A WALK BACK IN HISTORY

For the last few months of our writing about bottle digging and sharing some of our thoughts through the articles and pictures of some of our collection we have decided to change our format in this issue . Have you ever looked closely at an older picture hanging in a museum, antique store, a magazine or maybe  a picture  in some of your older
relatives home and noticed that a bottle or bottles are in that picture? Even on the television you might find a few bottles that  have been placed on a bookshelf or on a table. How important has glass  became over the centuries? How did the people who lived in the earlier years produce this glass? I have read some articles on  early glassmakers and decided to share this information with you. So let us begin with 'A WALK BACK IN HISTORY IN AMERICAN GLASS MAKING'. 

It is 1608 , Jamestown, Virginia  a small colony of people who had landed upon the new world and were struggling for existence may have blown  the first bottle in a small primitive glass furnace. Thus from undertaking this venture can the claim be made that glass manufactures was the first industry in America. Articles have been written about glasshouses from the 1600's (17th Century) through the early 1700's(18th Century) in Jamestown and  some of the other settlements that had been founded and  reflect a failure of some glasshouses due to  lack of demand for glass and money to maintain the works. It is not until the 1700's do we once again see the establishing of more glasshouses America. As  the population of the America grew so did the need for glass. Glasshouses once again began to appear and with them came more hurdles to cross just to stay in business which included: financing and expert glassmen, materials and fuel, transportation plus marketing of the glass. There was a need for storage facilities and a place for preparing the ingredients: for melting, blowing, and annealing glass: clay preparation , melting pots, a place to cut , store and cure the firewood and the list goes on from there.  One of the major problems that plagued the glasshouses' was the need for expert glassworkers. Many of the glassmakers  arriving  in America did not have the knowledge that they claimed when applying for the job  and could not handle the making of the glass. This problem would continue well into  the 1800's(19th Century).  Some names and places for the glasshouses in the 1700's was Stiegel (American Flint Glass Manufactory) also known as the New -Jersey Glass Manufactory and later called the Olive Glass Works, Glassboro, New Jersey, a glass house in (Wistarburgh) in Salem County (New Jersey), Philadelphia Glass Works (Pennsylvania), Germantown Glassworks (Braintree, Massachusetts), New Winsor (Ulster County, and Newfoundland, New York City), New England Glass Works (Robert Hewes, New Hampshire), Dowesborough or Dowesburg glassworks, later the Albany Glass House; then Hamilton Glass Factory, near Albany, New York and others mentioned in different areas. Throughout the 1800's  some of the glasshouses changed ownerships or failed once again in the glassmaking business.  Many of the necessities needed for glass production such as clay, trees, craftsmen of the glassmaking trade again plagued the industry. But the need for glass did not fade away or go away and new names appeared in the directory for Glass Manufactures.  Advertisements began to appear in newspapers listing the goods available to the customers.  For example: T.W. Dyott, Druggist, Corner of Race and Second streets sold Vials (1 drams to 12 ounces), Tincture Bottles , Window Glass, Seltzer Water, Snuff , Etc. Another named Glass Works was the Union Glass Works, Queen street, Kensington, Philadelphia advertised  the following: Druggist' Glass of superior quality, Carboys, Wine, Porter and Mineral Water Bottles, Also, Bohemia and Coloured Glass, Ruby, Emeralds,     Amethyst, Canary, Blues, Amarite, Turquoise, Greens, Black, Opal, Ambers, White Agate, Victoria Emerald,  Purples, Chameleon, Also, Enamels of Every Color, Patent Medicine Bottles And all other articles made in Private Moulds will receive particular attention.  W. Hartell and J. Lancaster    Proprietors. The above colors mentioned in this ad will make a collector such as myself drool. The various shapes, sizes and usage of the bottles were intend different. For example. The FLASK, which is one of my favorite bottles was  used as a storage bottle for such things as spices, adult beverages, medical herbs, etc. Many of the flasks were produced by companies such as Keene Glass Works (Keene, N.H.), New England Glass Works, Louisville (Kentucky), Lancaster Glass Works, Lancaster, N.Y., Kensington Glass Works, Pitkin Glass Works and Coventry Glass Works (Coventry, Conn.) The Decorative Figured Flasks date from 1815-1855 and the Commemorative and some Figured Flasks date from 1824-1840. Whatever the case may be on the date these type bottles were made they are classic examples of great workmanship and hours of very hard labor. The need for glass storage bottles continued to grow as more business's opened their doors and the customers or patrons required such things as medicine, ale, perfumes , etc. A druggist would have the bottles made for his own use and many times have their  name embossed on the bottle. Paper Labels and label under glass was some other methods for identifying the business.  The popular drinks such as ale, wine, mineral water and soda were widely consumed and the necessity for bottles continued to keep the bottle manufactures busy at work. Some of you may have seen old soda bottles or wine bottles with names such as Aromatic Schnapp's, Gilbson's Syrup, A.M. Bininger & Co., Drake's Plantation, W.H. Ware (THE FISH BITTERS),Old Dr. Townsend's Magic Stomach Bitters, Clark & White Mineral Water ,and the list goes on from there.  Two popular CIVIL WAR BOTTLES are DR. J. HOSTETTER'S and DR. D. JAYNE'S CARMINATIVE BALSAM.PHILADELPHIA. (Dr. D. Jayne did produce other medicines before, during and after the Civil War).  Dr. J. Hostetter made a fortune from the U.S. Government during the Civil War because his company held a contract to supply Stomach Bitters to the Union Army. The Company survived into the early 20th Century and the HOSTETTER'S bottles are very collectable. Although most of the bottles made in the earlier years served a practical purpose we find that some of the glasshouses produced Bottles and Other items  for commemorating a special occasion, person , event or occupation. Some that you will find are in Honor of Presidents (WASHINGTON, TAYLOR, JACKSON), also, bottles were produced in honor of LaFayette, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas W. Dyott, Jenny Lind(the famous opera singer), Scott and Byron, Major Ringgold and Zachary Taylor (Rough and Ready). Major Samuel Ringgold was the 1st American Officer to die in the Mexican War while leading his Corps of flying artillery in it's 1st engagement and in the 1st Battle of the War. To name a few other bottles produced during the 1800's were the SUCCESS TO THE RAILROAD, Hunting and Fishing scenes, Flora Temple flasks (a famous race horse on the bottle), Indian Queen and Ear of Corn. Reproductions have made  of some of the bottles mentioned above and probably the four most accurately and carefully reproduced were made by the Historical Bottle Collectors Guild, an affiliate of Owen-Illinois, Inc. They are as follows: The Concentric Ring-Eagle canteen flask, GII-76 reproduced by the Historical Bottles Collectors Guild; Jacob's Cabin Tonic Bitters (GII-6); Columbia-Eagle flask (GI-117A)and the Star Whiskey Bottle. Though not a Guild bottle or in the same category, another reproduction bottle made by Owens-Illinois of interest to collectors of mineral water bottles is a soda water bottle bearing the name "A. YOERGER & BR./ALTON ILL". 

We are now into the year of 2001 and just take a look around you and answer the question-IS GLASS STILL A BIG PART OF OUR DAILY LIVES? If you answer "NO" then I will tell you myself JUST HOW WRONG YOU ARE. This world depends on glass manufactures  and just think it started in AMERICA  just a little  less than 400 years ago(1608) back in Jamestown, Virginia when the colony of settlers arrived and began the first industrial business.