Union News Co. - Railroad Station Eating Houses - 1920's Era - Salt Pepper Paprika Castor Set
For your consideration is an extremely rare 1920's era - silver and glass salt pepper and paprika caster set made for the Union News Company, which provided eating house restaurants at Railroad Stations on the Eastern part of the United States. This is a stunning example that I have not yet been able to determine which station eating house – restaurant that this piece may have been used for.
It would have been used in connection with the UNCO logoed pattern railroad china and glassware. It is not a souvenir; rather, it is the heavyweight type Steamship, Lunch Counter, and Hotel silver plate.
Historically, the Union News Company appears to have been founded in the 1850’s in New York City by Leroy N. Shear. His company became closely related with railroad operations providing vital news services and other print items. Over the years, the company grew to provide not only news service, but fine upscale eating-house restaurants at Railroad Stations in the Midwest and Eastern portion of the United States. It appears that by the 1880’s to 1890’s, UNCO became under the control of the American News Co. (but could have been earlier).
During the early to mid 20th Century, some of the railroad station eating houses and soda luncheonettes the UNCO operated in included the cities of New York City; Detroit, Michigan; Albany, New York; Cincinnati, Ohio; Syracuse, New York; Chicago, Illinois; Rochester, New York; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Columbus, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; Boston, Massachusetts; North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Buffalo, New York, Washington, D.C., and even Jacksonville, Florida. On the primary services that the Union News offered was quality food and service in under 10 minutes, which was very important for a passenger at a railroad station.
In New York City, the company also operated the Oyster Bar restaurant at the famous Grand Central Terminal - Station in New York City for the New York Central Railroad. And additionally, they operated a restaurant in the famous RKO Building at Rockefeller Center in New York as well. In Boston, “The Gateway” restaurant was located just 5 minutes from Harvard Square at the South Station and was advertised as being “New England’s Finest Roadside Restaurant”.
In addition to offering some of the finest railroad eating houses, Union News was also a major distributor of postcards and other printed items through their newsstands at hotels, railway stations, and even subway stations. I believe that by 1955, American New Co., along with, all of its companies including UNCO, abruptly closed.