Enter
into His gates with Thanksgiving and into
His courts with praise!
Hello Friends!
Here I am again, all you antique bottle
lovers! I’m here to wish you and yours a
bountiful harvest season, one
overflowing with thankfulness.
Because of the constraints of time, I was
going to recycle as much as possible from
the November 2020 club newsletter. But, I
started out reading it, and it was so
depressing!
I don’t know about you, but I am over all
the doom & gloom . . . enough already!
We have a new club President, Vice
President, which is moving us forward. And
we managed to locate a very nice meeting
place that is so darn convenient! I am THANKFUL!
Hey, don’t you remember walking two blocks
to the Library after a half-hour long
search for a parking space? Boy I do!
I know how hard it is to be thankful in
today’s world. Don’t give up! Our
forefathers lived through far darker days!
Hang in there, we got this!
I managed to duck most club leadership
roles after the Covid shakeup. However, I
am still pecking out this newsletter with
one finger. That, plus, I stepped in to do
the club treasurer’s job.
All of this would be a lot easier if I
knew how to retire! But still, I am THANKFUL!
The September Bimbo’s Pizza Party served
to jar me into reality! Normally, Chuck
would coach me, when doing the newsletter,
to make sure everyone understood the pizza
party was for members who are "paid up" on
their club dues . . . I didn’t even think
about that!
So, at the Pizza Meeting, folks came to me
offering to
pay-up! I am THANKFUL!
Dang that was refreshing! I hate to ask
people to do things!
After the Arab Oil Embargo, of the early
70's, I was looking to voluntarily leave
my dad’s business, because the RV business
was so hard-hit. . . Dad sure didn’t need
me! He, was just like me, he wasn’t
about to ask me to go. . . but I could see
my leaving was best for everyone.
My Pastor at the time, knew of a company
that offered work in selling Christian
books, based out of Waco, Texas area. They
had some protected territory available for
my Kalamazoo area. The company was called,
“Word Publishers.”
I considered
myself to be a far better-than-average
salesman, and this job sounded just like
something I would enjoy doing! As a
salesman for Word, the job was contacting
retail stores, and restaurants, where I
would set up a rotating wire book display
and keep it filled with popular titles of
family books then keep them stocked.
When
I flew in to Waco for an interview, and
possible training, the first thing they
did was show me around the company and
their warehouse.
In Waco Texas, they have no reason to
build up, they have so much land they just
spread out! The warehouse was so big you
get around in a shuttle vehicle! There was
enough room in that building to put the
city of Otsego inside under one roof!
I started down
this rabbit trail to demonstrate what a
loser I am. They start the job evaluation
with a simple test. Make one mistake,
and it is over . .
see-you-later!
FIRST QUESTION
If you have an important job to do;
A. Do you ask
someone else to do it?
B. Don’t
trust the job to someone else, and do it
yourself?
C. Ask
someone to help you do it?
Well, how did you do?
The only
answer they world accept was A! If you chose C they would try
to set you straight and work with you. If
you chose B,
it was simply bye-bye. I chose B!
To this day I don’t
like asking for help, which is bad, that
is a sign of poor leadership.
So, thanks to everyone
who stepped to the plate, 'pizza plate'
with your club dues!
I am not going to publish a list of paid
members, but I am going to stuff each
newsletter with a dues reminder because I
have to. Remember the dues are only $10.00
which is insanely cheap!
LAST MONTH
With everything considered, we had a good
turnout last month. We saw our friends,
John & Lynn Winkler move out of the
area, and we do already miss them! Other
members were missed and hopefully we will
see you this month. The sign-up sheet
showed the names of these smiling faces!
Rob Knolle, Shannon Shoemaker,
Robert Shoemaker,
Ed Nickerson,
Vincent Grossi,
Len Sheaffer,
Ron Smith and
Al Holden.
As there is a new Sweetwater’s Donut Mill
that has opened in Plainwell, I still have
managed to shed about 20 pounds! No,
I can’t explain it? At the last meeting,
we enjoyed a gallon of fresh Michigan
cider and a dozen fresh donuts! They were
good! Nothing says harvest time like fresh
apple cider and donuts!
In the last newsletter, I added at the
last minute, an extra page which included
an e-mail John Pastor sent me regarding an
update in the Kalamazoo
Antique Bottle Club’s April Show date.
Here is a summery of that letter;
Hi, Al,
I hope all is going well. What
crazy times we're in. I just got an
email from the Rochester, NY Show, that
they are planning their show for the
weekend of April 9-10. So.....
