Dorri Partain
Northeast News

Do you know your presidents? Can you tell Franklin Pierce from Benjamin Harrison?
While never as popular as sports trading cards, the first set of U.S. Presidents trading cards dates to 1932. Produced by the United States Caramel Company, candy buyers would receive a free card with each purchase and a complete set could be redeemed for a one pound box of chocolates.

In 1976, during the American Bi-Centennial celebration, Bel-Art Advertising produced a 40 card, Know Your U.S. Presidents set. At the time, Gerald R. Ford was the 37th President, so the additional 3 cards pictured the White House, Electoral College, and a diagram about the election process. The cards were available free inside loaves of bread produced by Campbell-Taggert Associated Bakeries.

In the Kansas City area, cards included the slogan, “Good things are goin’ on” and the logo for Rainbo or Manor bread. In 1925, William M. Campbell started Manor Bakery, located at 4050 Pennsylvania. Fresh-baked breads and cakes were loaded into horse-drawn wagons and sold door-to-door until 1939, when delivery trucks slowly began to replace the horse-drawn wagons.

A variety of baked goods was available week to week, including specialty holiday items. For George Washington’s birthday, a cherry roll cake was available for 29 cents, 1938 prices.

The last horse-drawn wagon was retired in 1951, though Manor Bakery continued to operate solely through door-to-door sales until 1965 with a fleet of 173 retail trucks throughout Missouri. After 40 years of bringing baked goods directly to the consumer, Manor products were offered at grocery stores, competing with other local and national brands.

Anheuser-Busch bought Campbell-Taggert in 1982, and changed the company name to Earth Grains. The last loaf of bread baked at the Manor bakery left the oven on June 6, 1986 and the building was re-developed at the cost of $20 million as the retail complex, Manor Square, in 1987.