DOWAGIAC — The Dowagiac Area History Museum will end its spring lecture series next week with a lesson on advertising.

Museum Director Steve Arseneau will close out the spring lecture series at the Dowagiac Area History Museum with “From Trade Cards to Doe-Wah-Jack: A History of Round Oak Advertising” at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 5.

Using the extensive collection at the Dowagiac Area History Museum, the program will show the elaborate advertising that helped make the Round Oak name nearly synonymous with heating stoves. While Beckwith’s advertising started out with basic trade cards, Round Oak produced its first catalog in 1892 and sent out beautiful posters, calendars and displays to stores carrying its line of heaters.

Round Oak introduced Chief Doe-Wah-Jack to its advertising around 1900. Chief Doe-Wah-Jack would be featured in company advertising to the end of the company after World War II. Round Oak would put his image on everything from trade cards to plates.

“Several factors led to the Round Oak Stove Company becoming one of the leaders in the stove industry around the turn-of-the-century,” Arseneau said. “Round Oak put out a great product that was affordable to the masses; founder P.D. Beckwith and his family invested in the growth of the company and the city; and Round Oak put out high quality, attention-grabbing marketing materials.”

The program is free to museum members and $5 for non-members. Children under 18 are admitted free. Membership will be available at the museum. The museum is at the corner of Division and W. Railroad streets.

For more information, call the museum at (269) 783-2560 or visit dowagiacmuseum.info.