The rest of the story of Lorenzo D. Youngblood and his Tonic Bitters

Posted on 17 February 2014 by Ferdinand Meyer V

YoungbloodsMontanBittersTradeMark

The rest of the story of Lorenzo D. Youngblood and his Tonic Bitters

by James Viguerie

17 February 2014 (R•111315 – Youngblood Shard) (092119 – BBs2 listing)

I am looking into four patents on Texas bitters. They were patented by Texans living in the following cities: Columbia, Fort Worth, Gatesville and San Antonio. All date from the 1870s and 1880s. Hopefully I will have a write up on each soon. These are all patented recipes so it is a little harder to associate with the actual brand of a bitters. As I have quite a few other patents to research, I might just turn them over to you, being you might have an extra interest in Texas bitters.

Lorenzo D. Youngblood of New York, who tragically committed suicide by morphine overdose in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory in 1879. One good thing Lorenzo did the year he died….he left us with an unlisted bitters from Montana!

In the meantime, I came across some information that can be added to a posting you did earlier on Youngblood’s Tonic Bitters – Galveston, Texas.

Initially, I had found some advertisements for Youngblood’s Tonic Bitters in Texas newspapers. I then searched in vain for anything more about the elusive Dr. L. D. Youngblood. There just was not much in Texas about him. I was just about to give up when I had one more hit on a Google search. Google can be funny that way. One has to try just the right combination of search words. This last web site led me to uncover much more about the sad tale of Lorenzo D. Youngblood of New York, who tragically committed suicide by morphine overdose in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory in 1879. One good thing Lorenzo did the year he died….he left us with an unlisted bitters from Montana!

The new listing in Bitters Bottles Supplement 2:

Newspaper Advertisement
Y 7.5 YOUNGBLOOD’S MONTANA BITTERS, H. H. H. Youngblood’s Montana Bitters, Y Health For The People trade mark. My famous Bitters it is confessed O’er all the Land it is the best; It has no rival far or near, In all our spacious hemisphere. L. D. Youngblood, Pharmacist. Alderman & Youngblood, Manufacturers. Butte City, Montana, The Benton Record (Benton, Montana Territory), June 6, 1879

Here are the advertisements I found while searching for other Texas bitters. The largest ad is from the Henderson, Texas, July 25, 1874 issue of “The Henderson Times”. It mentions Youngblood’s Tonic Bitters and Youngblood’s Liver Tonic. In the section on the bitters was a little verse:

“My famous Bitters ‘tis confessed, O’er all the land they are the best, They have no rival far or near, In all our spacious hemisphere, I’m sure the fortunate concoctor, Has saved more lives than any doctor, So keep them, friends, a prize deposit, To stand at all times in your closet.”

In the Liver Tonic section is another one:

“The sparkling eye – the blooming cheek, The ruddy glow of perfect health, These are the riches all should seek, These are, indeed, the truest wealth.”

Youngblood July 25 1874

Youngblood’s Tonic Bitters and Youngblood’s Liver Tonic advertisement – The Henderson Times, July 25, 1874

A similar, but smaller, advertisement (see below) was found in the January 24, 1874 issue of the Dallas Weekly Herald.

Youngbloods Jan 24 1874

Youngblood’s Tonic Bitters and Youngblood’s Liver Tonic advertisement – Dallas Weekly Herald, January 24, 1874

I also was able to track down mention of Youngblood’s Tonics in a couple of other newspapers. In this October 12, 1873, Houston Daily Mercury newspaper advertisement, Youngblood’s Bitters is compared to a potion whipped up by the Roman God Bacchus (see below).

Youngbloods Tonics Oct 12 1873

Youngblood’s Tonic advertisement – Houston Daily Mercury (Houston, Tex.), Sunday, October 12, 1873

A few weeks later his claims were less bold, and it was simply referred to as “A Good Tonic” in the Houston Daily Mercury (see below) on Thursday, October 23, 1873.

Youngblood Oct 23 1873

“A Good Tonic” advertisement for Youngblood’s Bitters in the Houston Daily Mercury on Thursday, October 23, 1873.

These advertisements led me to wonder just who was Dr. L. D. Youngblood? I found where he visited Houston to peddle his tonic in the August of 1873 issue of the Houston Daily Mercury (see below) on Saturday, August 23, 1873.

Youngblood Aug 23 1873

Dr. L. D. Youngblood visited Houston to peddle his tonic in August of 1873 –   Houston Daily Mercury, Saturday, August 23, 1873

The June 14, 1874 Galveston Daily News mentioned “L. D. Youngblood was fined yesterday $3 and costs for disorderly conduct.” I did not know at the time but this was a foreshadowing of what was to come.

