Campbell & Beesley, Millersburg

Found mostly in 6-inch handgrip plates (as at left). The lettering reads "Campbell + Beesley Co. Spring Opening 1911." It's unusual to find any classic Carnival item with a date molded into it, so we know just when this one was made.

Hartung Book Five: Campbell Beesley

Plates, handgrip

Amethyst, 575, 800, 850, 900 (all 2020),
   550, 1,300, 1400 (all 2021), 1,600 (2022)

Amethyst, iridescense missing in center,
   275 (2016)


This handgrip plate with the sort of wonky shaping sold for $1,300 at the 2012 Heart of America Carnival Glass convention auction. The results of shaping by hand can be very unpredictable.

Updated 11/22/2022

From The Encyclopedia of Carnival Glass Lettered Pieces,
by John Resnik, 1989.

From an update following publication of original story, in which John could find out no information:

"The Campbell and Beesley Co. opened its doors on March 13, 1918 at 412-414 Union St., Nashville, Tennessee. The Company specialized in ladies ready-to-wear. Print ads of the day list the owner as being Joseph L. Campbell, who was also the secretary-treasurer. The president was a Mr. G. H. Miller, and the vice president Mr. John Ray Beesley I. Bob Lovell surmised, probablly correctly, that Mr. Beesley was was a financial backer of the company and thus the company name. However, I have been unable to find any concrete evidence to support this theory. Bob also suggests that the company went out of business in 1914. This may be true, as I have found no definitive date of closure, but the last telephone listing is for 1915. Mr. Beesley later opened a furniture store which remained in business until 1979. Although Mr. Beesley died in 1928, two generations of his namesakes still live in Nashville. Mr. Campbell apparently moved on to greener pastures, as I can no further mention of him in Nashville history. A March, 1911 newspaper ad stated that souvenirs woud b given to customers in celebration of C&B's "Spring Opening" sale. Thus a resolution to the dichotomous 1910/1911 quandary.

John further observes that the bent portion of these handgrip plates come at just about every hour of the clock."