SHOW'n'TELL SESSION - Historical Flasks

[Originally posted in 2009, but well worth repeating.]

A few dealers at our bottle show got together and did a special showing (showing off!) of some special bottles.

Article and pix by Todd Knisely

Pattern Molded Club Bottles

The pattern molded club bottles show here were actually used as table bottles or table decanters. They are similar to the famous "Zanesville Swirl" bottles seen in many auction catalogs and bottle shows around the country.

The difference is a "club" shaped bottle has noticeably straighter sides which eliminates the bulbous form seen in the "swirls or globs".

Although this type of bottle was popular in America from the 18th century, the ones pictured here are all from 1797-1830's period.

They are from various glasshouses ranging from the three New Geneva glasshouses (the first being started by Albert Gallatin) in Pennsylvania near West Virginia, O'Hara & Craig in the Pittsburgh District, and branching westward into the Monongahela and Ohio Valley regions following the Ohio River all the way over to Moscow, Cincinnati, and Kentucky.

Although examples of these forms come in varying shades of amber and sapphire blue, they are almost always found in various shades of aqua and apple greens.

The lightly colored ones (pictured) range in value from $250-800.

You can find less expensive examples but the ones pictured are all better than average examples.

Rib counts do vary but usually show up in 16, 18, & 24.

These bottles are always pontiled and (rarely) are even found with iron pontils.

The club bottles pictured are from the collections of John Pastor, Jim Salzswimmer, Todd Knisley, and John Apple.

Ten Diamond Pocket Flasks

Ten diamond pocket flasks (or chestnuts) are regarded as the best form and pattern of that era.

They are attributed to Zanesville Ohio area glass works and were blown between 1810-30's.

They come in a nice range of colors including aqua, amber, green, and yellow.

The most common colors are somewhat affordable to most collectors and can be found in the $600-1200 range.

Examples in this lower price range typically have a lot of highpoint wear and weak impressions. A spectacular example in a common color can double it's value.

The examples pictured here are super colors and very good impressions.

The dark aqua/teal flask in the middle exhibits an outstanding impression and glass clarity.

All three are top shelf examples and it is very rare that you will find more than one in any one place. This gathering of three was for a collectors show-and-tell and was a rare event for items of this caliber.

An outstanding display can be seen at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Pennsylvania - link.

The diamond flasks pictured are from the collections of John Pastor, Jim Salzswimmer, and Jamie Houdeshell.

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More about historical flasks at http://www.peachridgeglass.com/2012/09/looking-at-five-gorgeous-historical-flasks-in-the-heckler-100-auction/

The FinBotClub Blog is published by the Findlay Antique Bottle Club of Ohio

Featuring Findlay: Art Glass Tiles

Local historian Rob Tong is giving a lecture on the history of the companies that made these beautiful Cathedral window type colored glass tiles.

"Art & Window Glass of Northwest Ohio"

Where: The Hancock Historical Museum in Findlay, Ohio [Google Map]

Address: 422 West Sandusky Street, Findlay, OH 45840
Phone:(419) 423-4433

When: Feb. 5, 2015 at 12:00 noon

Rob writes: "At the Brown Bag Lecture, I will be giving a very interesting program on many of the local area glass factories that created colored and cathedral style art glass during the gas booms days. This is a side of the glass industry that few have ever studied. I hope you all can make it."

Website: http://www.hancockhistoricalmuseum.org/brown-bag-lectures/

Bag lunches are available for purchase. Includes sandwich, chips, cookie and a drink. Guests who wish to purchase a lunch should arrive between 11:30-11:45am. Lectures will begin at noon.

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Findlay has a wonderfully interesting history when it comes to glass.

Author and local historian Quentin Skrabec wrote a book titled GLASS IN NORTHWEST OHIO:

"The discovery of natural gas around Findlay in 1886 started an industrial rush in northwest Ohio. Within five years, over 100 glass companies had moved into the region for free gas and railroad connections to the western markets."

Available on Amazon here.

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Keystone Coffee Jar

Just a Little Java Jar

by Marianne Dow

Jeff Klingler's sharing this neat little bottle / jar with us this time. He pointed out that it is a variation not listed in the Red Book, which made me decide to see what I could find out about this little cutie.

At first one would think this is a product jar, as it is embossed KEYSTONE COFFEE JAR on the puffed-out front, with a KCJ monogram on the flat back. It has a ground lip, and is about 5" tall, w/a screw-on cap. The base is embossed with 2 patent dates - 1885, and RE-PAT 1895.

There is a Keystone Coffe Jar described as this same shape, and with the same embossing, listed in the Red Book #11 as #1390-5. However that describes a quart jar, with just the earlier patent date. So, then is this smaller jar is a variation of that? Or might the size in the listing be incorrect, as this pint is the only size seen or mentioned in all of my research. Redbook value is $75-100. (I do not find any recent sales online.)

Curious minds want to know what this jar IS.

If you Google ' Keystone Coffee Jar ' you will find a few posts where collectors have found this smaller jar, and are seeking more info. I hope they read this article, because "Eureka!", I have found it!

First, here's what it is not...

Employees in front of the Keystone Coffee Drive In / San Jose California

[Info on this location and cool sign.]

Your Google search will also undoubtedly lead you to the Keystone Coffee Company, in San Jose, California, that has been in business with this name since... 1905.

Hmmm... but this jar says 1895, so that can't be it. And indeed, it is not it.

A deeper search led me to the fantabulous resource that is Google Books. How lucky we researchers are to have image to text translation software - wow! - and Google working on scanning all the world's books.

Imagine my delight when I was rewarded with this page from the Home Furnishing Review, Dec. 1896 -- ta da!

Turns out that this little glass jar was a precursor to the thermos (which was not manufactured for home use until 1904 - see Dewar ).

The Keystone Coffee Jar was patented and manufactured by C.H. Stadelman of Pittsburgh, PA.

Designed to transport already-brewed liquid coffee in a lunch pail, the jar would have had a slide-on metal plate that fit on the raised bars along the bottom of the front and back, leaving a small air space. Then the jar could be heated on a burner, and one could then enjoy a hot cup of coffee.

Here's a complete Keystone Coffee Jar for sale on ebay for $299 (as of 3-12-13).

