As Americana as it gets

The Ultimate Slice

If you have paid attention at all, you know one of my ongoing pursuit for that “little slice of Americana.” Specifically, a slice of Americana is that little thing or place that uniquely represents the culture and history of America. Well, I found the perfect slice. One tiny little object with a history that is more Americana than any else that I have ever found to date. I give you the ultimate slice of Americana, the Zippo lighter

As you zoom in on this flag, the individual Zippo lighters reveal themselves. These lighters are an extensive and broad reflection on American pop culture, sports, music, war, and just about any theme important to the USA. Here is are two zoom-in shots of the flag to give you a taste of the embedded topics…

Never “Made in China”

The classic Zippo lighter was never made in China. Hell NO! Since 1932, the good citizens of Bradford, Pennsylvania, have manufactured all the Zippos. Bradford is a fairly remote, rural area in the Allegany National Forest, near the PA and NY border. But, as you know, no area is too remote for PugsleyTonks to wander off to. So, via the expert navigational skills of my 9th grade English teacher, we ventured to Bradford to learn about the Zippo legacy. The manufacturing site in Bradford does not do tours. However, we found all the legacy we needed at the Zippo Museum and Flagship store.

The Zippo lighter legacy starts with it’s founder, George Blaisdell. In 1932, he began with a vision of making a better, less “clunky” lighter. After a few years of tweaks and improvements, he perfected the wind-proof, water-tight Zippo lighter that exists today. While the Zippo company was destined for success, it was World War II that really established the lighter as a symbol of America.

World War II and the Zippo

For soldiers in World War II, the Zippo lighter was as standard issue as the M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle. In fact, from 1942 to 1945, the Zippo company made lighters exclusively for the US military effort. Zippo produced millions of lighters during the war effort. This essential military gear served many purposes beyond firing up cigarettes and General MacArthur’s pipe. These Zippos became rescue beacons, lights in the dense jungle, and the source of fire for food and warmth.

The wartime utility of the Zippo is undeniable. But, what really moved me was the soldier’s use of a Zippo to chronicle their war experience. The lighter cases became a blank pallet for the owners to document their personal place in history. Personalizing the Zippo case began in WWII, but moved beyond that in all the wars to come.

As a point of interest, note the black Zippo in the first picture. Zippo lighters are typically made from brass. However, during WWII, the US military took all the brass for the war effort. Therefore, Zippo made the lighter out of steel with the black crackle finish. These are high end collectibles.

The Museum is a History Book

Obviously, the museum contains thousands upon thousands of lighters. To look at them is like walking through this nation’s last 90 years. Anything of significance in our nation’s history is on a Zippo lighter. I will show self discipline and just share a very small sampling of iconic images on Zippos…

Final Tidbits about the Museum

For completeness sake, I wanted to be sure to mention two other items. First, the museum is not just a Zippo museum. Technically, the museum is the Zippo/Case Museum and Flagship. In 1993, Zippo acquired Case Cutlery. Case Cuterly are high end knives of all sorts. Apparently, for reasons unclear to me, this area of Pennsylvania/New York is the cutlery center of the universe. Within 100 miles of Bradford, PA, there are 73 cutlery manufacturing operations. Who knew?

Secondly, I should mention that the Zippo repair center is also located in the museum. Zippo is high quality merchandise and they stand behind their product. If you buy a Zippo, it is guaranteed for life. If you send in your broken lighter to the repair center, it gets repaired or replaced at no cost to you. No matter how you broke your lighter…they fix or replace.

Wrap It Up

The Zippo/Case Museum and Flagship is as Americana as it gets. I found it fascinating to explore American history and culture through Zippo lighters. Furthermore, I have saved the best part of the musuem for last. The Zippo/Case Museum and Flagship is absolutely free. PugsleyTonks loves free. The challenge of finding Bradford, PA, is payment enough. Also, I should say that this post in no way condones smoking. I realize that it’s pretty hard to separate Zippo lighters and smoking. But, it’s not my fault that Zippo lighters are really cool, and cigarettes just give you cancer. Have a wonderful day. PT

I hope you have enjoyed “As Americana as it gets” in Traveling with PugsleyTonks.

Here’s a post on another great slice of Americana https://travelingwithpt.com/banana-splits-are-americana/

If you want to plan your trip to the Zippo Museum https://www.zippo.com/pages/zippo-case-museums

p.s. The Zippo lighter has been showcased in uncounted Hollywood movies. Can you name the movie?