Manufacturer: Scammell China Company
User: Catamount Tavern, New
Distributor: Mitchell Woodbury – Boston
Date of examples: circa 1924-1935
Notes: The New Catamount Tavern in Bennington, Vermont, opened for the summer season of 1925. It was named for the original Catamount Tavern that was built in the 1760s and burned in 1871. The New Catamount Tavern used the catamount statue on the nearby monument as its logo. ("Catamount" refers to various wild cats such as Eastern Cougar or Lynx.)
By 1935 the Catamount Tavern had been sold and renamed Monument Inn, which continued in operation until at least 1949. In 1971 the 33-acre site became a proposed condo project, but that plan was abandoned. In 1972 the former tavern became part of St Joseph College.
Scammell combined an image of the Catamount statue with "Tavern" as the crest on this china pattern. The decal border of pine needles and cones was used by other Maddock and Scammell customers. Because some of this china was being made during the time in 1924 that the Lamberton Works was changing ownership from Maddock to Scammell, some pieces contain the "Lamberton China" back stamp while others have the oval Scammell mark. Mitchell Woodbury, of Boston, was the distributor. Sterling China also produced this crested pattern.
More example of the china can be found on the website of the Bennington Museum.
Sources:
Newspaper articles and advertisements: Bennington Banner, Pittsfield Berkshire Eagle, North Adams Transcript, via Newspaperarchives website.
Cardcow.com
Contributor:
Author and photos: Larry Paul