I've contacted the fairgrounds to change
the date of our show to Saturday, April
23rd. (Easter weekend is 16th - 17th).
Thanks, Al,
please let me know that you got this,
and if you have any questions....
Take care,
John
I am
repeating this because this is a fairly
significant change after 42 years! We need
to spread the word!!!
We discussed this change at the club
meeting and it seemed like folks liked the
sound of it. Of course as residents of
Michigan, we are never surprised by a
sudden change in the weather.
However,
moving the meeting forward just one week
in April can make a huge difference in
terms of cold and wind!
I remember one year,
Jack Short, was working the metal detector
display with me. We have always sit up in
the back of the room in front of the old
stage, way back by the western entrance.
The vendor across from us, was located on
the other side of the door. He came in
with a fancy 4 level wire display rack
which he had filled up with a beautiful
display of pyro-glazed half pint dairy
bottles. Halfway through the show, he ran
out to his car to get something. When he
returned, he opened the door, coming back
in, when a gust of wind pulled the door
wide open and blew his display into small
broken glass everywhere! It was hard
to watch!
I
have seen several shows in early April
where the last of the snow was still on
the ground! However, the only real
evidence of a good show is having the
people turning out. . . it is all in
timing!
I will never forget one year when we went
to the animal fair and the birds and beast
were there, the big baboon, by the light
of the moon was combing his auburn hair!
Hey! They only do that in the
moonlight!!! . . . timing is everything!
(My
research shows most people don’t read
this anyway.)
We enjoyed
seeing. .
Some interesting bottles at the last
meeting.
Vincent
Grossi; displayed an interesting
local Kalamazoo pharmacy bottle from the
“COOPER’S PHARMACY”
They were located at the corner of
Maple & Westnedge. This bottle is a
tall, clear, rectangle bottle with an
early hard-black bakelite cap. Bakelite, a
thermosetting plastic, made its debut in
1927 as a screw cap closure material and
it was used well into the 1950's. In fact
it was used in almost every form of
appliance. I have some vintage bakelite
radios, alarm clocks, picture frames and
luggage handles.
This pharmacy label is one that was
dispensed from a roll, and this one was
for Castor Oil. Vince’s bottle still is
one third full with clean castor oil.
Based
on the cap and label, I would say the
bottle is from the 1930's. I tried to find
info on that pharmacy, but with no luck. I
am fairly sure I have embossed
prescription bottles from this Pharmacy.
The label gives the location as the corner
of Maple and Westnedge Streets. Well,
Maple is a street, and Westnedge is an
avenue. No, I don’t think that is a rare
collectable misprint!
The next bottle
Vincent displayed I didn’t fully
appreciate at the meeting, (which is often
the case) I am so busy trying to take
pictures I don’t have time to let things
sink in!
Besides, the bottle had very light
embossing and even in my pictures it is
hard to read. I just took a chance by
Googling all the information I could
. . . and it is pretty neat!
CANDY BROTHERS
MANUFACTURING, CONFECTIONERS, SAINT
LOUIS MO.
The Candy Brothers
Manufacturing Company was started in the
1870’s by brothers Robert, Thomas and
Sydney Candy. The business was based in
St. Louis, however, they eventually opened
a second location in Columbus, OH as well.
Their main product was
more of a medicine-in-candy- form,
primarily vitamins.
People were just
catching on with the notion that certain
things beneficial to them which could be
absorbed into their bodies.
Take for example the
popularity of Mineral water. It was
bottled and sold, but, you could go to a
local mineral springs and soak it in!
The Candy Brothers
were taking full advantage of their name
“Candy” but taking it one step further,
claiming they were selling a candy product
that was good for you! Various flavors of
their fruit vitamin tablets were produced
with the actual color of the fruit.
In the early
1900’s, the idea of selling vitamins was
still in its infancy. I can only imagine,
many people of this era questioned the
effectiveness of these little vitamin
tablets, but, they were willing to try
them.
Undoubtedly many
people of the era were starting to do
whatever it took to help their overall
health and longevity when the average life
expectancy in those days was around 50.
I was
able to find a advertising flyer that was
sent to retail shops, candy stores and
pharmacy outlets. This flier is for: LIME FRUIT JUICE TABLETS
A glass jar, like
Vincent displayed, contained 4 pounds of
square fruit chews which appear to be
individually wrapped. That jar cost the
store owner $1.00. My guess is; if he sold
two for a penny he would triple his
investment.
