Plan for
2022 Show . . . . “Holding its
own.”
With two
planned antique bottle shows already cancelled, I feel
like we have been riding out the storm, and with
little control! We find ourselves at the mercy of
nature.
Even though I had
nothing at stake in the Edmund
Fitzgerald tragedy, as a Great Lakes Ship
lover, I followed the news report of the missing ship,
I was glued to every update. In fact, I remember I was
in the Washington Square Library as the search
for survivors was underway.
It was less
than a month after the loss of the ‘Big Fitz’ that my
dear friend
Captain John Glomstad
stopped by our dealership with his Avion Trailer. He
and his wife were headed to Florida for the winter,
and they had stopped in for supplies.
Just a
couple weeks earlier, Captain John had just laid-up
the freighter, Wilfred Sykes, for Inland Steel Corp.,
for winter off-season. Captain John and his crew were
a little more than one hour ahead of the ‘Big Fitz’
coming across Superior in that same storm. The Sykes
was already in the MacArthur Lock, and committed
downbound, as he was monitoring Coast Guard radio
traffic.
He listened as
Captain Cooper was asked to “turn around” and sail
back into the storm looking for survivors. John told
me, “In a way I was glad to be already committed and
in the Lock, and I didn’t have to take my crew back
into that storm.” He had a greatest
respect for Captain Cooper and the crew of the
Anderson.
 I
learned a few years after that event, that another of
my friends was involved in that same story. The gale
not only produced huge seas, but it also carried heavy
drifting snow. So, the State dispatched some Chippewa
County plow trucks out to clear the road running up to
Whitefish Point for a possible rescue mission . .
. my friend was a lead driver!
Well, with
this Covid Virus, I feel like we are at natures mercy
and tossed about upon the storm. Actually, I do have some
better feelings about this coming show.
As the
show finally moves forward this time, we will see a
few changes from our normal routine, but only
this year. Only until we regain our sea-legs.
It was decided;
because of the lingering threat of the virus, and the
special precautions required, we will not be hosting
the hospitality suite for our dealers. Sad, I know!
Also, it has been
decided that we will not be hosting the dealer
showcase “display-room” this year. And last of
all, the club voted to skip the raffle prize ticket
sales this year. I had offered to donate another prize
detector, but we had waited a little long to get
tickets printed. There also may have been some new
State Regulations over having a club raffle as well.
We will be better prepared next year.
In the famous quote of
President Trump, “That I can
tell you.”
So cheer up friends! With spring, comes the song of
the Robin, early spring flowers, cats and dogs marking
their turf, and the Kalamazoo
Antique Bottle Show!
Just think, 41 Years and still rolling along!
LAST MEETING
HIGHLIGHTS
We had a
great meeting last month! We truly did!
Well, I sure had a great time! “That
I can tell you!”
President Rob
Knolle started us off with our
“Pledge of Allegiance”
which still warms my soul. Then we jumped right into
business.
The first
main discussion point was focused on the bottle show.
John Pastor did get the show contracts out in the
mail.
After our meeting, Elmer
Ogg contacted me with a bottle show payment question:
“Al, we had some questions at our
meeting about payment for the 2022 show. John had
originally said he was going to use the checks
written in 2020 for the next show, Is that
still the plan or should people submit another
check with the new contract and you will destroy
the original ones? Also, if a person paid with
cash will they be told that the payment can apply
to this year's contract?” Elmer
I passed
Elmer’s e-mail along to John Pastor. John
responded;
Hi, Al, Elmer,
“We never cashed any of the checks that were
written for the 2020 show. And, unfortunately,
those checks are no longer good. They can be
returned or destroyed. Of course, if we received
cash payment for the tables, that is obviously
still there and being held for the same
corresponding number of tables for this year's
show.” John
I decided this
should be included in the newsletter in hope this will
answer any question along this regard. If not, please
let me know. If I don’t know the answer, I will
contact John Pastor, and, if he doesn’t know the
answer . . . we will make something up.
Here is the “Eat-your-heart- out” list of
the finest bunch of people you could ever rub elbows
with, those who signed in at our February meeting: Steve DeBoode, Elmer Ogg, Vincent Grossi, Ron Smith, Tim Hayes, Melissa Hayes, Rob Knolle, Scott Hendrichsen, Kevin Siegfried and Al Holden.
I have been so busy living the
life of a old man, I sometimes work in a total “Let’s
go Brandon” fog. (I left Mellisa Hayes out of the list
on the hard copy!) Sorry Melissa!
