Lot 234: Pitt Bros. Springfield TN 3-Gallon Whiskey Jug

Pitt Brothers stoneware advertising jug, approximately 3-gallon size, stenciled lettering and border: “From Pitt Bros., Distillers & Wholesale Liquor Dealers. Springfield, Tenn.” Late 19th century. 13 in. H x 14 1/2 in. D.  Robertson County, Middle Tennessee.  Note: Early Robertson County settler Arthur Pitt established a small still on his property in the early 1790s. Over the next several decades, Pitts’ sons continued the operation and developed the distillery into a prosperous business. As the whiskey industry soared in the mid-19th century, competition increased. Charles Nelson’s distillery in Greenbrier became Pitts’ largest competitor, producing over eight thousand barrels of whiskey per year. Business began to decline in the 1880s as tobacco surpassed whiskey in production, and anti-whiskey pressure rose from temperance groups. Prohibition stopped the production of whiskey altogether in 1909 and the company never recovered. Several extant buildings of the Pitt Distillery are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. (Source: The Tennessee Encyclopedia).

PROVENANCE: The collection of Mr. and Mrs. David Allen, Springfield, Tennessee.

CONDITION: A large and small base chip to the backside of the jug and some areas of discoloration.