I can’t really improve upon the caption that accompanied this picture in newspapers across the country on July 24, 1955, the day after the greeting card company opened its new headquarters in Dedham:
700-YEAR-OLD “BLESS HOUSE” CEREMONY, symbolic of inviting good luck to the opening of a new building, was reenacted yesterday as the Rust Craft Greeting Card Co. officially opened its nine-acre plant in Dedham, Mass. Perched atop the clock tower of the new building were these authentically garbed musicians, drumming out evil influences and summoning the good with long heraldic trumpets. 10,000 visitors toured the $3,500,000 plant and watched the making of greeting cards.
During the ceremony described above, six drummers beat kettle drums from the cupola of the building, driving evil spirits away, while trumpeters facing the four points of the compass sounded their 4 foot-long horns, calling good and gentle spirits into the building. Just to cover their bases, company officials invited Father William Kenneally from St. Mary’s Catholic Church and Reverend Rudolph Roell from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church to give blessings as well.
Later in the afternoon, town officials presented Rust Craft co-founder Donald Rust with a silk flag bearing the company logo, along with a large, framed replica of the original Indian land deeds to the Rust Craft property. Also on hand was goodwill ambassador “Rustie,” described by the Transcript as “a living greeting card herself, warm and friendly, lovely to look at, and with a cheery greeting for everyone.”
This is the logo used by Rust Craft for several years after their move to Dedham, perhaps inspired by the unique medieval opening day ceremony of that hot July day 70 years ago.
Rust Craft operated in Dedham until 1980 when it moved its operations to Pennsylvania, before going out of business in 1982. The Dedham Museum and Archive is putting together an exhibit highlighting the people, products, and pictures of the company’s 25 years in town. If you have any stories to share, or photos/artifacts to loan us for this exhibit, we would love to hear from you! Please email us at memories@dedhammuseum.org
Dedham Tales 