I tried varying the searches I was doing and finally struck gold…. in Deadwood, Dakota Territory

I had searched a while in Texas records and newspapers without having much luck. I tried varying the searches I was doing and finally struck gold…. in Deadwood, Dakota Territory!

“In August 1875, gold was discovered in the gulch that would later become the location of the infamous city of Deadwood, South Dakota. The entire Black Hills area was off-limits to whites at that time, having been designated as Sioux land in the Treaty of 1868. Nevertheless, by the following spring, thousands of miners had swarmed into the forbidden land and Deadwood became the center of the 1876 rush. Founded almost simultaneously with the town was the newspaper, the Black Hills Pioneer, which provides a revealing record of that turbulent first year. Deadwood is one of the few mining boom towns that has survived to the present day. Although the original city was destroyed in the fire of 1879, many buildings dating from the 1890s have survived and are still clinging to the sides of the hills along Whitewood and Deadwood creeks.”

Read: Black Hills Pioneer: First Newspaper of Deadwood, Dakota Territory, 1876-1877 by Nancy Niethammer Kovats

Deadwood Dakota Terr

Deadwood, Dakota Territory

With the gold rush, Dr. Lorenzo D. Youngblood knew an opportunity when he saw it and headed north. And perhaps things were getting a little too hot for him in Texas. The website I found with Google that opened up this search, and provided me his first name, is deadwoodcharacters.com.

This webpage, somehow connected with the Deadwood Genealogy Forum, lists short summaries of newspaper stories of residents of Deadwood and the surrounding area. Finally having a first name I was able to put together the following chronology of Dr. Youngblood:

Dr. Youngblood Timeline

1847: Montgomery (Orange Co.), New York. Christened Feb 4, 1847 at the Dutch Reformed Church. – familysearch.org

1855: Crawford (Orange Co.), New York. New York census (see below). Lorenzo age 8, born in New York. Father Hanson Youngblood, mother Sarah J. Youngblood. – New York State Census 1855

New York State Census 1855

Crawford (Orange Co.), New York census. Lorenzo age 8, born in New York. Father Hanson Youngblood, mother Sarah J. Youngblood. – New York State Census 1855

1860: Crawford (Orange Co.), New York. U.S. Census. Lorenzo D. Youngblood age 14. – familysearch.org

1870: U. S. Census. Two L. D. Youngbloods were found around the right age and born in New York. One was a clerk in a Dry Goods store in Omaha, the other a druggist in Crawford, New York. My bet is on the second one.

1870: L. D. Youngblood (see below), age 23, Sept 16, 1870 Druggist, Crawford (Orange Co.) New York

Sep 16 1870 L D Youngblood Druggist Crawford NY

L. D. Youngblood, age 23, Sept 16, 1870, Druggist, Crawford (Orange Co.) New York

1873-74: Texas. Advertisements in Texas newspapers showing a Youngblood’s Tonic Bitters and a Youngblood’s Liver Tonic. Dr. L. D. Youngblood was in Tyler Texas. One mention of disorderly conduct (see further above).

1876-78: Dakota & Montana Territories. Advertisements and articles related to Dr. Lorenzo D. Youngblood. Unfortunately, I do not have access to the actual newspapers, only the index on the deadwoodcharacters.com website.

September 23, 1876: Dr. L. D. develops a rejuvenizer.

October 14, 1876: Youngblood rejuvenizer advertisement, McKinney, Philips agent.

June 5, 1877: Lorenzo D. Youngblood in court.

June 9, 1877: Lorenzo D. Youngblood found not guilty.

June 25, 1877: Prof. Youngblood preserving philanthropists.

July 6, 1878: Prof. Youngblood in Fort Benton [Montana] manufacturing his bitters.

1879: Denver, Colorado. In April, his wife committed suicide. In the write-up of Lorenzo’s own suicide was this:

“The Dispatch’ says of Youngblood that he has had a great deal of domestic trouble, his wife having committed suicide in Denver last April, leaving a little girl, whom, it seems is now being cared for by friends in that city.”

1879: Butte, Montana Territory. In June he apparently married another woman. L. D. Youngblood married Lottie Blair in Butte, Deer Lodge Co., Montana on June 6, 1879. Did Lorenzo know Lottie earlier? Was this why his first wife committed suicide? Either way, 2 months is an incredibly short morning period.

June 6 1879 Butte Montana Marriage

L. D. Youngblood married Lottie Blair in Butte, Deer Lodge Co., Montana on June 6, 1879.

In the write-up of Lorenzo’s suicide was this:

“Youngblood’s marriage with a Park street woman, was a matter of town talk some weeks before his departure.”

