Mail Pouch Tobacco - Wheeling, West Virginia - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

Text of marker:

Mail Pouch Tobacco

"Chew Mail Pouch--Treat Yourself To The Best"

Mail Pouch is one of Wheeling's most recognizable products.  Aaron and Samuel Bloch began making chewing tobacco after experimenting with "cigar scrap."  This afterthought quickly became a favorite with local coal miners and soon the rest of the country took notice with the help of Mail Pouch barns.  From such humble beginnings grew one of America's most easily recognizable products.  Mail Pouch's rustic appeal and popular barn advertisements have become a symbol of Americana.

Mail Pouch Barns

Beginning in 1925, Bloch Brothers began advertising their products using the the now famous Mail Pouch barn signs, featuring "CHEW MAIL POUCH-TREAT YOURSELF TO THE BEST."  In 1947, the company hired painter Harley Warrick, who became synonymous with the signs.  During his 35-year career, Harley painted between 16,000 and 18,000 barns, Occasionally, Harley would deliberately misspell a word and wait to see just how long it would take for people to notice.  Approximately 1,000 of these barns are still standing with a 500-mile radius from Wheeling, WV.

"West Virginia Cole Slaw"

In 1897, Bloch Brothers introduced Mail Pouch Chewing Tobacco, which became their signature product.  At first, their chewing tobacco was taken from the scraps and trimmings from other tobacco products.  These were mixed with molasses and other flavors, earning the nickname "West Virginia Cole Slaw."  Mail Pouch tobacco has been made in Wheeling for over a century.  At its zenith, the company employed hundreds of female workers and produced 120 million package of Mail Pouch a year.  The company was said to have known the location of every new oil field in this country, because an order for Mail Pouch was received from the fields as soon as operations began.  At one point, Bloch Brothers Tobacco was offing a dozen kinds of chew and almost as many kinds of pipe tobacco.

Bloch Brothers

The Bloch family emigrated to Wheeling from Germany in 1840s and opened a dry goods store on Main Street, between 12th and 14th Streets.  The enterprising family also ran a stogie operation on the second floor of the building.  After the flood of 1884 destroyed their grocery inventory, Aaron and Samuel Bloch sold their interests in the dry goods business and focused on tobacco production.  The fact that the flood did not destroy their tobacco was taken as a sign that tobacco was their future.

Group that erected the marker: Wheeling National Heritage Area Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: 4000 Water St. Wheeling, West Virginia URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

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Date Logged Log   10/13/2022 fuzzygalore visited it