There I was, washing the afternoon dishes…standing at the kitchen sink… gazing out the kitchen window…and becoming mesmerized by the rays of the sun as they pierced the clouds on the horizon. Suddenly, I became blinded by the light as it passed through one of the antique bottles “standing at attention” upon the window ledge in front of me.
As my eyes cleared and my vision slowly returned, I paused to turn-off the water, dry my hands, and reach for the “culprit” which had stolen my sight.
I grasped the bottle, and slowly turned it around and around…taking the time to read the words cast within its glass “skin.” AND THEN…I was transported across Time…to a day more than 35 years ago when a young person took a walk through the woods on the property which he and his bride had recently acquired.
SQUISH, SQUISH
I had NO conception, in those days, that the woods and wetlands surrounding our new future homeland could have EVER been visited by other folks in years past. WOW! Was I ever WRONG!
On that day (and on several other days throughout the years) I slogged through the wetlands and muddled through the mud and fallen branches to see what I could uncover.
On that first soggy journey, I unearthed a amber colored glass bottle full of mud, and covered with years of pungent growth. Amazed, I shoved the bottle into the pouch on the front of my hoodie and journeyed on.
After treading through the marshes for approximately another hour, I headed home to our tiny pop-up Coleman camper. There I presented my find to Carolyn, who inquired as to what I planned to do with my find. HUH?? I didn’t know exactly what to do with the bottle. So, I placed it outside the camper for the night, intending to wash it off the next morning. THAT, I DID!
TIME PASSAGES
As the years unfolded, I continued to jaunt through the woods at every chance I had…I still DO.
On various other “journeys” through the wetlands, I discovered many other objects: a round stone which I have been told was undoubtedly used as the headpiece to a Native American axe; remnants of a rotted-out wooden carriage; and several other articles, included three additional glass bottles…each different from the others.
Naturally, I retained the axehead, as well as the bottles. The carriage? WELL…you guess!
I meticulously washed and cleaned each of the glass bottles, both inside and out. I placed them, carefully wrapped, into a cardboard box which was then placed among the objects for future display in our intended home.
Eventually, place them I did. Place them…in a row upon the ledge of our kitchen window, right at eye-level above the sink. There they have been, standing in that row, sharing their secrets. But I, foolishly, never listened to what they were saying…until just the other day, when the sunlight opened my eyes to the wonders on that windowsill.
HERE’S WHAT I
DISCOVERED
The first bottle I discovered all those years ago is a remnant from the “Saltzmann Bros. Palace Hill Brewery, Oil City, PA.”
Basically, this “survivor” is a true historic treasure, speaking of the Past, and the Lives of many folks who found a New Life here in America. Here’s what I found-out…
“John J. Saltzmann, a German-speaking immigrant brewer from the Alsace region of eastern France, arrived in America in 1852.
A year later, he purchased and operated with several partners the Leonhart brewery in Warren.
It was in 1862 that Saltzmann moved his family to Oil City and built a brewery along Charley Run.
Seven years later, he sold his brewery and became an oil producer.
John Saltzmann returned to the brewing business and erected a small plant on Palace Hill along Plummer Street in 1881, but a fire destroyed that operation six years later.
One can assume that Saltzmann’s Oil City brewery and Franklin bottling plant both employed men from the local Polish immigrant communities.
Until Prohibition came, the Saltzmann brewery employed 35 men. It stabled 15 horses in a building nearby [on Charlton Street]. Its water came from a spring running under Clapp Farm Hill. Its daily capacity was 100 barrels per day.
Most of the landmark brick Saltzmann brewery buildings still stand.
Current occupants include the S. Williams Machining Company, Finnecy & McKenzie Cabinet Shop, and Tri-City Tool & Die.”
(INFORMATION FROM: The Titusville Herald, Sep 12, 2011.)
THERE’S MORE!
Another amber bottle I uncovered back in our woods is from the “City Brewery, Titusville, PA.”
This second “find” is also a transmitter of incredible teachings concerning the Past of our entire Region.
Here’s info about this bottle…
“City Brewery opened in 1911 and closed in 1920; it was open for 9 years. ..As a Pre-Prohibition Brewery, any advertising items or collectibles are likely to be valuable and desirable to collectors as they tend to be hard to find. City Brewery was located in Titusville, PA, which only had 4 breweries, so there are not many that were producing breweriana items. Local collectors may pay a small premium over national or general collectors because of a lack of local items.”
(INFORMATION FROM: Google)
My third “find” is a bottle from the “Warren-Maid Soda & Mineral Co., Warren, Penna.”
The only information readily available concerning this company is that any bottles sell for auction at VERY steep prices! (WHOAAA!)
FINAL DISCOVERY
The fourth, and final bottle I uncovered to date, is a quart-sized milk bottle from the long-gone “Steere Dairy, Meadville, PA.”
From what I have read, this dairy farm was one of the most influential and productive venues in the Meadville Region.
Unfortunately, the dairy, farm, and all of its animals and machinery was sold at auction. In its “heyday” it is said that the dairy employed over 35 area residents!
SO, WHAT DID I LEARN?
Well, first off, my belief that the history of our Region has represented EVERYTHING for which this Nation stands.
Throughout the past centuries, immigrants have flocked to our Region to establish a new and precious Life for themselves and their Future Generations. These folks have established, and continue to establish, local businesses which provide the BEST in EVERYTHING.
The four bottles that stand in a row in front of me every day give a precise and continuous History of our beloved area, and its people.
Oh, by the way….
There is a fifth bottle in this group…one which was given to me several years ago by a glass-worker, and Artist with whom I spent many days while fulfilling my duties at a division of our regional health center.
This gentleman was an incredible Artist, created works in glass which not only transcend the passage of Time, but also speaks to us of our Precious Heritage.
The bottle he gifted to me is a representation of the iconic and historic Meadville Market House, cast in an incredibly beautiful blue glass.
Unlike the bottles which I discovered in the woods, the venue represented on my present still exists…still thrives…and is a reminder to us ALL.
(For Comments, Contact…This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit ARTS FOR EVERYONE on Facebook.)
