Day 177 – The Firenze Scoop

You remember my friend Kate, right? The one who is responsible for almost all of the Italy spoons in my collection? Well, this one time, she got totally drunk in Italy and went to a souvenir shop in Florence and said (in a very bad Italian accent) “Please to give me your BEST Firenze a-Scoop-a!” 

And they did. And it’s wee and ceramic and has a tiny painting of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore (or “Il Duomo” as the kids call it) in the bowl. 

Because Brunelleschi!

Day 143 – The St. Michael’s Church Spoon

On May 23, 1788, South Carolina became the eighth state to ratify the Constitution of the United States. Of course they were also the first state to vote to secede from the Union in 1860 because of the Civil War. 

Some other fun facts about South Carolina: their state beverage is milk, the official state dance is the Carolina Shag, and the highest point in the state is Sassafras Mountain (3,560 feet).

The oldest city in the state is Charleston, and the oldest surviving religious structure in Charleston is St. Michael’s Episcopal Church. (President George Washington worshipped in St. Michael’s at pew no. 43, known as “The Governor’s Pew,” on May 8, 1791 and seventy years later, General Robert E. Lee worshipped in the same pew.) 

And that brings us to today’s spoon: it’s from Charleston and has a tiny replica of St. Michael’s Church at the top. Not sure if the church is haunted, but I guarantee the spoon is not.

Day 123 – The Wilmington Old Swedes Church Spoon

I’m so excited about this spoon because it represents another link to my family tree. The Old Swedes Church in Wilmington, Delaware, built in 1698, is part of a trio (a trinity, perhaps?) of churches that my 5th great grandfather, Johan Wicksell looked after as vice-dean of the Delaware River parishes.

The other two churches were Old Swedes/Holy Trinity in Swedesboro, New Jersey (which I wrote about back in February) and Old Swedes/Gloria Dei in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

There’s so much history here, it’s going to make for a longer blog post at a later date, when I’ve had time to pour over all the records I’ve found tying these churches together.

Not sure when this spoon was made, but it’s probably another early 20th century souvenir.