For example, having the
day of March 1st fall on a Tuesday, hit me by
surprise! Meaning this newsletter is getting a late
start!
Also, I completely
forgotten that I had posted the February theme for
last month as “Valentine’s Day,
Love, and Favorite Bottle Night!”
Fortunately our club members took
it to ❤ and they brought
in some great bottles!
Ron Smith,
brought in his favorite bottle and I am right-with-
him on his choice! It is a S.LAY.S
SODA WATER, LAPORTE, IND.
We first laid eyes on this
Civil War era cobalt-blue blob-top squat-soda when we
had a club pizza party at Bimbo’s Pizza, way back in
2016! (Did you just think of Chuck? I did!)
I love these old squat
soda’s! I wanted so bad to learn more about it back in
2016! So, I went after more information online
once again, but this time hopefully with different
results!
Holy smokes, I found one listed! (IT WAS THIS ONE!)
Yep, as is often the case, the Internet search
directed me to a newsletter for an antique bottle club
in Kalamazoo! Boy that was disappointing! I know for a
fact that guy has space for rent between his ears!
On my previous research, I had
found a reference to S. Lay's Soda Water, Laporte, IN
which was posted in a list called the "American
Pontiled Soda Database Project,” which seems to be
gone now. They had listed this bottle's rarity
as "1" in 2008 at $900.00! No wonder I love it!
 Melissa
Hayes displayed a beautiful, hand-painted
milk-glass whiskey flask, “Old
Homestead Fine Whisky, Samuel Westrhimer, Distiller,
Saint Joseph, Mo.” It is a beauty! I
found one other pictured online. Old Homestead Fine
Whisky made hundreds of amber bottle variations but
the milk-glass bottles are extremely rare and hard to
find!
Melissa also displayed a beautiful
pattern-mold swirl chestnut flask, in a soft teal
green. This bottle must have originally been part of
the Daryl Fifer collection out of Ohio.
The trouble with these isn’t lack
of information, rather too much information! These
beautiful bottles are cataloged in every detail from
the minute the Gaffer gathered up a batch of molten
glass! Every color, size, and number of swirls
determine where when and who made them! It is a sweet
bottle Melissa!
 Tim
Hayes displayed two nice round-bottom pocket
or purse flasks. One is a deep Olive Amber and the
other a light teal. Both with sheared and fired lips.
Kevin Siegfried brought
some of his favorite treasures from his Upjohn items.
First he has a small, amber, labeled bottle of Upjohn
Salicin, 1gr (1 grain =  60mg) with a perfect paper label and
contains 100 pills. Salicin is a sugar compound
obtained from bark. Willow barks yield salicin.
Salicin is used as a pain reliever treating arthritis
pain. 
Kevin also displayed a tiny Upjohn
Sample bottle. This tiny tube shaped bottle, about 1/4
inch dia. and 1 inch long, was pinned to a Upjohn tag.
I am not sure what type of compound these sample
bottles contained. The point to the sample, I believe
was demonstrating how Upjohn pills could be easily
crushed under your thumb pressure, or “Friable.”
I remember back in the 1970's a
vitamin company was boasting how their gel-caps would
release all of the goodness into your body within
minutes!
Whereas, their competition’s pills were being flushed
 completely  whole down the toilet! Upjohn really
had their poop together very early on!
Kevin also displayed a really cool
Upjohn advertising statue. I suspect these items were
displayed in drugstores.
 Elmer Ogg took our
meeting theme to a higher level! He displayed some
heart theme bottles that I was so thrilled to see!
Thank you, Elmer for SHARING THE
LOVE!
One rich amber-colored bottle is a
real sparkler! It is a John
Hart’s Hair Restorer and Scalp Renovator
bottle.
John Hart patented his work-of-art
bottle in July, 14, 1868 only seven days after I was
born!
Wait, but there is more! Elmer also displayed one of
the rarest Dr. Kilmer’s
bottles around!
THE BLOOD / DR KILMER’S / OCEAN
WEED /  HEART / REMEDY / SPECIFIC – DR.
KILMER & CO. – BINGHAMPTON,
N.Y.
We are all familiar with Dr.
Kilmer’s Swamp Root, Kidney, Liver and Bladder Cure,
with the wording embossed within a indented kidney
shape. That one is a favorite with any patent medicine
collector, but they are plentiful! The Ocean Weed Heart Remedy
is a really hard one to find! Elmer has a beautiful
attic mint example!
