Four survivors of a bygone era.
1) on the back of the Fuller & Hillman: the logo and Kingsport Tennessee.  Fuller & Hillman spelled out in its official font face.  Then “We Now Have Our Largest & Most Complete Selection – COME IN TODAY”     on the bottom: Tri-City Adv. Co., Kingsport

2) On the top of the Quickway match book: “While U Wait” and, on the back: QUICKWAY PRINTING CENTER  KINGSPORT – 247-5134  KNOXVILLE – 546-8161  on the bottom: Superior Match Co. Chicago, U.S.A.

3) on the back of  the (unused) Dobyns-Taylor book: “SERVICE AND QUALITY SINCE 1922”  On the bottom: TASCO IND. DALLAS TX

4) on the back of the 1st Nat book:  (star symbol) SERVING THE BANKING REQUIREMENTS OF THIS COMMUNITY SINCE 1916 (star symbol)(star symbol).  On the bottom THE DIAMOND MATCH CO. SPRINGFIELD MASS.

Businesses gave out matches because it seemed that everyone smoked, urged on by relentless marketing by certain companies to the effect that cigarettes were entirely safe and that all that coughing and dying was caused by, well, maybe carelessness? After all, early thinking was that diseases were transmitted by bad air.  And, if one remembers, Kingsport had it some bad air at times.

Shortly after we moved to Kingsport, Mom and I were walking past a restaurant when we caught a lungful of pew.  Mom said, “Gosh, I wonder what they’re cooking in there?”

But we got used to it.