On the same day as his marriage was an advertisement in “The Benton Record” on June 06, 1879 for a Youngblood’s Montana Bitters! (Someone better get digging A.S.A.P.). The layout of this advertisement conclusively connects to the earlier Texas advertisements. Note, I still do not know what the “H. H. H.” stands for. (PRG: Hearty, Healthy & Happy) I did find out “sic itur Ad astra” is a Latin phrase meaning “thus you shall go to the stars”. What this has to do with bitters, I have no idea. Well if we were talking about Asteroid Tonic Bitters I could see a connection. At the bottom is a reference that Alderman & Youngblood are the manufactures of the bitters.

The Benton record June 06 1879

Advertisement in “The Benton Record” on June 06, 1879 for a Youngblood’s Montana Bitters!

1879: E. M. Alderman moves his laboratory for Youngblood’s Montana Bitters (see below)

Alderman_The_Montana_Standard_Sat__Aug_23__1879_

Notice: E. M. Alderman moves his laboratory for Youngblood’s Montana Bitters – The Montana Standard, Saturday, August 23, 1879

1879: Salt Lake City, Utah Territory. In October, The Daily Miner in Butte, Montana printed an article that originally was in the Salt Lake Tribune. It tells the sad story of L. D. Youngblood. Due to a “love for strong drink” he had lost his business, second wife and eventually his life. The article does indicate he originally came from New York. His partner in the manufacture of a Montana Bitters was E. M. Alderman. It sounds like he had drifted to Ogden and worked as a waiter before making it to Salt Lake City.

Suicide of L D Youngblood - Butte Daily Miner - Oct 7 1879

Suicide of L. D. Youngblood – Butte Daily Miner, Oct 7, 1879

He went into a barber shop, announced his suicidal purposes and in the presence of the Inmates, swallowed ten grains of morphine.

THE DAILY MINER. Butte, Montana, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 1879 SUICIDE OF L. D. YOUNGBLOOD

THE SALT LAKE ‘TRIBUNE’ of the 3d. instant, gives the following account of the suicide of L. D. YOUNGBLOOD, formerly of this place. Youngblood while here was connected with Mr. E. M. Alderman in the manufacture of bitters, syrups, flavoring extracts, etc., an occupation in which he might have done well if he had let liquor alone and had attended closely to business. But it seems this was impossible. The love of strong drink had gained so great an ascendancy over him that the unfortunate man was utterly unreliable, not only towards his business associate but even to himself. Work begun in good faith and with the evident purpose of being finished out of hand, would be dropped when half completed, while the slave of the cup would abandon himself, to drink even though he knew that the half-finished preparation would thereby prove a total loss. Youngblood’s marriage with a Park street woman, was a matter of town talk some weeks before his departure. Upon the failure of repeated efforts to induce Youngblood to reform, Mr. Alderman brought a dissolution of the partnership, when Mr. Y. drifted off southward to meet the fate here described. He was originally from New York, and was over 40 years of age.

L. D. YOUNGBLOOD, a former waiter at the Union Depot Hotel, Ogden, shuffled off this mortal coil this afternoon. He went into a barber shop, announced his suicidal purposes and in the presence of the Inmates, swallowed ten grains of morphine. Youngblood’s intoxicated condition deceived the lookers-on, who supposed his talk drunken jargon. He bade them good-bye and passed on to Beardsley’s Hotel. From there he was taken to the Globe Hotel by the police, muttering on his way expressions to the effect that he had taken poison. At the Globe his symptoms became alarming and near 11 o’clock in the evening he passed away.

The Dispatch’ says of Youngblood that he has had a great deal of domestic trouble, his wife having committed suicide in Denver last April, leaving a little girl, whom, it seems is now being cared for by friends in that city. Youngblood was a handsome, fine-appearing man about 30 years of age; he was pleasing in deportment and when not under the influence of liquor, had an affable, gentlemanly manner, which could have made him friends wherever he would have gone. He had no doubt experienced a great deal of trouble and disappointment and his sad death is probably but the termination of a very unhappy career.

Read: Youngblood Article

I doubt we will ever learn the full story, but I imagine it would have been interesting. To go from getting married to dying by your own hand just three months later is quite a turn around. But then I did not know his second wife.

