"Every lady in Chariton and vicinity will have an opportunity to sample the 57 varieties of Heinz's Pure Foods. Many of these will be served hot," Mr. Piper advertised. Apparently, gentlemen weren't invited.
Then, as now, there actually were more than 57 Heinz items available, including such items as plum pudding, strawberry preserve, India relish, olive oil, spaghetti, euchred pickle, currant jelly, chili sauce, peanut butter, and celery soup. By 1969, when Heinz (now in 2020 part of the Kraft-Heinz conglomerate controlled by Berkshire-Hathaway) celebrated its centennial, there were more than a thousand.
Company founder Henry J. Heinz came up with one of the nation's most successful advertising gimmicks during 1896 when he adapted an advertising slogan he had spotted on the an elevated train car in New York City advertising 21 styles of shoes. There actually were about 60 Heinz products at the time, but "57 Varieties" seemed to work best.
The company logo became a green Heinz pickle emblazoned with "57 Varieties," including a six-story, twelve-hundred-light forty-foot version at the intersection of 5th Avenue and 23rd Street in New York City, an electronic marvel that dazzled New York residents and tourists until 1906.
Joe L. Piper had relocated to the northeast corner of the square during 1908, when he purchased Fred Stanley's grocery business. Fred's name still is on display on the east side of the Piper building in this 1911 postcard.
Joe's son, Bob, took over the business and operated it until the 1980s, when the Kerns took over. It's now operated by Jill Kerns and is best known for its homemade candy, although the shelves still are filled with groceries.
There's another connection between the Pittsburgh-based H.J. Heinz Company and Chariton that extends beyond pickles. When Chariton High School graduate and my distant Myers cousin R. Burt Gookin (1914-2002) retired as chairman and chief executive officer in 1979, he had worked for the Heinz operation for 34 years.
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