Here is a run down of
popular flavors available:
Apricot, Barley Sugar, Butter Scotch, Chocolate, Ginger Jamaica, Hoarh and Flax, Lemon Fruit, Molasses, Mint Humbugs, Pine Apple, Red Currant Drops,
Raspberry, Sour Lemon, Toka Rock & Rye,
Wintergreen,
XXX Mint, Lemon Coconut, Peanut, Walnut, Banana, Butter Cup, Blood Orange, Cinnamon, Iceland Moss, Mixed Fruit, Malt, Pear Drops, Rose Drops, Strawberry,
Vanilla, Wild
Cherry, Honey
Coconut, Almond
Wafers . . . and many more!
I cannot help but
wonder if Kalamazoo’s A.M. Todd Company
sold them extracts? The Todd company was
absorbed in 2011, into a company called “WILD FLAVORS.”
The original A.M. Todd Company was started
in 1869, providing innovative flavor
solutions through the application of
technology, creativity and value added
services for the Oral Care, Confectionery
and Chewing Gum industry.
Those of you unfamiliar with the A.M. Todd
Company, it is still located just north of
Kalamazoo on Douglas Ave, (down the street
from Kevin’s house), When you drive by in
the summer, with your car windows down, it
smells like you just opened a fresh pack
of wintergreen chewing gum!
Another bottle Vincent displayed is one of
my all time favorite styles, a blob-top
squat soda. The only ones I have are all
un~embossed. Generally, with the blue
color of Vincent’s bottle, with embossing,
they quicky skyrocket out of my price
range!
The look of a Civil War
era squat soda, and the Cathedral Pepper
Sauce bottles just warm my heart!
ROB KNOLLE
displayed a sweet amber Poison Bottle with
the spiked alert-bumps on the bottle’s
corners. The bottle is embossed with the
large word POISON
on one side, and the opposite side panel
was likely home to a paper label.
I am sometimes accused
of preaching to the choir, and I will be
brief. The spiked corners, or other ruff
textured embossing on a poison bottle, was
to serve as a warning to whoever grabbed
the bottle in poor lighting conditions .
.
((( DANGER)))).
I have to wakeup in the
early morning to take a thyroid med, and a
blood pressure medication, about 5:30 am.
They must be taken on an empty stomach,
with a large full glass of water. I always
take them, in the dark by feel! If someone
rearranges them . . . I am sunk! If
something ever happens to me . . . well,
now you know!
KEVIN
SIEGFRIED displayed some real
treasures as usual. One was a complete set
a BALL IDEAL canning jars in sparkling
mint condition from a tiny ½ pint , pint,
quart, half gallon to a gallon, all with
matching glass lids and perfect bail tops!
What a cool canister set this would make
for someone!
No really! You can still buy the red
rubber seals for these making them air
tight!
If I were a single man,
this would work perfect! Wives sometimes
see things differently. . . ya think?
With our set at home, if you are not using
them regularly, the sugar and flour get
hard . . . and you cannot see the
contents!
With this set, with
sealed tops, you could also use them for
hard candy storage! See what I mean? I
doen’t see all these possibilities at the
meetings!
 
Kevin also displayed a Benton Harbor Mineral
Water from the Historic Eastman
Springs!
This clear bail-top
bottle could be Kevin’s ticket to
retirement! Ok, maybe I am getting carried
away. But it really is cool!
Eastman
Springs was on a station stop on the
Benton Harbor Interurban line in Berrien
County. It was located just south of the
House of David, on the rail line southeast
to Dowagiac.
 As of
2010 there is still a fountain flowing at
Eastman Springs and the location is named;
The Golden Queen, at Eastman Springs, City
of David, Benton Harbor, MI
Kevin displayed a
souvenir book with historic pictures from
Eastman Springs, I hope to post some in
the online newsletter. I understand the
Eastman Spring Park is still a beautiful
park. In the hay-day of steamship travel
out of Chicago and Milwaukee this was a
popular spot!
Kevin’s bail top bottle is
embossed, at the base, Eastman Springs
Beverage, Benton Harbor, Mich. 
The Kalamazoo
Antique Bottle Club
Will be meeting November, 9th at
the Otsego area Historical Society
Museum at 7:00, located at 218 N. Farmer
St. Otsego, MI 49078
meeting starts at 7:00 pm.
For questions
e-mail: prostock@net-link.net
Or call
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