Charles Stadelman emigrated from Germany, and with son Bernhard, was a grocer and dry goods purveyor in Pittsburg in the late 1800's.

Here are images of the Keystone Coffee Jar patent drawing, and a little info on the Stadelmans.

Pennsylvania is called "The Keystone State".

The arched/curved front of the jar must have helped with it's strength, hence a double-meaning in Stadelman's naming of his invention.

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Mystery solved, right? These tradecards come from the same time period, same city, but a different company. The Keystone was used on many products by many companies.

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Every February 2nd we wonder, will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow? Will we have yet more winter? Something tells me we will have many more weeks of cold, no matter what the famous Groundhog does or does not see!

See more about Groundhog Day lore, and more vintage Punxsutawney Phil collectibles on my 'Tique Talk blog - link.

There aren't too many vintage bottle related Groundhog Day goodies. There are some great items from the city of Punxsutawney. Here's what I found:

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Sing Along Now:

Dues Be Due-Be-Due...

FINDLAY BOTTLE CLUB MEMBERSHIP DUES ARE DUE

Please consider showing your support of the Findlay Bottle Club and Show by joining.

Annual dues are just $12.00.

Just hit the Paypal Pay Now button to use your credit card. Thank You!

You may pay by check by snail-mail: Findlay Antique Bottle Club / PO Box 1329 / Findlay, Ohio 45839

Be sure to Sign up for our free newsletter!

Meetings are held on the 2nd Sunday of each month, at the Findlay University, @ 7pm. Go to the"Meetings and Membership Info" page for directions and map.

We would love to see you at our meetings. Visitors always welcome.

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A History Timeline of the Pickerington Creamery

by Joe Clevenger

In 1900 a small group of local farmers organized and started a local creamery called Pickerington Elgin Butter Co. and continued as a co-op for about 10 years.

Between 1910 and 1912, the co-op was brought by Creighton and Homer Pearce and renamed the Pearce Brothers Creamery.

In 1913 Arthur J. Good came to Pickerington, Ohio as a butter maker for the creamery.
Six months later Creighton Pearce retired from the business and sold his half of the business to Mr. Good.
At that time the creamery became known as The Pearce and Good Creamery.
In 1913 the plant churned 113,000 pounds of butter.
A few years later Homer Pearce wanted to retire and so Mr. Good became the sole owner of the creamery.
At that time the creamery became known as the Pickerington Creamery.

In 1921 the creamery burned to the ground.

Six months later in 1922 a new plant was built.
By the mid 1920s the creamery bought the West Jefferson Creamery of Columbus, West Jefferson and Zanesville.

West Jefferson Creamery milk bottle. [On ebay here]

During the late 1920s several more smaller companies were bought out by the Pickerington Creamery.

With the coming of better roads and trucks, the old horse drawn equipment was replaced with a modern fleet of trucks.
Three modern 1,200 pound churns were added and the Mayflower brand name was copyrighted.
At that time the product line was expanded to include eggs, poultry, dried buttermilk, cheese, and non-fat dry milk.
During 1935 an American cheese plant was put into operation in Bremen, Ohio. The cheese plant cost $15,000 to build.
With the use of closed body trucks to pick up the milk and cream from the farmers, it was no longer feasible to pick up and handle poultry and this operation was eliminated in 1938.
Then in April of 1942 a new milk drying plant was put into operation, near the creamery, in Pickerington. The milk drying plant handled 150,000 pounds of milk each day. This plant cost $50,000 to build.
During 1949 the butter churns were replaced with new modern stainless steel churns.

With the use of this new equipment the brand name was changed to Mayflower Gold-n-Flow.
Pickerington Creamery was the first in Ohio and the third in the United States to install this continuous flow type of butter making equipment.
In 1957 the creamery purchased the Warsaw Cheese Company, of Warsaw, Ohio. The creamery used this location as a milk receiving plant.

Then in 1958 the Chief Dairy, of Upper Sandusky was purchased from the Isaly Milk Company. Isaly's had used the plant to produce butter and cheese. The Pickerington Creamery used this location for milk receiving and cheese production.
In 1959 the Pet Milk plant at Fremont, Ohio was purchased to be used for a milk receiving plant. After a while this plant was closed and the milk was sent to the Chief plant in Upper Sandusky.
By the early 1960s the Pickerington Creamery's producing and marketing area covered half of Ohio and parts of West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana and Pennslyania.

Arthur J. Good died in 1960. His namesake son took over until his death in 2008 (see AJ Good Jr.'s obituary here).
The Pickerington plant was closed in November of 1972.
At that time all Pickerington Creamery butter production was moved to the Upper Sandusky plant.
By September of 1973 the Pickerington plant was sold to DMI (Dry Milk Institute) of Louisville, Kentucky. [AJ Good Jr. became a director of the American Dry Milk Institute.]
The Upper Sandusky plant was closed, in 1978, bringing an end to the Pickerington Creamery Company.
DMI continued to use the Pickerington plant to produce powder milk and whey until the plant was closed in 1989.

Arthur J. Good[Photo source]

Hunter's Run Farm, later owned by A.J. Good, and renamed Mayflower Farms. [Photo source]

Artist Pam Montgomery's rendering of Mayflower Farms Barn. [Available here]

Excerpt of AJ Good Jr.'s obituary. [Source]

Some Pickerington Creamery collectibles:

[Photo source]

PICKERINGTON TIMES-SUN

To operate this business, the Pickerington Creamery needed lots of water, so around 1925 the company constructed its own elevated water storage tank.

The steel water tower held 85,000 gallons and stood approximately 100 feet above the surrounding area on four built-up structural steel columns. This 1973 photo shows the water tower adjacent to the creamery's cheese and egg barn on West Borland Street.

This same water tower helped provide water to Pickerington residents prior to the city's construction of a 500,000-gallon elevated water storage tank in 1981. With the new city-owned tank in place, the creamery water tower discontinued operations shortly thereafter.

During the past several years, efforts were made to partner with the city and refurbish the water tower for use as an Olde Pickerington Village landmark. But because of the cost and safety issues, the tower was dismantled Sept. 9, 2013.

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Bonus: Here's an article about Portland, Oregon's Mayflower Dairy brand.