It looks like the Dr. Youngblood shot during the train robbery of 1892 was a different man. Here is another story that mentions him. Perhaps this was the Nebraska store clerk of 1870. I just hope that he too got into the bitters business. Read: Train Robbery Again

I plan to track down the two Trade Marks referenced in Youngblood’s advertisements. Interestingly one shows an 1860 date. As he was only 13 in 1860, did Dr. Youngblood get the bitters recipe from someone else? His father, Hanson, was always shown as a farmer in the census records. Perhaps it was something he picked up as a druggist in New York? Maybe, when he got to Texas he ran into someone with a bitters that needed better marketing.

YoungbloodShard_8

[11-13-15]

Ferdinand, Dug a broken Youngblood’s Tonic Bitters in Galveston the other day. Honestly didn’t have a clue what it was so only saved the front panel and the lip. When I go back to the site, I am going to re-excavate the pit (it is just a tiny trash pit) and see if I can find enough to glue together a good part of the bottle. Pit was full of broken Hostetters, Wolfe’s Schnapps, etc…looked to be late 1860’s or maybe early 1870’s.

Thought you might be interested…it is a beautiful light amber color.

Best Regards,

Brandon DeWolfe, P.E.

Posted in Advertising, Article Publications, Bitters, Digging and Finding, History, Medicines & Cures, Tonics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Train Load of Health – Dr. Harter’s Family Medicines

Posted on 16 February 2014 by Ferdinand Meyer V

HartersTrainShadow

A Train Load of Health – Dr. Harter’s Family Medicines

16 February 2014

S_K_Harter

Apple-Touch-IconAJoe Gourd sent in this outstanding Dr. Harter’s Wild Cherry Bitters advertising trade card (above) from the John Kemler collection. As the card says, the “Train Load of Health” is historically correct, and is the largest shipment of its character ever made in the United States. The special train was removing the main office and laboratory of the Dr. Harter Medicine Company from St. Louis, Missouri to Dayton, Ohio in August and September 1895. Look at the great illustration below showing a bottle of Dr. Harter’s on top of the roof. The top illustration is Dr. S. K. Harter.

HartersHomeShadow

Dr. Harter’s Family Medicines new home in Dayton, Ohio, 1895

I’ve written about Dr. Harter’s before with Dr. Harter’s Wild Cherry Bitters and the Bottle Gods and even noted this train. To see an image on this trade card is quite amazing. Look at this full page article in The Coffeyville Weekly Journal on 06 September 1895.

DrHartersTrainPage

DR. HARTER’S IRON TONIC WAS AN ELIXIR OF LIFE FOR DAYTON

Aug. 5, 1895, a train carrying the first of the manufacturing equipment and the officers of the company left St. Louis for Dayton. Newspaper reporters from Dayton and every town on the route between St. Louis and Dayton went to St. Louis to accompany the train.

Local businesses declared a holiday, and when the train arrived at Union Station, the whistles of every Dayton manufacturing plant blew, and the huge bell at the Central Fire Station rang. At the signal, thousands of Daytonians hurried downtown, some to inspect the 18-car train, and others to crowd along the curbs to watch the parade. At 7:40 p.m. Col. Torrence Huffman, grand marshall, gave the signal and led by the Springfield Cadet Band and a platoon of mounted police, the parade began. All the houses along the route were decorated and lighted with Japanese lanterns. Dayton businesses were represented by company express wagons. The Harter company express wagons followed, and at the last of the parade were 200 carriages filled with Dayton citizens. All occupants of the wagons and carriages had been given red flares and Roman candles to shoot, and the entire parade was a ribbon of colorful explosions as it countermarched along Main Street to the Atlas Hotel.

This article appeared in the Dayton Daily News
TrainHartersRevShadow

A Train Load of Health – Dr. Harter’s Wild Cherry Bitters trade card reverse – John Kemler collection

H 48 & 050 (Dr Harters)

Two labeled examples of Dr. Harter’s Wild Cherry Bitters – Meyer Collection

Posted in Advertising, Article Publications, Ephemera, History, Medicines & Cures, Miniatures, Tonics, Trade Cards | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Grandfather’s Perfect Orange Bitters

Posted on 16 February 2014 by Ferdinand Meyer V

GrandfathersOrangeBittersTCfront

OrangeBittersSeriesArtGrandfather’s Perfect Orange Bitters

PART OF THE ORANGE BITTERS SERIES

16 February 2014

Apple-Touch-IconANow here is a really tough brand to identify. Grandfather’s Perfect Orange Bitters is yet another, unlisted orange bitters, represented on the extremely rare, Joe Gourd collection label depicted at the top of the post.

GrandfathersBittersPortrait

So let us look at what we have to work with. We have the name ‘grandfather’, a portrait of grandfather, the phrases “A Compound American Product”, “Established 1885”, “Guaranteed Under the Food and Drugs Act June 30, 1906” and “Serial No. 18290”. Those are our only clues.

