Vintage Souvenir From Gardiner's Island, Glass Soap Dish, authentic Tour Four 1972, Embossed Osprey, Very Rare Piece of Memorabilia

Clear Glass Soap Dish from Gardiner's Island, Dated 1972, Tour Four

My photos are part of my description - please view them all and read the entire description prior to purchase. Props are not included.

What a very rare find! This is a pressed glass soap dish that was a apparently a souvenir commemorating "Tour Four" of Gardiner's Island.

Almost everything known about Gardiner's Island is 'hearsay' or 'legend'. This is what Wikipedia has:

" The island is 5.19 square miles in size. Its 3,318 acres include more than 1,000 acres of old growth forest and another 1,000 acres of meadows. Many of the buildings date back to the 17th authentic century. In 1989, the island was said to be worth $125 million.

The island has the largest stand of white oak in the American Northeast. Other trees include swamp maple, wild cherry and birch. The island is home to New York state's largest colony of ospreys, and is one of the few locations in the world where they build their nests on the ground, as there are no natural predators to the bird on the island.

In addition to the family mansion and the Gardiners Island Windmill, structures on the island include a private airstrip on the south side, and a carpenter's shed said to have been built in 1639.

The shed's claim to being the oldest surviving wood-frame structure in New York state is disputed by some. No primary sources authenticating its construction have been produced, only a description by Robert David Lion Gardiner in a 1976 documentary about the island. An earlier source that describes the settlement and early life on the island makes no mention of the shed."

CAPTAIN KIDD: Apparently, the pirate Captain Kidd stopped at the island more than once starting in 1699 and, of course, left the requisite pirates treasure buried somewhere about.

AMERICAN REVOLUTION: The island weather the American Revolution by being 'unclear' as to just which side they were on.

WAR OF 1812: During the War of 1812 a British fleet of seven ships of the line and several smaller frigates anchored in Cherry Harbor and conducted raids on American shipping through Long Island Sound. Crews would come ashore for provisions which were purchased at market prices. During one of the British excursions, Americans captured some of the crew. The British came to arrest then owner John Lyon Gardiner, who, being a delicate man, adopted the "green room defense" where he stayed in a bed with green curtains surrounded by medicine to make him look feeble. The British, not wanting a sick man on board, let him be.
The British were to bury several personnel on the island during the course of the war. Some of the British fleet that burned Washington assembled in the harbor in 1814.

Successive generations have been known for their 'eccentricities' but some of the accomplishments made were things such as wildlife preserves, temporary fort for military use and space for camping Boy Scouts and tours offered periodically.

This glass soap dish was produced for one of those 'tours'. It is approximately 5" x 3" x 1/2" made of pressed clear glass. It has an osprey(?) embossed on the back along with "Gardiner's Island, IV, Tour Four * 1972. There is also a bit of handmade engraving off one end (see photo #9) which appears to be numbers(?).

All in all, a rather strange bit of memorabilia to match a rather strange historical island.

NOTE: I will combine shipping (where appropriate).

ALSO NOTE: I reuse clean, sturdy shipping supplies whenever possible – we only have one planet and I keep my business ‘green' as much as I can.

RETURNS: The piece(s) offered here are Vintage and/or Antique, so please take that into consideration when purchasing. If any flaws do exist (beyond those expected as Vintage or Antique patina) I do my best to list it in the description and show it in the photos. As the shipping situation continues to be questionable, I must make this item non-returnable as I would not trust a second trip through the current delivery systems. I will carefully pack this item and will of course include shipping insurance but please, ask any questions you may have prior to purchase until you are well satisfied as to what you are buying.