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You don't need teeth to enjoy Valentine's Meat Juice!

Aah, love.

By Marianne Dow

Valentine's Meat Juice has true love as it's raison d'être. Mann S. Valentine Jr. was desperate to save his dying wife, Maria.

For weeks she had been unable to retain any nourishment, and Mann was distraught while watching his wife starve to death. Physicians could do no more. Valentine became persuaded that she needed juice extracted from meat, with its “strength-giving properties.”

He went down to his basement with a chemistry set, and with sheer determination and rudimentary knowledge from college courses, he worked to concoct a mixture to revive his wife. He worked night after night in the cellar, and on New Year’s Eve 1870, he administered to Maria the first batch of meat juice.

Mann’s elixir worked, and Maria recovered.

[Info from this Richmondmagazine.com article by Harry Kolatz Jr.]

The juice reached its greatest success and acknowledgment in 1881 when President Garfield said, after wounded from a bullet in an assassination attempt, that he breakfasted on Valentine’s Meat Juice along with toast and poached egg to get better.

In Mann's own words:

Read the full text of the advertising booklet pictured above, here. It is mostly testimonials. No photos.

A Valentine's Meat Juice bottle sits on a shelf at Boston's new Massachusetts General Hospital medical history museum (link). [Photo source]

[Photo source]

The Valentine Meat Juice Company used 15 to 20 THOUSAND pounds of flesh from beef cattle a day to make the juice.

Bottle collector Ed Faulkner shared this memory:

"One of the Richmond club members once talked to someone whose father had worked at the plant that produced the meat juice. It appears that there was always plenty of "squeezed" beef after the juice was removed & it was available to employees for free. Although they were dirt poor, the man said, they always had beef on the table!"

LOVE Potion -- It's The Oldest Profession

Valentine's Meat Juice came in this neat little amber bottle. It is pretty common, and of little interest to bottle collectors, but it has another interesting and rather sordid history, as it turns out. It's connected with "The Oldest Profession", if you know what I mean. No, not butcher.

What bottle collectors will find interesting is that archaelogical digs around brothels found a great many VMJ bottles.

" Prostitutes ate better and dressed better than their working class contemporaries. Some of their purchasing power, however, was spent on proprietary medicines such as Valentine's Meat Juice, promoted as a cure for sexually transmitted diseases, aka social diseases. "

But wait, there's more...

There's even more sordidness associated with this little bottle...

Valentine's Meat Juice figured prominently in a famous murder case. ''The Case of Mrs. Maybrick'' was written about in The Elements of Murder By John Emsley.

Apparently the Mrs. killed her husband by poisoning his Valentine's Meat Juice with arsenic!

And I used to think it was such a cute little bottle -- who knew? Well...Happy Valentine's Day, anyway!

ALL BOTTLED UP
It's about 3" tall, and embossed VALENTINE'S MEAT JUICE. Much harder to find with the paper labels:

[Photo source]

Some other Valentine's Meat Juice collectibles:

Magazine ad

Dose glass

Chemist's invoice (source)

Mann S. Valentine

The Valentine Museum

According to the Valentine Museum, now known as the Valentine Richmond History Center (Virginia), Mann S. Valentine, Jr. (1824-1893), the museum's founder, made his fortune with the creation and production of Valentine's Meat Juice, a health tonic made from pure beef juice.

Mann shared his love of history with his brother, renowned sculptor Edward V. Valentine. Mann laid the foundation for the museum in 1892; when he died in 1893, he provided the original bequest for the Valentine Museum, leaving his personal collection of art and artifacts and the 1812 Wickham House.

The Valentine Museum, the first private museum in the City of Richmond, opened in 1898; Edward Valentine served as its first president from its opening until his death in 1930. In his own will, he left an incredible collection of his sculpture, papers, furniture and memorabilia to the museum that still bears his family name.

While alive, The Valentine's Meat Juice success provided Mann S. Valentine with more than enough money to do what he wanted. He collected art, and his home was a gathering place for artists.

Here are some photos from the museums collection that show Mann S. Valentine posing as different emotions. I end with these as I think it shows he was an interesting and emotional man, and it's easy to see how his love for his wife would have sent him down into his basement to create the magic potion that would keep her alive.

See more from this series of photos on the Richmond Museum's website here.

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It's Baaackkk! Today is Friday the 13th!

While fruit jars with the number 13 on the base are sought after, glassbottlemarks.com makes a good point: "many of these jars are now saved by non-collectors or casual glass collectors (and “culled” from large groups of common jars) merely because of the number on the base. This culling out of #13 jars from among the “general population” of jars (and stashing them away) can increase the perception of their scarcity."

Moonshiners and fruit jars ~ a confiscated bootleg still.

When taking down a still, revenue officers destroyed everything a moonshiner might use later, including glass jars. - Franklin County, Virginia, 1965. - [Source]

What time is it?

It's Bottle Show Time!

Here are a few MAY 2015 shows:

THE MANSFIELD BOTTLE SHOW IS ALMOST HERE!

Saturday May 9, 2015
Make your hotel reservations now!
Early Bird on Friday May 8 is well worth your $$ & time!

*** Remember, the contracts for the Findlay Bottle Show will be "released" at the Mansfield Bottle Show -- and last year we almost sold out that day! Watch for Show Chairman Fred Curtis hollering: "Contracts! Get your red hot Findlay Bottle Show contracts here!"

The Ohio Bottle Club’s 36th Mansfield Antique Bottle & Advertising Show & Sale

May 8 & 9, 2015
Friday Early Bird Adm. $25 // 3pm - 6pm
Saturday Public Adm. $3 // 9am - 2pm
Richland County Fairgrounds, Trimble Road Exit, U.S. Route 30, Mansfield, Ohio
Dealer set-up, Friday, May 8, 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm // Dinner @6pm
Matt Lacy, Chair, 440.228.1873, info@antiquebottlesales.com or Louis Fifer, Co-Chair, 330.635.1964, fiferlouis@yahoo.com
www.ohiobottleclub.org

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Columbia City IN Bottle Show Info:

PHOTO BY MICHELE K. / ©AMERICAJR.com

(More photos from the 2012 show here.)

