Forums
| Potomac Bottle Collectors :: Forums :: General :: Digging 'em up |
|
<< Previous thread | Next thread >> |
| Hometown bottle cravings ... Part II. | ||
|
Moderators: ca_drm1n
|
| Author | Post | ||
| andy g. |
| ||
  Registered Member #9 Joined: Thu Apr 26 2007, 10:46Posts: 113 | Well, I made it back for some more home cooking … well, actually, home privy digging. And this time a couple of equally-addicted digging buddies came along to share in the fun. Two weeks ago, I was back in Ossining, New York for a family gathering but once again I did not get a chance to dig on the site where I had found the privy. Moreover, I stopped at the site on the way out of town to see if the construction had altered where the other possible pits were exposed on my last visit – and sitting there were the signs of two privies. And yet off I went back to DC … and since then I have repeatedly caught myself day dreaming about those undug privies. My only possible redemption was that other guys had dug these pits in the 1970s-80s as I had heard when I was a kid, or that someone had spotted my web posting and gone to explore the spot. Well, I couldn’t stand it so when a small window of opportunity was presented, I jumped at the chance to return to my hometown. My wife Joan said “go” at 12:15 PM on Friday and then Dodd, who picked up my message as he landed at BWI on Friday at 12:30, said he had the green light; by 3:00 PM on Friday, we were headed to Scott’s in New York City for the night with a dig planned for the next morning in Ossining. My window was tiny as I had to be back by 6 PM on Saturday – no excuses! Early Saturday morning found the three of us (Scott, Dodd and me) putting on digging clothes and we were in Ossining by 7 AM. Walking into the site, to my right and to left ash was trickling from the exposed banks. Dodd picked up off the surface an early 1800s dip mold square ink while I confirmed with my probe that we had at least two privies to dig. Scott and Dodd set to work on the apparent pit to my left and I tackled the one on the right. Within the hour Scott and I had determined that my pit had previously been dug. In turn, the boys had exposed the remains of three other privies all clustered within a few feet and spanning from the 1840s to the 1880s. Frankly, there is much to write but I will leave that for a Potomac Pontil article. Suffice to say we scored in a major way. There were about 40 pontiled bottles and 20 other bottles too. There was a cache of Dr. McMunn’s Elixir of Opium – 19 intact and perhaps 6 more broken. Other common aqua pontils included pairs of Dr. Thompson’s Eye Water of New London, Connecticut and Dr. Porter’s of New York. There was also cool Bennington or Rockingham square spittoon almost intact, some pieces of a slip-decorated red ware plate with the word “dish” on it, and a good black transfer-printed base to a Roussel's potlid. [ image disabled ] More importantly, there were examples of two Sing Sing aqua pontils. First to pop up was a damaged (but still special because it was dug in my hometown) which was made just a few blocks away, specifically a Hunt’s Liniment, Prepared by G. E. Stanton, Sing Sing, N.Y. The second was a Benjamin Brandreth’s External Remedy, 241 Broadway N.Y. Although the Brandreth bottle has a New York City address, which was where his main office was located from 1839 to 1857, Dr. Brandreth’s factory was located in Sing Sing starting in the late 1830s (less than half a mile from where we were digging). Needless to day, it was pretty exciting for me to dig two local proprietary medicines in a single day. To my knowledge there is only one other Sing Sing pontiled medicine out there for me to find – Carpenter’s Soothing Linament. In comparison, the newest privy was pretty dull other than a half a dozen applied and tooled lip flasks (including a crude one in a nice yellow and another with a deep clamp mark) and a neat tooled lip, cobalt medicine or cosmetic embossed Pearl’s White Glycerine. There was also a New York City late 1870s blob in that outhouse hole. In fact, we did not even finish the hole because we did not want to undermine any of the bank. And although we did not find any other local bottles (other than an Ossining hutch that Dodd picked off of a dirt pile) we did manage some other spectacular keepers in the two older privies. Early on in the dig, Scott extracted an unbelievable dark aqua, iron pontiled large, square pickle or food bottle embossed J. McCollick & Co, New York. Then later while Dodd was digging the best pit, as I was removing some of the clay cap, I pried up a light yellow-green (almost lime colored), smooth-based L.Q.C. Wishart’s Pine Tree Tar Cordial from Philadelphia with a motif of a tree and dated 1859. And then Dodd extracted our last fantastic find, a cobalt, eight-sided, iron pontiled W.P. Knickerbocker Mineral Water embossed with an 1848 date. [ image disabled ] At 10:30 AM, we were done and packing the truck. We then drove the hour back to Scott’s in Astoria, Queens to sort the bottles and shower. By 5:30 PM, I was in Annapolis driving my wife and daughter back to DC for a party. My oh my what a crazy 26 hours! Was it worth it the 10+ hours of driving? Yes. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. And I am certain Dodd would have carbon copy responses. As they say, there is nothing like good ole home cooking. I must admit that finding a couple of sweet colored pontils doesn't hurt either. Stay tuned … [ image disabled ] [ Edited Sat Oct 04 2008, 10:50 ] andy g. As a wise, old privydigger once told me: May your shovel be light and may you find many colored pontils. | ||