TheGrandfatherDrink

Searching online, reveals no direct or even remote hits for Grandfather’s Perfect Orange Bitters. Lots of hits referring to a “bitter grandfather” which, I guess, was pretty common back then, even now I suppose. Hey, I’ve been a grandfather for 18 years now and I’ve been there before. There is also no proprietor name listed so that closes many search door options. I did find a drink called “The Grandfather” using Angostura Bitters (made by the wizard and his family in Wizard of Oz) and Peychaud’s Bitters.

Lots of hits referring to a “bitter grandfather” which, I guess, was pretty common back then, even now I suppose.

I did find one advertisement for Hostetter’s Bitters directed to “Old Folks” with an endorsement from a grandfather (see below). Hostetter’s had all of the marketing angles covered.

HostettersOldFolksAd

Hostetter’s Bitters directed to “Old Folks” – The San Francisco Call, January 05, 1902

I tell you what. I am going to roll my Peachridge Dice and tell you what I believe this bitters might be. I have a hunch that is not really backed up with any true support. I think I can do this and not get everyone mad at me. Heck, I been wrong lots of times before, just ask Elizabeth. So here we go…

PRGDice

I wonder if it was a ‘Medicinal Whiskey’ product or related to the history of Old Grand-Dad Bourbon Whiskey from the Jim Beam plant in Kentucky? Look at the bottle image below. An orange label and a picture of a grandfather, albeit not the same grandfather image but a ‘grand dad’ image. The label even says since 1882. Yes, I know, I’m really stretching it. But read the history below. There are some clues like grandfather Basil Hayden, the American Medicinal Spirits Company, Harry E. Wilken, the National Distillers Group and R. E. Wathen, that at a minimum, is some interesting reading about the lengths some individuals and companies went to circumvent Prohibition.

OldGrandDadBitters

Old Grand Dad Bourbon Whiskey

Old Grand-Dad is a brand of bourbon whiskey distilled at the Jim Beam Plant in Clermont, Kentucky. The brand was created by Raymond B. Hayden and named after his grandfather, Basil Hayden, Sr., a well known distiller during his lifetime who is depicted on the front of each bottle. Today, it is owned and produced by Beam Inc. Currently Old Grand-Dad, Old Crow, and Old Overholt are marketed together as The Olds.

The brand was created by Raymond B. Hayden and named after his grandfather, Basil Hayden, Sr., a well known distiller during his lifetime

The Hayden family’s first commercial distillery was created in 1840, and the whiskey has been in production since that time despite several changes of ownership. In 1899, Old Grand-Dad was sold to the Wathen family, whose broad interests in the whiskey business later formed the American Medicinal Spirits Company and the foundations of National Distillers Group.

During prohibition, the company produced “medicinal whiskey” for sick, blind, and lame patients.

During prohibition, the company produced “medicinal whiskey” for sick, blind, and lame patients. In 1987, National Distillers Group sold the spirits business to the Fortune Brands holding company, which became Beam Inc.

Today, Old Grand-Dad is one of the ten best-selling straight whiskeys. It comes in three different bottling proofs: 80 proof, 100 proof Bottled In Bond, and 114 Barrel Proof in a short-height bottle gift box package. In 2013, the lower proof offering went from 86 proof to 80 proof. Beam now also markets another brand of Kentucky bourbon, Basil Hayden’s, that is named after the same person. [Wikipedia]

Basil Hayden

Basil Hayden’s is the lightest bodied bourbon whiskey in the family of Jim Beam small batch bourbons produced by Beam Inc.. It is 80 proof, in contrast with its three sibling brands of higher alcohol concentration (Knob Creek, Booker’s, and Baker’s).

The Basil Hayden’s bourbon brand is named in honor of Basil Hayden, Sr., who was a Maryland Catholic that led a group of twenty-five Catholic families from Maryland into what is now Nelson County, Kentucky (near Bardstown) in 1785. This area is home to many of the famous bourbon brands, including Jim Beam. There Hayden donated the land for the first Catholic church west of the Alleghenies and the first Catholic church in what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Read: 2014 Lexington National Banquet Speaker “Mr. Bourbon”

Hayden was also a distiller, and he used a larger amount of rye in his mash than in some other bourbons. Later, Hayden’s grandson Raymond B. Hayden founded a distillery in Nelson County and named his label “Old Grand-Dad” in honor of his grandfather. The picture on the bottle was copied from a rendering of Basil Sr.’s likeness. When Beam Industries introduced their “small batch” collection, among the four was “Basil Hayden’s”, which the company says uses a mash similar to that originally utilized by Hayden in 1792.

