claiming "EVERY LOAD GUARANTEED."
Guaranteed to do what, exactly? Burn?
North Memphis Coal & Hardware offered "certified" coal and declared, "The secret of your success in burning our Certified Coal is the secret of our success to selling it. Behind this success is one word: Quality."
Wait, what does that even mean?
West Kentucky Coal Company, while bragging about their "quality and good service," pointed out their coal came from Trade Water and Caney Fork — and I can only presume those were two places recognized for their fine coal, but they don't explain that. Or even say where they were, exactly.
Finally, McDonald Coal Company offered the eye-catching ad you see here. Not only do they list all the officials who operate the company, but they brag they are "Always Low in Price — None Better" and tout their "Quick Delivery Any Time." They tell you their coal comes from Pond Creek, which (again) must be a place for good-quality coal.
But my favorite part of their rather large ad was the wonderful illustration of the smiling sun, casting its warm rays down upon you, while proclaiming that their "Pond Creek Coal Will Make It Hot For You."
Yep, they'd get my business. And such a happy sun, too.