| Back to top | | ||
| andy g. |
| ||
| Registered Member #9 Joined: Thu Apr 26 2007, 10:46Posts: 113 | Man, can't believe I am the only one replying to my post. I must be desperate. :-) Anyway, I wanted to note that in the current Glass Works Auction (No. 84) almost identical examples of the J. McCollick & Co. pickle (Lot 413) and Wishart's Pine Tree Tar Cordial (Lot 333) are up for bid. For the pickle, the catalog notes that it is " [a] very rare, very attractive pickle jar!" In regard to the Wishart's, the catalog states "very rare and attractive color. One of the earlier examples as indicated by the more squared off shoulders." I would post the links but Glass Works always takes down the auction upon completion. Oh well ... check it out until October 20th or so. andy g. As a wise, old privydigger once told me: May your shovel be light and may you find many colored pontils. | ||
| Back to top | | ||
| Guntherhess |
| ||
 Registered Member #83 Joined: Thu May 01 2008, 09:32Posts: 48 | The Brandreth’s External Remedy seems like quite a rare one. Great finds. --Matt http://www.antiquemedicines.com/bottles.htm | ||
| Back to top | | ||
| andy g. |
| ||
| Registered Member #9 Joined: Thu Apr 26 2007, 10:46Posts: 113 | Thanks Matt. Yes, the Brandreth's bottle does appear to be quite rare. I have seen tons of articles on and advertising for Benjamin Brandreth's big seller, Brandreth's Vegetable Pills, which did not come in a bottle but rather a little wood or tin box. As an aside, when I was in high school, I talked my way into the old factory and recovered examples of both containers. However, I have never seen an advertisement or anything about the External Remedy other than in the Greer catalog and the two examples in my collection. (The first one I got came out of a pit in Brooklyn but that is definitely NOT the same as digging one in my hometown of Sing Sing.) Any information would be fantastic. andy g. As a wise, old privydigger once told me: May your shovel be light and may you find many colored pontils. | ||
| Back to top | | ||
| ca_drm1n |
| ||
   Registered Member #1 Joined: Thu Apr 12 2007, 09:24Posts: 339 | Andy, sorry to not weigh in sooner, this whole thing is awesome. Thanks for posting! | ||
| Back to top | | ||
| chosi |
| ||
 Registered Member #4 Joined: Mon Apr 23 2007, 07:55Posts: 156 | FYI - I just noticed a pair of Sing Sing bottles at the current Glass Works Auction. Here's the description: 283. (Lot of 2), "HUNT’S / LINIMENT - PREPARED BY - G.E. STANTON - SING SING N.Y." and a "STEPHEN - SWEET’S - INFALLIBLE - LINIMENT", (Odell pg. 184 & 339), American, ca. 1840 - 1860, both are aqua, 5 1/4"h, open pontils, applied tapered collar mouths. The Sweet’s has a few very light scratches, the Hunt’s is perfect. Angelo Aiello Collection. - Chosi | ||
| Back to top | | ||
| andy g. |
| ||
| Registered Member #9 Joined: Thu Apr 26 2007, 10:46Posts: 113 | chosi wrote ... FYI - I just noticed a pair of Sing Sing bottles at the current Glass Works Auction. Here's the description: 283. (Lot of 2), "HUNT’S / LINIMENT - PREPARED BY - G.E. STANTON - SING SING N.Y." and a "STEPHEN - SWEET’S - INFALLIBLE - LINIMENT", (Odell pg. 184 & 339), American, ca. 1840 - 1860, both are aqua, 5 1/4"h, open pontils, applied tapered collar mouths. The Sweet’s has a few very light scratches, the Hunt’s is perfect. Angelo Aiello Collection. Mike -- Thanks for the posting. The Hunt's variant in the auction is the same as ones that I have dug -- I am actually looking (i) for the one that is not sided & more like a Philadelphia oval, (ii) for a teal example that is not four figures, and (iii) any related ephemera or labeled bottles. The oval is probably earlier & the teal shows up now & again but only in the sided form. Also, I believe that the Sweet's is not from Sing Sing per the advertisement below. The only other possible Sing Sing patent medicines bottles (other than the Brandreth's and Hunt's) that I know about are a Carpenter's, which was so identified as being from Sing Sing in the Greer Pontiled Medicine Auction by Harmer Rooke in 1988-89, although I have never actually confirmed the bottle's existence or that it is from Sing Sing. [ image disabled ] andy g. As a wise, old privydigger once told me: May your shovel be light and may you find many colored pontils. | ||
| Back to top | | ||
Powered by e107 Forum System
![[ image disabled ]](../../e107_files/public/1271257255_9_FT533_dr__sweets_infallible_liniment.jpg){kind=link}