Hayden’s family can be traced back to England (Norfolk) to the period shortly after the Norman Conquest. One ancestor, Simon de Heydon, was knighted by Richard the Lionheart in the Holy Land during the Third Crusade in the 1190s. His son, Thomas de Heydon, was made Justice Itinerant of Norfolk by Henry III. Around 1400, another ancestor, John Heydon, appears to have been associated with “The Grove” – a large estate in Watford (Hertfordshire), located about twenty miles northwest of London. Some researchers have speculated that John Heydon was given the estate for his father Sir Richard de Heydon’s services in the French Wars, where Sir Richard perished. Others are less sure. But Heydons definitely lived in Watford from the fourteenth through seventeenth centuries.

The Heydons emigrated to the Virginia Colony in the 1660s, when much of Britain became inhospitable to Catholics. Francis Hayden, Basil’s great-grandfather and the first Heydon (then switching to Hayden), moved from Virginia to Maryland in 1678, settling in St. Mary’s County on St. Clement’s Bay, where the family remained until Basil led his band of Catholic families into present-day Nelson County, Kentucky. During the American Revolution, Basil supplied provisions to the Colonial Army. [Wikipedia]

American Medicinal Spirits Company

The American Medicinal Spirits Company appears to have been formed around 1920 to meet the need of providing medicinal whiskey to the lame and blind during Prohibition after the passage of the Volstead Act in 1919. The process of consolidation in the liquor industry had started prior to the passage of the Volstead Act. The smaller companies resisted take-over and often managed to undercut the big companies prices and stay in favor with their local patrons. Prohibition would deal the death blow to most.

Among those was the the American Medicinal Spirits Company – one distilling family’s answer to the crushing Federal Legislation.

The number of distilling establishments in the United States started to decline after hitting a peak number of 965 establishments in 1899. By 1914, the number had dropped to 434 establishments and throughout the Prohibition years it ranged from only 27-33 distillers. Among those was the The American Medicinal Spirits Company – one distilling family’s answer to the crushing Federal Legislation. There would be only handful of companies ready when the ban was lifted to consolidate and dominate the liquor market. The American Medicinal Spirits Company would be one of them and was one of the few distillers legally selling booze during the prohibited years. [Digger Odell]

AmericanMedicinalSpiritsCoBottle

Old reserve “Bourbon Whiskey” made in fall 1917 that was bottled in the fall of 1932 by The American Medicinal Spirits Company produced by Harry E. Wilken.

Old Reserve Bourbon Whiskey

Old reserve “Bourbon Whiskey” made in fall 1917 that was bottled in the fall of 1932 by The American Medicinal Spirits Company produced by Harry E. Wilken.

This bottle has all labels that say “Special old reserve-fine old Bourbon Whiskey made in  Kentucky before Prohibition, stored in the finest Oak barrels for over 15 years and bottled in bond under Government Supervision especially for the stockholders of the National Distillers Products Corporation. The American Medicinal Spirits Company incorporated R. E. Wathen, Pres.” The back label is in four parts. The first says “Bottled by the American Medicinal Spirits Company incorporated at distillery bonded warehouse no. 368 5th Dist. of Ky. Permit no. Ky. P-18 100 proof 1 pint.” The second part says “For medicinal purposes only. Sale or use for other purposes will cause heavy penalties to be inflicted.” Part three says, “produced by Harry E. Wilken Distillery No. 368. 5th district of Ky.” The fourth part says “Caution notice, this bottle has been filled and stamped under the provisions of the act of congress. Approved March 3, 1897. Entitled an act to allow the bottling of Distilled spirits in bond. Any person who shall re-use this bottle for the purpose of containing distilled spirits without removing and destroying the stamp affixed to this bottle, or who shall re-use the stamp affixed to this bottle will be liable for each such offense to a fine of not less than one hundred nor more than one thousand dollars and to imprisonment for not more than two years.” [i-offer]

Harry E. Wilken

Seeking a companion blended whiskey to popularize, Schenley consulted Harry E. Wilken, chief distiller for Joseph S. Finch & Co., a Schenley subsidiary at Schenley, Pa. Distiller Wilken produced a formula for a blend of four-year-old whiskey, 16-month whiskey, and neutral spirits (alcohol and water). Last week it was launched as The Wilken Family Blended Whiskey, along with an advertising campaign designed to endear Distiller Wilken & family to the whiskey-drinking public.

The Wilken family is shown, usually in shirtsleeves, sitting on barrels in their warehouse, gazing reverently at a picture of Grandfather Wilken, fishing on a riverbank near Schenley.