But wait! It gets better still! The
hits keep coming! Elmer has a sweet rich aqua-blue, C.
W. HART & CO., 052 and 654 River Street, Troy, N.
Y Stove Polish! Within two embossed hearts is the word
“Delight,” 
HEARTS DELIGHT!
 Ladies! Do You Want
an extra good stove polish?
If so, ask your Grocer
for
HART'S DELIGHT STOVE POLISH.
We claim for our Polish several qualifications; 1st The polish is
convenient to use. 2nd
The polish is ready mixed for use, and produces an
instantaneous luster, without laborious rubbing. 3rd. It gives your stove a
jet black, enamel-like shine, which will outlast and
outshine any thing you have ever tried. 4th . It does not fill your
house, with a disagreeable odor, nor cause your
stoves or pipe to rust when put away for the season.
Please give it a fair trial, and you will be-
convinced of its superiority.
(But wait! If
you call now, you will receive not one, but two
bottles with your order!)
Our long-time, as well as our
long-distance club member, Mark
Churchill, from Bolingbrook, Illinois,
has been wandering back toward his motherland to do
some digging with friends. Mark told me he hadn’t been
digging for almost two years and it felt great to get
dirty again!
Mark and Prince Sanjit,
 dug a
1840's farm house which Sanjit gained permission to
dig years ago, but never dug. Mark told me the number
of shallow pits in the yard they dug was 7 or 8 and
they were a real challenge to locate. The area was
gravelly and hard to feel with a probe, and each one
averaged 4 foot deep.
(I am proud to be
Sanjit's friend, and he does have family royalty
in India.)
Mark said the owners were very nice
folks to let them dig so many pits! We learned years
ago, when an area is made up of gravel it is hard to originally
dig a privy very deep without it caving in. The
same problem exists for the bottle digger 200 years
later! Mark said he could see evidence of cave-ins
when the pit had been filled.
I think I know about the
time when the guys dug these, because they had stopped
by my shop. My friends, it was well below freezing!
That is how you dig 8 privies . . .
to keep warm!
Because, the permission was given
to Sanjit, he got first pick. The bottles Mark picked
were as follows: Lockport
Gargling Oil, 5
embossed prescription bottles (new unknown
varieties) an applied-lip Brant’s
Turkish Ointment (looks like a little Trask’s
Magnetic Ointment bottle) a Hostetters
Stomach Bitters, a large iron pontiled Mexican Mustang Liniment, a
rolled lip almost-pontiled Dr.
D. Jaynes Liniment, an open pontiled Crofft’s Liniment, an oddly
shaped Greggory’s Instant Cure
for Pain, an applied lip 1870's era
Dr Marshall’s Lung Balsam, Fort
Wayne, In., a large size applied lip Chamberlains Immediate Relief,
a nice green cylindrical ink,
an early Thomas’ Eclectic Oil.
Our digging buddies also dug a few
nice broken flasks, (or cry over flasks.) One was a
mostly complete Pikes Peak
flask in aqua, which Mark or Sanjit badly
chipped. Mark said, “Of course Sanjit blamed me, LOL."
Mark sent me a group photo of his
bottles, which I will post in the digital edition.
Thank you so much for sharing this with all of us,
Mark!
 What can you see in
this listing of historic bottles? Be a detective here!
There are clues to unfold about this farmers life.
His privies were loaded with
liniment and pain relief bottles!
Year ago, Ernie Lawson and
Jack Short urged me to look back into my family tree
for possible Civil War Veterans. Well, I did, and I
found three! I am sure there are more, I only searched
one side of the tree where I found two.
Another one from my dad’s side just fell into my
lap!
Two on my mother’s side served in
the 13th Michigan. When the two, Martin Harter and
Cornelius Engles returned, they were neighbors, and
their children married, leading one day to me! Aren’t
you grateful?
I sent to Washington for their records. My one
grandfather Martin applied again, again, and again,
for disability benefits. The papers they sent me
included his letters and letters from his doctor.
He was in combat, but he wasn’t
shot, stabbed or hit by shell fragments, no, he
marched all across the south with General Sherman
wrecking havoc toting all his gear and weapons! His
back was weak, his knees were shot his hips were bone
on bone, and, he was a farmer! I wonder if these two
farmers were friends?
Get my
point?
Be sure to make the meeting next
Tuesday if at all possible,
this
is the last meeting before the show!
How about we feature:
Latest Finds
Spring Time
Bottles
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