Between bursts of torrential downpours are you fantasizing of a tropical getaway? So were the original architects of downtown Mount Vernon, who strategically placed a pineapple on the corner of 1st and Gates Streets in the early 1900s. Through the years, this fruit has attracted customers to shop at successful businesses that included a men’s clothing store, dress shop, ski shop, and more.A century later, this architectural motif remains a symbol of hospitality and friendship in our town. It’s not a wonder that this corner building with two pineapple pillars houses successful businesses with hospitality at heart: Annie Mae Antiques Gifts and Collectibles, eccosDesign, Good Vibes Body Art, and Dilly Dally Antiques and Collectibles.
The pineapple is known as the “King of Colonial Fruits” (Levins 2004) and represents an era where social elements of culture revolved around entertainment in well-to-do homes with a focus on creative food display. The pineapple trade brought the fruit up from the Caribbean Islands into the American colonies in the 1800s. The success of this long journey, delivering fresh, ripe pineapples created status for families who could afford them and showcase them in their homes.
Pineapples are not native to the Caribbean, but were transported there by indigenous migratory cultures that brought them up from Central and South America for cultivation around the world. Symbolic representations of the pineapple have been found all the way back in pre-Inca ruins (Herbst 2001). Aside from their architectural, historic, and cultural significance, pineapples are a symbol of nature as they require hummingbirds for pollination.
The structure of Mount Vernon is being physically revitalized with a new open vision as it enters construction of Skagit River Walk Phase II. This great change comes with memories, symbols, and motifs of the past which will form new meaning as we engage in new experiences as a community. It’s too cold to grow pineapples here, but we can still buy them for just a few dollars and glancing at our local architecture is absolutely free. Moreover, the original symbolic meaning of the pineapple flows strong through the heart of Skagit County. We are abundant with hummingbirds, blooming native wildflowers, and still have wild salmon populations migrating right through our town. Above all, our sense of community continues to be built on the relationships that form through the hospitable nature of our residents, sharing of food, and resultant cultural blending that so naturally makes us human.
References:
Pineapple. 2008, April 2. New World Encyclopedia. Retrieved 22:53, February 18, 2013 from: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Pineapple&oldid=682322.
Social History of the Pineapple. 2004. Levins, H. Retrieved February 18, 2013 from: http://www.levins.com/pineapple.html
The New Food Lover's Companion: Comprehensive Definitions of Nearly 6,000 Food, Drink, and Culinary Terms. Barron's Cooking Guide. Herbst, S. T. 2001. Hauppauge, NY: Barron's Educational Series. ISBN 0764112589.
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