First advertisement introduced Distiller Wilken, his two sons, Harry Jr. and William, his son-in-law, Thomas McConville. Subsequent advertisements will add to the family Mr. Wilken’s late, whiskeymaking father. They could bring in Mrs. Wilken, Daughters Mary and Adeline (Mrs. McConville), Grandson Billy McConviilc. The Wilken family is shown, usually in shirtsleeves, sitting on barrels in their warehouse, gazing reverently at a picture of Grandfather Wilken, fishing on a riverbank near Schenley.

Keynote of the campaign: One time, it must have been two years ago, when we were all sitting around after supper I said to myself and the boys: “You know, boys, I sort of have a feeling that people would sure love just to get a taste of our own family’s whiskey.” So we set about making it. And now you’ve got it. And I bet it tastes as good to you as it does to us!

Distiller Wilken was presented last week as “the man who has actually made more whiskey than any living person.” At ? he was put in one of his father’s distilleries as manager. Few years later he was put out when his father sold the distillery. Thereafter Son Harry manufactured Bourbon for various companies, alcohol for the Government during the War, medicinal whiskey for Schenley during Prohibition. Stocky, round-faced, white-haired, he bustles around his plant with his hat pushed back on his head, continually begging the pardon of girl packers with whom he collides. The company baseball team knows that it is in for a stern reprimand from him if it ever loses a game. To keep fit he drinks a jigger of whiskey before every meal and at bedtime.

Wilken Family Whiskey is made by The Wilken Family, Inc. in the Schenley plant and Schenley owns a controlling interest. But by basing his campaign on his own family, Schenley’s Wilken has assured his descendants of jobs. Son Harry Jr. assists in the distilling, Son William manages the blending, while Son-in-Law Tom, an engineer, keeps the machinery in order.” [Time magazine, Monday, Aug. 26, 1935]

Conclusion:

This is all just a wild goose chase that was fun putting together. The mystery and story of this Grandfather’s Orange Bitters remains to be solved and told. I was hoping to find that Basil Hayden, Sr. made this concoction in 1885 and sold it with his whiskey label to the Wathen family who resurrected the brand as either a non-alcoholic bitters or who added their whiskey to it and sold it as “medicinal whiskey” with the American Medicinal Spirits Company. I can almost imagine that bottle pictured above with Grandfather’s Perfect Orange Bitters on it.

If Jack Sullivan is reading this, Jack I bet you could solve this one. Jack has the web site Pre-Pro.com and is the ‘grandfather’ of this type of research. Help this grandfather out.

OrangeBittersSeriesArt

Bernard’s Orange Bitters and a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland

Pale Orange Bitters and PJ Murray’s Ghost

De Kuyper’s Orange Bitters

Mack’s Orange Tonic Bitters – a sweet bitters from Orlando

California Aromatic Orange Bitters – San Francisco

Fine Aromatic Orange Stomach Bitters – Berry, Demoville & Co. – Nashville

Roped Squares – Baker’s Orange Grove Bitters

The Color Orange in Antique Bottles & Glass

More on the Color Orange in Antique Glass

Posted in Advertising, Bitters, Bourbon, Ephemera, History, Liquor Merchant, Medicines & Cures, Questions, Regulations, Spirits, Whiskey | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Possibly the Earliest Photograph of People Drinking Beer

Posted on 15 February 2014 by Ferdinand Meyer V
Edinburgh_Ale_by_Hill_&_Adamson_c1844

Edinburgh Ale: James Ballantine, Dr George William Bell (1813-1889) and David Octavius Hill
The skills involved in producing calotypes were not only of a technical nature. Hill’s sociability, humour and his capacity to gauge the sitters’ characters all played a crucial part in his photography. He is shown here on the right, apparently sharing a drink and a joke with James Ballantine and Dr George Bell. Bell, in the middle, was one of the commissioners of the Poor Law of 1845, which reformed poor relief in Scotland, and author of Day and night in the wynds of Edinburgh[2]. Ballantine was a writer and stained-glass artist, and the son of an Edinburgh brewer. On the table are three glasses of ale. One contemporary account describes a popular Edinburgh ale (Younger’s) as “a potent fluid, which almost glued the lips of the drinker together, and of which few, therefore, could dispatch more than a bottle.”

Possibly the Earliest Photograph of People Drinking Beer

15 February 2014

Apple-Touch-IconAWhile working on the Bernard’s Orange Bitters from Edinburgh post, I came across this image above which is possibly the earliest photograph of people drinking beer. It is a salt print showing James Ballantine, George Bell and David Octavius Hill sharing an Edinburgh ale. The photograph dates from circa 1844.