Columbia City Indiana

Insulators & Collectibles Show

May 15 & 16 2015

(Friday & Saturday)

Columbia City, Indiana

581 Squawbuck Road, Columbia City, Indiana 46725
Whitley County 4H Center (Fairgrounds) / 1 mile south of US30
Show Times: Friday, 3:00 – 5:00 pm, Saturday 8:00 am – 3:00 pm
Free Admission
Set-up: Friday, noon – 3:00 pm, Saturday 6:00 am – 8:00 am
Contact: Gene Hawkins @ 574-377-0171
gene.hawkins@mchsi.com

Note: the flyer says 581 Squawbuck, but googlemaps doesn't agree. They show the Whitley County 4H Center (Fairgrounds) as being at 680 Squawbuck Rd, Columbia City, Indiana 46725 [map link]

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Washington PA Bottle Show Info:

You'll find all kinds of antique bottles and vintage advertising & go-withs at the Washington PA bottle show.

Washington County Bottle Show

May 17 2015

Sunday 9am-2pm

Washington, Pennsylvania

Washington County Antique Bottle & Glass Club Bottle Show & Sale
At the Alpine Star Lodge, 735 Jefferson Avenue, Washington, PA 15301
Admission: $3
Directions: Exit 17 off I-70; approx. 1/2 hour from Pittsburgh (Map link)
Contact: Ed Kuskie @ 412-405-9061
bottle wizard@comcast.net

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Find more bottle shows listed here: http://www.fohbc.org/shows/

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Is there a doctor in the ~~house~~ club?
Doctor, Doctor! Findlay Bottle Club Founder to Receive Honorary Doctorate

Our "Congratulations, Doctor-Doctor!" go out to Jim Houdeshell, one of the earliest members of the Findlay Antique Bottle Club.

Dr. Houdeshell already has a doctorate of education, and now he is receiving a second doctorate. It is a well-deserved honor from Findlay College, where he has worked and taught for over 60 years. Doesn't that make him a Doctor-Doctor?

According to the UFNewsroom press release, the Board of Trustees of The University of Findlay approved the awarding of an honorary doctorate to James D. Houdeshell.

"The University will award the honorary degree to Houdeshell at its commencement on Saturday, May 2, 2015. The Office of Alumni, Parents and Friends will host a Retirement/Roast Celebration for Houdeshell on May 16. The Dr. James D. ’53 and Mira M. Frost ’78 Houdeshell Scholarship Endowment Fund have been established in their honor. (To make a gift to this fund in honor of their legacy, visit this link.)"

They write about Jim:

" A 60-year employee of The University of Findlay, Houdeshell was hired in 1955 as assistant professor, athletic director and head coach of football, basketball and baseball.

He went on to hold many other positions at the University, including dean of students and chair of the Division of Teacher Education.

Houdeshell had primary responsibility for adding one of UF’s first graduate programs, a master of arts in education and also helped develop the health and physical education major, along with the equestrian studies program.

Currently, he serves as special assistant to the president.

A graduate of The University of Findlay (then Findlay College), Houdeshell received a master of education with a minor in school administration from Bowling Green State University and a doctor of physical education from Indiana University, Bloomington.

A standout athlete as an undergraduate, Houdeshell was inducted into the Findlay College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1975. As a member of the UF faculty/staff, he was president of the NAIA in 1990-91; president of the NAIA Athletic Directors Association, 1981-82, and received the Athletics Administrator of the Year (Charles Morris Award), 2001-2002.

A pottery collector, Houdeshell has published a book on Houghton and Dalton pottery and has presented several lectures and reviews. "

His Pottery Collection Display

Here are some photos of DOCTOR-DOCTOR Houdeshell's Houghton and Dalton Pottery collection display at the 2010 FOHBC National Bottle Show.

The book is out of print.(A copy is for sale here.) (Read an excerpt here.) (See images of H-D pottery marks here.)

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The Mexican Amole Soap Company of Peoria Illinois eventually became the House of Lowell Cosmetics Company in Ohio.

But first, what's AMOLE?

[Bud and flower of the Wavy-leafed Soap Plant, Chlorogalum pomeridianum. Clipped and reduced from a photograph taken by Stephen Lea]

Wikipedia tells us: Mexican Amole is a plant with scientific name Chlorogalum. They are native to western North America, from Oregon to Baja California, and are mostly found in California. Commonly referred to as SOAP ROOT. It is its own species now, but was originally classified in the Lily family.
Soaproot had a diverse range of uses. The tough fibers surrounding the underground bulb were used for creating the predominant brushes used by so many Native California Groups used in the processing of the important food of acorn flour. The second most important use of soaproot was the use of the raw soaproot bulb as a shampoo or soap for body cleansing. The saponins present in the raw bulbs would produce a substantial lather when agitated with water. These same saponins also worked as an effective fish stunning chemical. The Native California groups would pulverize the bulb, mix it in water to create a foam, and then add the suds to a stream. This would incapacitate the fish by blocking the oxygen absorption in the gills, which would cause the fish to be stupefied and to float to the surface for easy gathering.

Other companies had products that used Amole in the name, but we're just going to look at the Mexican Amole Company, started by Abraham Brayshaw.

"The Mexican Amole Soap Company of Peoria, of which Abraham Brayshaw is President and General Manager, is entitled to more than passing consideration, for the manner of its conduct, and the excellence of its productions.

From a long line of ambitious ancestors, devoted to the manufacture of cloth, Mr. Brayshaw inherits the requisite force of character, tact, and knowledge of human nature, for the management of a concern fast attaining a world-wide reputation. He was born in England, December 21, 1838, and is a son of Benjamin and Anna (Berry) Brayshaw, who were also born and reared in England. It was but natural that Abraham Brayshaw should emulate the example of his forefathers, and, for some time at least, engage in the manufacture of cloth. Of the twelve children in the family he was the one exception who found a larger field of enterprise in America, and he came hither when thirty years of age as superintendent of the woolen mill of James Standring, in New York. At the expiration of two years he came to Illinois and located in Peoria, and until 1884 engaged with varying success in the carpet business. In the meantime, about nineteen years ago, he became interested in the prospects of a company organized for the manufacture of a high-grade soap, and which was incorporated under the firm name of Albaugh’s Mexican Soap Company, the president being M. H. Haverhill. The realization of the original promoters falling far short of expectations, and more or less money being lost in a venture at bottom containing real merit, an emergency was created into which the shrewd business sagacity and common sense principles of Mr. Brayshaw came in recognition of an undeveloped opportunity. When the new order of things was brought about the name also was changed to that under which the firm now conducts its business.

