For the auto-driving tourist to Branson, the signs were out . . . “Welcome … Drive In and LOOK” . . . and (hopefully) buy some trinkets, food or gas. You could drink a Coke, gas up and shop this splendid selection of Ozark drip pottery and cedar novelties in a short stop in Reeds Spring. Many of the cedar boxes were made locally under small factory conditions and had decals evoking Shepherd of the Hills Country. At the time these roadside attractions were disparaged, but today many of the items they sold are high priced collectibles. Look closely at the loaded shelves in this photograph. Next time you browse through an antique mall or flea market, scan those shelves for similar items. Nowadays, foreign manufactured items compete with locally made tourist items.
This image is used in a section about Reeds Spring in James Fork of the White (p. 87). The book is available on amazon.com, on this website and at Barnes & Noble.
1. Is this post card for sale? If not, do you know where I could get one?
2. Do you have any of the Ozark drip pottery? Is so, do you have any for sale?
Thank you.
Hi – 1) The postcard is part of our collection, and we’re not selling any of the collection. We could supply a high-resolution scan for a fee, based on your usage. probably $20 to $50. Some dealers in antique malls have vintage postcards. The local historical societies sometimes have postcards but they often charge for scans too.
2) We do have a dozen or so Ozark drip pots, but they too are in our permanent collection. Antique malls occasionally have them as well, but they’re not as common as they used to be.
Crystal Payton
Thank you so much, Crystal, for your response. I have a collection of over 70 pieces of Ozarks tourist pottery and was wanting to add to my collection. I also collect info regarding the pottery and love the post card with images of the pottery. I went to that location in Reeds Spring but the building has been torn down and no one in town seemed to have ever heard of the pottery. You’re correct. There is some Ozarks tourist pottery for sale in Ozark Antique Mall in Ozark, Mo. and at Freakin’ Antiquin’ in Springfield, Mo. A friend of mine near St. Louis has over 100 pcs. in his collection and is still hunting for it!
Kindest regards,
W. Schiebel