Cigar Industry/Short Horn Label Mural

The artist of the Short Horn Cigar mural, Mike Meyer, perfectly captured the label of one of the more popular cigars that the R.T Cassell Cigar Co. manufactured and sold. In 1882, Robert T. Cassell and his brother, Lyman, opened their own cigar-making business in the back room a building which used to be where city park is now located. 

Though the business had a modest beginning in the back room of a building, the journey for the location of the cigar business didn’t end there. The cigar company changed locations within Jacksonville a few more times. It began on South Main Street, relocated to West Side Square in 1896, and went back to being located on South Main Street in 1927. 

Throughout the years, the R.T Cassell Cigar Co. manufactured and sold a variety of cigars such as the “Big Run,” the “Cheerup,” the “Leading Lady” which eventually replaced the “Cheerup,” and the “Short Run." The “Cheerup” and the “Leading Lady” were priced at five cents in the 1880s which would cost about $11 per cigar in 2017. 

Of the different cigars the cigar company manufactured, the “Short Run” cigar and the “Big Run” cigar were the most popular ones. The “Big Run” cigar label was just as illustrative as the “Short Run” with various modes of transportation such as a sail ship, steamboat, express train, bicycle and the automobile. R.T Cassell’s success as cigar-maker in Jacksonville is struck by an unfortunate typo on the “Short Run” label which misspells Cassell’s last name on the bottom of the label as “R.T Cassel Cigar Co.”

In the spirit of supporting small businesses like R.T Cassell Cigar Co., stop by Frozen Penguin to buy some delicious frozen yogurt. If you would like to see Frozen Penguin's yogurt and topping selection, check out the link on this entry for more information.