The Mexican Amole Soap Company’s products have long since passed the experimental stage, and have stood the test and approbation of several years. At the present time the company does a business amounting to $100,000 per annum, and, judging from the unprecedented increase within the last two or three years, much larger returns may be expected in the near future. Much of the soap manufactured is composed entirely of vegetable ingredients derived from the Mexican Amole Soap tree, the peculiar qualities of which are utilized by a patent process. Aside from bath and toilet soaps, the latter of which is best represented by the fragrant and refreshing Amole-ine, a shaving soap has been perfected by the company which not only gives a fine and lasting lather, but is as well a great skin tonique. The Amole Shampoo is most efficacious for all scalp disorders; the Amole Rose Cream is an excellent balm for the skin, and the Amole-ine Washing Powder is unexcelled for the laundry. As evidencing the more than local prominence of the articles manufactured by this enterprising firm, it is necessary only to state that the United States Army specifications for 1901, for supplies to be furnished to the post commissaries of our American and foreign possessions, call for an amount of Amole soap larger than all other kinds combined, the soap specified being the Amole Diamond King. The soaps turned out from this factory, which has the most modern equipments possible, are in demand in all parts of the world, large shipments being made daily to different parts of the United States, Canada and Cuba, as well as frequent consignments to England, France, Germany, Australia and the Philippines. It will thus be seen that, in the war of competition, Peoria may boast an enterprise in this line based upon genuine superiority, and therefore of lasting benefit at home and abroad."*
*This info is from the Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois, Volume 2, Part 2 By Newton Bateman, Paul Selby, published in 1902 / read it here on googlebooks / page 485 was transcribed by Danni Hopkins here:
http://www.peoriacountyillinois.info/bios/1902book_brayshaw%20abraham.html

MIXING IT UP!

Joe Clevenger shares with us his research, below, on how Brayshaw's company became Ohio's House of Lowell Company, known to bottle collectors by its common but interesting cosmetics and perfume bottles, figural or in cobalt blue glass.

This is an image - read the article as a pdf with a few more photos, here.

Read about the Amole Company's bankruptcy here.

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[Photo from the Midwest Fruit Jar Club's newsletter.]

Such sad news... Don Burkett passed away Friday May 1, 2015, due to complications from a fall.

Don lost his sweet wife, Glenny, in 2010. The loss took its toll on Don, but he was always smiling when around his fruit jar hobby friends.

Our deepest condolences go out to Glenny and Don's family. Words cannot express how he was loved and how much Don will be missed.

Don was beloved by so many collecting friends, and the fruit jar hobby will miss him terribly. This is a sad day indeed.

Obituary and funeral details posted below these photos.

Glendine Burkett / 1924-2010 / Obituary

The Legendary Don Burkett
Author and fruit jar collector Bruce Schank profiled our beloved "Mr. Mason" in the Legends of the Jars series. Read it here: Don Burkett.

[VideoLink]

Don Burkett, Comedian

Video clip, from the 2010 Muncie Get Together, of Don Burkett sharing a story about a jar (of course) having been shot by a bullet during the Civil War, and making the crowd laugh at his jokes!

Don during Show'n'Tell at Summer Muncie 2011.

Don Burkett with his Mason's Patent solid pour. [Source]

Don Burkett holding court in his room at Muncie.

Don Burkett at his home, with Jeff Klingler.

Read the post about Jeff Klingler's visit to Don "Mr. Mason" Burkett's home. Jeff shares some more pix, too. Here: http://balljarcollectorscommunitycenter.yuku.com/topic/3866/t/A-visit-with-Don-Burkett.html

Don "Mr. Mason" Burkett with some of his collection of only fruit jars that are embossed with the words MASON or MASONS.

OBITUARY AND FUNERAL DETAILS:

Donald C. Burkett, 84 years, a lifelong resident of Monroe, Michigan went home to be with the Lord on Friday, May 1, 2015 at Wellspring Lutheran Services in Monroe.

Born September 8, 1930 in Monroe, Don was the son of the late Clauideus and Myrna (Knapp) Burkett. Don attended school in Monroe and was a 1948 graduate of Monroe High School. He went on to receive his B.A. from Adrian College in 1952 and his Masters Degree from Eastern Michigan University in 1959. Don was a Boy Scout where through hard work he was awarded Eagle Rank.

Don served his country honorably and proudly in the United States Army from 1952-1954. He was stationed in Augsburg, Germany.

In November of 1965, Don married his beloved wife, the former Gledinne “Glennie” Smith Garrett at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. Sadly she preceded him in death on February 11, 2010 after 44 years of marriage.

Don was employed as a teacher for Monroe Public Schools teaching Government at Monroe High School from 1967 until his retirement in 1986. Prior to Monroe High School he taught at Summerfield Schools, Custer Schools and for Mason Consolidated Schools.

Don was a member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, where he served as an usher, Alpha Tau Omega, Michigan Association of Retired School Personnel, Michigan Education Association and The Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors, where he was known as “Mr. Mason”. Don will be remembered as a loving husband, father, and grandfather.

Don is survived by his son and daughter-in-law: Dennis J. and Barbara (Rassel) Garrett of Charleston, SC, three treasured grandchildren: Erica (Scott) Ensminger, and Matthew and Sean Garrett, all of South Carolina and two cherished great-grandchildren: Samuel and Tyler Ensminger and a sister: Myrna (Reed) Romine of Medway, OH.

In addition to his wife and parents, Don was preceded in death by two brothers: Robert and Lawrence.

* Visitation will be held on Tuesday from 2-8 PM in the Bacarella Funeral Home, 1201 S. Telegraph Rd., Monroe, MI 48161. [Get Map/Directions]

* On Wednesday, May 6, 2015 he will lie in state at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church from 10:00 AM until funeral services celebrating his life at 11:00 AM. [Get map/directions]

The Rev. Evans C. Bentley, pastor of the church, will officiate. interment will follow at Roselawn Memorial Park.

