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Legion Hospital Hummingbird Feeder, 1932

W. R. (Robert) Sullivan, Legion, Texas

It would not have been possible to discover the story of this hummingbird feeder had it not been for the "W. R. Sullivan Papers", containing Correspondence, Newspaper Clippings, and Photos gifted to U. T. Briscoe Center of American History, possibly by family members.  And, what an interesting story this is. Sullivan was a many year Tuberculosis (TB) patient at V.A. Legion Hospital, Legion (Kerrville), Texas.

Among his correspondence, he states several times that he created//invented his hummingbird feeder in 1932 in the V.A. Legion Hospital "Occupational Therapy Shop".  He goes on to say that he advertised the Legion Hospital Hummingbird Feeder in Kerrville, Texas through a community Flyer which read, "Remember, a bird-feeder and look-see for one dollar and a pint size 'Heinz vinegar bottle' - - if you have one that you can spare."  Through this Flyer he invited the community to visit the Shop to purchase a feeder and view the hummingbirds.  He also made use of Legion Hospital I.V. bottles for his feeders, but generally relied on the Heinz vinegar bottles gathered from the community.

Sullivan was an early investigator of "hummingbird banding" before there were 'bands' small enough for hummingbirds.  Also, as an amateur scientific migratory bird collector, he secured state and federal permits to collect and supply small numbers of Legion Hospital Black-chinned hummingbirds to aviaries.  He sent hummingbirds to both New York Zoological Park (Bronz Zoo), and Forest Park Zoo (Fort Worth, Texas Zoo) in the 1940s.  His delivery of hummingbirds to New York Zoological Park in July 1941 was accomplished through a "very special favor" granted to the New York Zoological Park by Eastern Air Lines through its newly established business, "Air Express" from San Antonio,Texas airport to La Guardia Airport in NYC.                 ... continue reading

 

ca. 1950s...

Prentiss Swayze Hummingbird Feeder

We are now in the 1950's ... World War II sugar rationing had been discontinued in June 1947 and "sugar is back" on grocery shelves.   W. R. Sullivan had also made an impression on someone, an old timer in Kerrville, Texas, Prentiss Swayze.  Swayze manually produced a descendant of the Legion Hospital Hummingbird Feeder by attaching 'old glass I.V. bottles' to Scotch Tape tins'.  He worked many years at Kerrville's old U. S. Post Office until retirement.  The old Post Office was next door to Peterson Hospital, Swayze's source of I. V. bottles.  He produced this descendant of the V.A. Legion Hospital Hummingbird Feeder in his spare time.  It was in this review by Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine where Prentiss Swayze was first mentioned in April 2002. This story was confirmed later by Joe Herring, Kerrville historian, in this January 2014 story.  Although, the Prentiss Swayze Feeder was not the "original" Texas Style hummingbird feeder, as this distinction falls to the V.A. Legion Hospital Hummingbird Feeder.

Trivia... Prentiss Swayze was uncle to actor Patrick Swayze who was fond of Kerrville, Texas where he boarded several of his Arabian horses.  Also, you will remember, it was a 'Swayze' who "rented his ducks" to garden owners, "for 25c per day per duck", described in the Kerrville Mountain Sun newspaper ad mentioned earlier.

Descendants of the original Texas style hummingbird feeder also included 'national' hummingbird feeder manufacturers in the 1950's, such as Perky-Pet (Woodstream Corporation, Lancaster, PA -- US, Canada, UK, China). Perky-Pet was inspired by Texas (style) hummingbird feeders which featured either 'hospital I.V. bottles' or 'Heinz vinegar bottles'.

This, confirmed in following link to Perky-Pet website describing the "very first" Perky-Pet bird feeder ... 1958 Design Inspired By "Medical IV Bottles"

 

ca. 1970s...

Sam Chiodo's "Tejas Hummingbird Feeder" came along in the early 1970s,  a descendant of the W. R. Sullivan feeder created in the early 1930s.  This Tejas Feeder history follows below...

 

Tejas Hummingbird Feeder

Sam Chiodo lived in the Frio Canyon at Leakey, Texas, west of Kerrville, Texas.  His contribution to the continued development of the Texas Style hummingbird feeder was to introduce mechanical devices in the production of the hummingbird feeder.

Sam took his idea to his neighbor, Freddie Franks... a local genius with a lathe, and together began to assemble an assortment of "Rube Goldberg" machines to create the Tejas Hummingbird Feeder.  Creating the Tejas Hummingbird Feeder involves a twelve (12) step process... each step utilizing one of the many "Rube Goldberg" machines designed to fashion the Tejas Hummingbird Feeder.

In 1995 the Lewises (Harriet and Marion) stumbled upon the Tejas Hummingbird Feeder. It's been said that "you have to have a hobby to retire to"... so the Tejas Feeder was a great candidate, and who wouldn't be excited about continuing a tradition like this!

Since 1995, the Tejas hummingbird feeder has been 'tweaked' only a bit, as this handcrafted "metal" feeder has already stood the test of time. In 1999 the Tejas acquired new graphics (label) including hummer food recipe. For sturdiness, a brass grommet was inserted between closure (cap) and top of red feeder base for a more secure fit of the glass bottle.

Late 2009 finds the Tejas hummingbird feeder 'tweaked' once again!  After many years of searching, a sturdy aluminum metal 'screw cover' component was discovered, to be used in construction of  the "new-style" Tejas hummingbird feeder base.  Beginning spring 2010 the Tejas Hummingbird Feeder features a screw cover feeder base, allowing the hummingbird feeder base to be opened for cleaning, and aluminum construction, a remarkable metal for its ability to resist corrosion.  A custom made gasket is included with the screw cover hummingbird feeder base to provide a water tight seal between top and bottom halves of the screw cover hummingbird feeder base.

So after 50 plus years, still only a few changes have occurred to the Tejas Hummingbird Feeder... and in a changing world, that's not so bad!

Sam Chiodo passed away Saturday, July 3, 2004 at his home in Kerrville, Texas.  He was 90 years old. The street he lived on in Leakey is named Hummingbird Hill Lane in honor of his love for hummingbirds.

 

March 16, 2023

Production of 2023 Tejas Feeders has been completed, and feeders are now being painted (red powder coating). This is our final Tejas Feeder brand production after 29 years in business,1995-2023. The inflationary impact of the last 3 years, influenced by both Pandemic and Russia's war, has made it clear that our small company Tejas Feeder brand business is no longer viable.

When 2023 inventory is depleted, the Tejas Feeder website will continue only as a 'Hummingbird Feeder History' website... focused on the history of the "Texas style hummingbird feeder".  Ironically, it was the Pandemic that provided the 'downtime' to accomplish discovery and research leading to the story of the 1932 V. A. Hospital "Legion Hummingbird Feeder" created in Legion (Kerrville), TX.  A framed walk-up-to narrative of this story is today found in the History Room of the Kerrville V.A. Hospital.

Thank you very much for your past purchase of a Tejas Hummingbird Feeder, and to many of you, for your multiple purchases over the last 28 years.  Also, thank you for your kind word-of-mouth promotion of the Tejas Feeder which has served as our best advertising.

This 'mom and pop business', initially meant to be 'something to do in retirement', evolved into a feeling of 'being in the entertainment business'... "entertaining folks who enjoy feeding hummingbirds".  Many have said how much their hummingbirds have enjoyed the Tejas Feeder. As Sam Chiodo once told Harriet and I back in 1995, "Hummers like the Tejas best!"  Warm regards from the Lewises. 

Harriet and Marion Lewis
Kerrville, TX

 

July 21, 2023

Tejas Hummingbird Feeder brand retired.