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Am I the only one who didn't know that Golden Eagle Syrup was a product of Fayette, Alabama? Like many Itawambians, we were raised on Golden Eagle Syrup. A jar remained on the table in my grandparents' kitchen year-round, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, along with salt, pepper, and pepper sauce. I have fond memories of Mama's fried chicken with biscuits and Golden Eagle Syrup. A dollop of butter was placed on the plate, and the rich syrup was mixed in with the butter until creamy. Then the hot biscuits were swiped into the syrup mixture for eating with the crispy fried chicken.
Yesterday while doing some research in a genealogical library, I came across a 1969 Sesquicentennial newspaper published by the Broadcaster in Fayette County, Alabama. This publication has great photos and great information, and as I was flipping through it, a headline caught my eye, "Golden Eagle - A Giant Among Local Industries." The syrup, which is a mixture of corn syrup and honey, was developed by Mr. and Mrs. V. S. Patterson right there in Fayette in 1928. At the time the article was written in 1969, Mrs. V. S. "Lucy" Patterson was president of Golden Eagle Syrup Manufacturers, the only syrup plant in Alabama that was completely air-conditioned.
After reading the article, I got to wondering if the syrup was still produced in Fayette. Yep, it is. According to the official website at http://www.goldeneaglesyrup.com/, "The Pride of Alabama" is still produced in downtown Fayette, in the same location since 1944. Unfortunately, the Patterson family had to sell the business in the 1980s due to health reasons, but it is still family-owned and locally produced. Now, excuse me while I make a beeline to the store to get some chicken and Golden Eagle Syrup.
4 comments:
"kin I go with you? Just wait a minute while I git my shoes on!" If I don't wear my shoes, I knew a couple who owned a shoe store in Fayette~ (went to high school with him and his wife dated my older brother at one time!)and I just betcha I could get a good deal on a new pair of shoes!! Uncortunately, I don't remember this Golden Eagle Syrup by taste, but I do remember seeing the label in one or more of the home owned grocery stores in Winfield; however, my daddy was the typical "horsetrader" - selling cars is about the same thing and he knew all these folks who provided "home grown food products" and he kept my mother's kitchen well stocked in "home made" syrups and such!
Nothing was "gooder" than the very warm (hot) syrup as it was being poured into the gallon cans! (I talk like someone who ate this as such year 'round - Actually, I only remember that experience one time in my life! - and it sticks with you just like the syrup if you spill some on your clothes!, and this taste test was accomplished on a cold biscuit without fresh churned butter.) Thanks, cuz. bettye
Glad to see you've moved on from morbidity to glucose.
I had no Idea the pleasure I had as a child came from Fayette Al. I remember crumbling my mom's homemade biscuits up and pouring "Golden Eagle" syrup over it. It was the way a poor boy could have a millionaire meal. Thanks for bringing back the memories.
I have that same childhood memory! Except we didn't mix the butter with Golden Eagle Syrup. We mixed it with what my Grandpa Ashcraft pronounced "sargum".
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