Online condolences, and special memories, may be shared with the family by visiting the obituary page at www.bacarellafuneralhome.com.

Memorial contributions are suggested to St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.

http://www.monroenews.com/news/2015/may/03/donald-c-burkett/?obits

"It's all in the sand, baby!"

At one of our Findlay Bottle Club meetings, Jeff passed around a fruit jar that was a smooth-lip Mason's 1858, but in the familiar shade of aqua-ish-blue of Ball fruit jars. It is conventional wisdom that all "Ball Blue"-color jars were made by Ball (as no other fruit jar maker has jars in this famous shade), so it stands to reason that this Mason's 1858 was also made by Ball.

What's up with "Ball Blue", you might ask? Why is only Ball glass that particular shade of blue? Jeff's answer -- "It's all in the sand, baby!"

Most of us know glass is made from sand. You might not have known that glass color comes from the mineral content in the sand that's used to make the glass. So, we wondered what was different about the sand that Ball used? How come no other company had sand that made their jars that particular shade? And why did Ball stop making jars in the signature color?

Turns out it was the sand from the once famous Indiana landmark, called the HOOSIER SLIDE in Michigan City, Indiana.

Vintage postcards of the Hoosier Slide.

Once the largest sand dune on Lake Michigan, the Hoosier Slide was a tree-covered tourist attraction, used for picnics and even weddings.

Visitors enjoyed sliding down the loose sands.

Then stripped of its timber by the 1870's, it became a sand-blowing nuisance.

Commercial sand mining began about 1890, when the Monon Railroad built a switching track along the south side of the dune.

Also in 1890, natural gas was discovered in central Indiana, and glass factories started in the Muncie area. Large users of Hoosier Slide sand were the Ball Brothers in Muncie, Pittsburg Plate Glass in Kokomo, and the nearby Hemingway Glass Co.

The sand was found to be good for glass making, and thus the once loved Hoosier Slide was sold off, wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow. The great sand dune was reduced to nothing.

W. Manny Dieckilman, the son of a man who worked the Hoosier slide shares this info about the 3 men pictured at lower left of this postcard:

"The 3 men pictured on the train tracks with Hoosier Slide in the background are: left, Dan Hutton, Train Master of the Monon Railroad” center, on tracks is Henry Dieckilman, Foreman (working there for 25 plus years), on right, William Manny, owner of Hoosier Slide."

"Although I hold no memory of my father, who died when I was three in 1921, I am forever conscious of the footprints remaining from his labors in the late 1890's and early 1900's. For twenty-five years, six days a week, he pushed an iron-wheeled wheelbarrow, moving sand from Hoosier Slide onto gondola carts headed for the manufacturing of canning jars.." --W. Manny Dieckilman

Henry Dieckelman is listed in the Michigan City, City Directory, 1913, as the Foreman of the Hoosier Slide Sand Co. [Source]

According to "Naturalization records : abstractions from declaration of intentions, Superior Court, Michigan City, La Porte County, Indiana", Henry came from Germany in 1880. (Note the different spelling of his last name from his son, W. Manny Dieckilman.) [Source]

Read more of W. Manny Dieckilman's memories on emichigancity.com.

William B. Manny, proprietor of the Hoosier Slide Sand Company, is profiled in a1904 book [here].

Dan Hutton was listed in the Railroad Switchmens Union in 1901 [Source] as Michigan City's Monon Yardmaster [Source].

According to the Michigan City Public Library:

Once Indiana's most famous landmark, Hoosier Slide was a huge sand dune bordering the west side of Trail Creek where it entered Lake Michigan. At one time it was nearly 200 feet tall, mantled with trees. Cow paths marked its slopes and people picnicked upon its crest. Climbing Hoosier Slide was very popular in the late 1800's with the excursionist crowds who arrived in town by boat and train from Chicago and other cities. The summit, where weddings were sometimes held, afforded an excellent view of the vast lumberyards which then covered the Washington Park area.
With the development of Michigan City, the timber was cut for building construction and the sand began to blow, sometimes blanketing the main business district of the town on Front St., which nestled near its base.
When it was discovered that the clean sands of Hoosier Slide were useful for glassmaking, the huge dune began to be mined away. Dock workers loaded the sand into railroad cars with shovel and wheelbarrow to be shipped to glassmakers [and other places].
Over a period of 30 years, from about 1890 to 1920, 13 1/2 million tons of sand were shipped from Hoosier Slide until the great dune was leveled. By the 1920's, nothing remained of the giant dune.

In 1929, NIPSCO (Northern Indiana Public Service Company) built a power plant on the Hoosier Slide site.
_____________________

I don't know exactly what geologic event caused the Hoosier Slide's sand to have just the right mineral mix to create the famous Ball Blue glass color, but it was apparently something special that didn't turn up in any other fruit jar makers glass. There are many shades of aqua and blue in the fruit jar world, but only the one BALL BLUE.

Ball has come close with these new blue jars, but even they could not reproduce Hoosier Slide/Ball Blue glass.

Once the Hoosier Slide sand was all used up, Ball had to get another source, and the glass formula was forever changed. No more pretty Ball Blue glass.

Hoosier Slide sand analysis from Crown Jewels (Insulators).

______________________________

Here's an excerpt from the Bottle Colors page on Bill Lindsey's phenominal Historic Glass Bottle Identification site — http://www.sha.org/bottle/colors.htm#Aqua

Aqua glass is a "natural" result of the iron impurities found in most sands. It is very rare (maybe unknown) that sand does not contain some traces of iron. Sand deposits with very low iron content were (and probably still are) highly valued commodities. Although good quality sand was plentiful in the Eastern United States, some was still being imported from Belgium for Western American glass factories as late as the 1940s. Aqua glass is the result of sand which is relatively low in the amount of iron which was not off-set by de-colorizing agents. High levels of iron produce darker greens, black glass, and even amber. Natural aqua glass was often called "green glass," "bottle glass," or "bottle glass green" by glass makers.

There's a new Fruit Jar collector event coming up in June!

Central Indiana Early Summer Fruit Jar Get Together/Show

Saturday, June 13, 2015

9:00am - 3:00pm

Huddleston Farm House Inn Museum
838 National Road
Cambridge City, IN 47327

The Huddleston Farmhouse is located approximately 60 miles east of Indianapolis and 20 miles west of Richmond on U.S. 40. [Google map link.]

