Treasures of Edwards Place: Giant Teacup

The Edwards family drank their fair share of tea at Edwards Place, but it is safe to say they never consumed 23 gallons at one sitting - yet in one of the upstairs bedrooms is a giant teapot big enough to hold nearly 400 cups of tea!





That particular pot never graced the Edwards's tea table, however. It was a originally belonged to Benjamin H. Ferguson, husband of Benjamin and Helen's daughter Alice. He was a glass and china merchant whose store in downtown Springfield did more than $40,000 worth of business annually. One of his suppliers, Alfred Meakin of Tunstall, England, sent him this teapot as a promotional item in 1893. It was meant to sit in Ferguson's store and attract attention to boost sales.


The teapot is 37 inches tall and 73 inches in circumference. It features hand-painted flowers and gold lustre lettering which proclaims "Presented by Alfred Meakin Tunstall, England, to B H Ferguson, Springfield, Ills. U.S.A." Somewhere along the line its handle was broken, but we still have the pieces and hope to have it restored at some point.


Meakin probably created a dozen or so of these teapots and sent one to each of the leading china wholesalers in the United States. Today only three are known: this one, one at Hohnecker's Gifts in Dubuque, Iowa made for Little, Bruce & Co., and one at the Cincinnati Museum Center made for the Dean and Kite Company.


Stop by Edwards Place for a tour between 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. and see this rare treasure for yourself!