During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries most of the world’s international commerce and transportation was by ship.  Lengthy voyages, especially whaling, had durations spanning from nine and perhaps as long as eighteen months keeping both the Captain and crew far from the comforts of family and home.

As shipping and transportation continued to develop many North American crews found them selves landing at tropical destinations and locales were they discovered, what was to them, exotic foods, peoples and customs.  The pineapple was among the many new foods to these voyagers and ship-mates would bring them back home to show and share with family and friends.

This practice eventually evolved into a sign of hospitality.  To announce he had returned from a long voyage a ship’s Captain would place a pineapple on a fence or gate spike in front of his home.  This would signal the Captain’s home was open to all family, friends and neighbors as a sign of “hospitality” which is how the pineapple came to be accepted as a sign of the hospitality industry.