Marty Troxell tells us his hopes & dreams for the get-together:

Friday eve socializing. My home will be open for awhile.
[Overnight camping]
Saturday: the show/sale, more camaraderie, tearful goodbyes to those who must leave.
Saturday eve: food (as yet to be determined), more show & tell, campfire socializing.
Sunday morning: Clean up/ pack up, more tearful goodbyes.
The Midwest Fruit Jar Club meeting [in Muncie] (great opportunity for all who can go), and more goodbyes & maybe a tour for those who may not have made it earlier.
Doesn't this sound good?!

See the official Facebook Event Page with lots of chatter: what jars are coming/ what peeps are coming / food, etc. Everyone's excited.

Call Marty Troxell for details -- (765) 478-3800

You can check out the nearby antique shops too. [Link]

Nestled along the Old National Road and in the very heart of Antique Alley, Cambridge City could easily qualify as the best-kept secret in Wayne County. What’s the secret? The secret is that this quaint town is the home to ten antiques shops and malls, four eateries and three museums – all within walking distance of one other. Rich in history and filled with beautifully-restored homes, this picturesque town of 1,900 people has a small town feel and a huge heart. But it is the abundance of antiques shops and quaint eateries that make this a must-see weekend destination spot. Nine of the ten antiques shops are located in a 2-block stretch along the Old National Road in downtown Cambridge City, including Marty's shop:

Doublehead Trading Company specializes in reclamation with hundreds of old doors, windows, fireplace mantels, porch columns, a large selection of collectibles and so much more. Marty has one of the largest glass jar displays in the area. 137 W Main St Cambridge City, IN.

___________________________________

SUNDAY JUNE 14, 2015

The Midwest Fruit Jar Club meeting is nearby at the Minnetrista Center's Cantina in Muncie. June 14, 2015 Sunday, 1:30 pm.

The Minnetrista is on the grounds of the Ball Brothers estates at
1200 N Minnetrista Pkwy, Muncie, IN 47303

http://www.minnetrista.net/directions-map/

Minnetrista: A Ball Family Legacy

In 1887, the Ball family moved its glass manufacturing business from Buffalo, New York to Muncie. Ball Brothers Glass Company became one of America's best known manufacturers of canning jars.

The Ball family purchased most of the land along the north bank of White River between Wheeling and Granville pikes in 1893. The name chosen by the family for the property was taken from a Sioux word, "mna" (pronounced mini) which means "water," and combined with the English word, "tryst," to form "Minnetrista," or, "a gathering place by the water."

L.L. Ball house was remodeled in 1910.

The L.L. Ball House, today.

The Lucius Lorenzo Ball House on the grounds of the Minnetrista Center .

The building is one of the five founding Ball brother's original Muncie homes. The brothers moved from New York to Indiana in the 1880s to relocate their glass manufacturing business. William H., Frank C., Edmund B., George A., and Lucius L. Ball, founded what is now Ball Corporation, prospered in business, married into Indiana families, and began engaging in a variety of community activities.

Read Dick Cole's History of the L.L. Ball House here.
_______________________________________________
Findlay Antique Bottle Club
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Dr. E. L. Welbourn: A Hustler of Wide Experience

Joe Clevenger

[Article text is an image - click to enlarge.]

Union City Times-Gazette, Wednesday, November 12, 1947
Welbourn Rites Are Held Today At Los Angeles
Funeral services for Mrs. Malinda J. Welbourn, 87, widow of Dr. E. L. Welbourn and a former resident of Union City, who died Sunday at a hospital in Van Nuys, Calif., were held this afternoon at Los Angeles, Calif. Burial was in Forest Lawn cemetery at Los Angeles.
The death of Mrs. Welbourn followed an eight weeks' serious illness from a heart ailment and complications resulting from a broken hip.
A resident of the Union City vicinity most of her life, she was born on September 23, 1860, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Gettinger. Following her education in Randolph and Jay county schools, she was married to Dr. Welbourn, whose death occurred in California about 20 years ago.
For 40 years she resided at the home which was formerly the residence of Governor Isaac P. Gray, corner of West Oak and Union streets, Union City. Mrs. Welbourn sold that home to Dr. Leroy B. Chambers for office use two years ago, before making her permanent residence in Van Nuys, Calif.

Surviving are three sons, Dr. Marshall Welbourn, who resides in California; Raymond, of South Bend, Ind., and Dr. Leland Welbourn, of Van Nuys; two daughters, Dr. Pina Welbourn and Roxie J. Welbourn, both of Van Nuys; one step-son, Dr. Carl Welbourn, of Los Angeles; several grandchildren; three sisters, Mrs. H. R. Roush, Mrs. Carl Thornburg and Mrs. Minnie Lindley, and a brother, B. F. Gettinger, all of the Union City community. One step son, Edward, and a sister, Mrs. Wesley Mangas, are deceased.

Their son:
DR. OCLASCO C. WELBOURN was born January 28, 1871, near New Paris, Ohio, during the temporary residence of his parents on a farm. He passed his boyhood and youthful years in Union City, Indiana, attending the schools of the city, and in 1888 was a student at Bethany College. In 1889 he entered the Eclectic Medical College of Cincinnati, from which he graduated in 1891, and during his three years study took a special course in diseases of the eye and ear, as well as private instruction and clinical practice as an extra course. Since his graduation he has been an
assistant to his father as manufacturing chemist, and is now a partner, under the firm name of Dr. E. L. Welbourn & Son.
Dr. O. C. Welbourn was married in 1892, to Miss Daisy AL. Coldren, of Union City. His residence, one of the best in Union City, is directly across the street from his father's, and is the first and only one heated by hot water in Union City.
In 1899, he began a two years' tour of the world. In Paris, he took a special course in operative gynecology under the celebrated Dr. Samuel Pozzi. He also worked in England under the eminent surgeon, Mr. Charles Stonham. Upon his return to California in 1901, Dr. Welbourn located in Los Angeles and became medical director of the Deaconess Hospital. Death: 06 MAR 1956 in Los Angeles, California [Source]

Another bio [source]:
0C. WELBOURN, M. D. During the few
years which mark the period of Dr. O. C.
, Welbourn's professional career he has met
with gratifying success, and though his residence
in Long Beach dates back scarcely six j'ears, he
has won the good will and patronage of many of
the families of this place. He is a great student
and endeavors to keep abreast of the times in
everything pertaining to medical science, taking
the leading journals devoted to the discussion of
"the ills to which flesh is heir," and the treat-
ment thereof Progressive in his ideas and favor-
ing modern methods as a whole, he does not dis-
pense with many of the true and tried systems
which have stood the test of years.

His father was Dr. E. L. Welbourn, who was
actively engaged in medical practice in Union
City, Ind., for many years, and was one of the most
influential and respected citizens of that section.
The birth of our subject occurred in that place
twenty-nine years ago, and there he passed the
days of his youth. He received his elementary
education in the public schools and subsequently
it was his privilege to pursue a course in the
higher branches of learning at Bethany College,
in West Virginia. He then began the study of
medicine, for from his early years he had mani-
fested unusual aptitude in everything relating to
his father's profession, and under his guidance
had laid the foundations of medical knowledge.
After taking a thorough course in the Cleveland
(Ohio) Eclectic Medical College and being grad-
uated from there in 1S91, he gave several years
to practice in the hospitals in order to better
equip himself for his subsequent duties. In 1894
he came to Long Beach, where he established an
office. Within a very short time he wou the
coufidence of the people and his practice has
steadily increased, until his time now is fully
occupied and he rarely has any leisure.

That Dr. Welbourn stands high among his
professional brethren is shown by the fact that
for the past four years he has been honored with
the responsible position of secretary of the South-
ern California Medical Association and of the
State Medical Association. His handsome suite
of offices is in the Long Beach Bank building.
He has erected a pretty, modern residence for his
family and is prospering in every way. Socially
he possesses those qualities of mind and heart
which rarely fail of winning friends. Fraternally
he belongs to the Knights of Pythias, the Macca-
bees and the Woodmen of the World. He also
has been identified with the Masonic order for
some time and stands high in the estimation of
his brother Masons.

Eight years ago Dr. Welbourn married Miss
Daisy L. Vinson, who was born and reared in
Kentucky, and who is a lady of amiable qualities
and excellent attainments. They have one child,
a little daughter, Hester L- by name. In the
domestic circle the doctor finds his chief pleasure,
and like the majority of California householders
he spends considerable time in the beautifying of
his property and in keeping his flowers and lawn
in fine condition.

Here are a couple photos of Billy Tibbets' drugstore in Union City, Indiana, but that's a whole other rabbit hole to go down some other day.

_______________________________________________
Findlay Antique Bottle Club
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Rare Early 1800's Historical Flasks Antique Bottles

Featuring Findlay: Art Glass Tiles Lunch Lecture Feb. 5 2015 at Hancock Museum

The Mysterious Keystone Coffee Jar ~ Vintage Product Bottle or Early Thermos?

Will Punxsutawney Phil Punk Us Again? Groundhog Day Vintage Bottles

Findlay Bottle Club Membership Drive ~ Sing Along Now: Dues Be Due - Be Doo...

Sing Along Now:

Dues Be Due-Be-Due...

FINDLAY BOTTLE CLUB MEMBERSHIP DUES ARE DUE

The Good's Dairy: History Timeline of the Pickerington Creamery ~ Ohio

PICKERINGTON TIMES-SUN

Naughty History of Valentine's Meat Juice in the Little Amber Bottle - Happy St. Valentine's Day, Antique Bottle Collectors

You don't need teeth to enjoy Valentine's Meat Juice!

Aah, love.

By Marianne Dow

In Mann's own words:

LOVE Potion -- It's The Oldest Profession

But wait, there's more...

Some other Valentine's Meat Juice collectibles:

The Valentine Museum

Friday the 13th - Moonshine and #13 on Ball Jar Base Lore

March Means Bottle Collectors Digging More Daylight

The Tricky Little Month of April ~ Taxes and Pranks ~ Happy April Fools Day

Ohio Dairies: Brookside of Van Wert and Brock of Hamilton - Vintage Milk Bottles

Fleck's Vintage Easter Egg Decorating - Jacob Fleck: Ohio's Own Easter Bunny

First Let's Kill All the Ad Men: Uncle Sam, Shakespeare and the Mad Men ~ Vintage Whiskey and Beer Advertising

May 2015: Mansfield Ohio Bottle Show // Columbia City Indiana Insulators Show // Washington PA Bottle Show

What time is it?

It's Bottle Show Time!

Here are a few MAY 2015 shows:

THE MANSFIELD BOTTLE SHOW IS ALMOST HERE!

________________________

Find more bottle shows listed here: http://www.fohbc.org/shows/

Doctor, Doctor! Findlay Bottle Club Founder to Receive Honorary Doctorate

Amole Mexican Soap Co. Became Ohio's House of Lowell Cosmetics

Remembering Don Burkett ~ Beloved Fruit Jar Collector Has Passed ~ Funeral Details Added

Don't It Make Your Ball Jars Blue? or: Just What Made the Famous Ball Blue Glass Color? -- The Hoosier Slide, Indiana

"It's all in the sand, baby!"

New Fruit Jar Show & Get-Together June 13, 2015 Cambridge City Indiana

Dr. E.L. Welbourn: A Hustler of Wide Experience ~ Medicine Bottles History Union City Indiana

Sing Along Now:

Dues Be Due-Be-Due...

FINDLAY BOTTLE CLUB MEMBERSHIP DUES ARE DUE

You don't need teeth to enjoy Valentine's Meat Juice!

Aah, love.

By Marianne Dow

In Mann's own words:

LOVE Potion -- It's The Oldest Profession

But wait, there's more...

Some other Valentine's Meat Juice collectibles:

The Valentine Museum

What time is it? It's Bottle Show Time!Here are a few MAY 2015 shows:THE MANSFIELD BOTTLE SHOW IS ALMOST HERE!

________________________

Find more bottle shows listed here: http://www.fohbc.org/shows/

"It's all in the sand, baby!"

What time is it?

It's Bottle Show Time!

Here are a few MAY 2015 shows:

THE MANSFIELD BOTTLE SHOW IS ALMOST HERE!