People | Drinking Gallery VII

Presenting the Seventh Gallery of vintage pictures of “People Drinking”. This is a continuation of:

Photographs of People Drinking – Part I

Photographs and Images of People Drinking – Part II

Photographs and Images of People Drinking – Part III

Photographs and Images of People Drinking – Part IV (Brewing)

Photographs and Images of People Drinking – Part V

Photographs and Images of People Drinking – Part VI

SternWomen

Why men drink

DawsonCityGambling

Dawson City Gambling

PubSceneSingingAlmaMaterUnivBuffalo

Goofy Singing Pub Scene – University of Buffalo Alma mater

Top Hat Beer

Happy Hour 24 oz beer in Top Hat

1940sBeerBoot

Nice, sexy 1940’s photography of Drinking Beer from a Glass Boot. I like the eyes.

AncientEgypt-beer

A Syrian mercenary drinking beer in the company of his Egyptian wife and child, c. 1350 BC. Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis

boweryphilosopherdrinkingbeer1949

Bowery philosophe drinking beer – 1949

hofbrauHitler

On this day in 1923, in Munich, Hitler wanted to take control of the German goverment (with the aid of Alfred Rosenberg and Max Erwin von Scheubner-Richter). Hitler and company planned to kidnap the triumverate of Generalkommissar Gustav von Kahr, General Otto von Lossow (commander of the army in Bavaria), and Colonel Hans Ritter von Seisser (commander of the state police), in a Buergerbräukeller (a beer hall). The event was later named “The Beer Hall Putsch.”

Glassware

Photograph, c. 1933, illustrating various classic beer glass shapes. Prohibition caused a lack of public knowledge of how to serve alcoholic beverages, an issue addressed in this nationally syndicated photograph.

FederalAgentsLumberTruck

Alerted by the smell of a broken bottle of liquor, Federal Agents inspect a “lumber truck”. Los Angeles, 1926

CowShoes

Cow shoes used by Moonshiners in the Prohibition days to disguise their footprints, 1922

KusterersBrewery

An 1876 photo showing Christoph Kusterer’s brewery employees celebrating a spring lager release at the company’s building at Michigan Street and Ottawa Avenue in Grand Rapids. – Courtesy Photo | Grand Rapids Public Library

vodkabond

Sean Connery, who first played James Bond from 1962 to 1971, fixes himself a drink

Posted in Ales & Ciders, History, Humor - Lighter Side, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

My ‘Purdy’ new bitters

Posted on 15 February 2014 by Ferdinand Meyer V

PurdysCottageBitters_SideFront

My ‘Purdy’ new bitters

P U R D Y ‘S    C O T T A G E    B I T T E R S

15 February 2014 (R•031414)

DDbirdbeard

Apple-Touch-IconAI would like to introduce you to my ‘Purdy‘ new bitters. Yeh, I know with the old TV show Dallas, the Travolta movie Urban Cowboy, Davy Crockett, the Alamo and now Duck Dynasty, I suspect some of you northerners perceive us southerners, as a bit weird, especially if we are from or live in the great,  United States of TEXAS. You guys speak funny too.

PS: I am originally from Baltimore but practically sleep with my boots on since I have been in Houston since the late 1970s.

TbyTexans

timeustexasPurdy’s Cottage Bitters (P 156) is kind of a legendary bottle because it is very rare and we know virtually nothing about it except that three smooth base examples, a broken amber, a metallic pontil marked example and green shards were found in the Denver area some years ago according to Ring & Ham in Bitters Bottles Supplement.

This specific Purdy’s has resided in California (that is that little vertical strip of land on the the Left Coast of the United States that is labeled ‘uninhabitable’ in the top map) for many years in a well known collection, only to cross the country and reside in yet another respected New York (a state inside all those little states that are smushed together beneath “Damed Yankee Land”) collection for another good period of time.

Today the bottle is in transit to Houston. Well, it probably won’t be coming aboard a 747 with a space shuttle, as we used to see in flyovers, nor will it come by mule train as much of our ‘deliverables’ arrive from south of the border, if you know what I mean, but it is coming none-the-less.

TranspoChallengerMules

Anyway, my Purdy new bitters. The photographs were taken by the New York (near a big waterfall) collector. I photoshopped the snow out so you could not match the depth up with a specific city this week. Oh, I’m such a card. A legend in my own mind. Just having some fun before the sun comes up.

MysterySolvedPurdys

UPDATE: My Purdy’s Bitters Mystery Solved!

PurdyCottageArt

PurdysCottageBitters_SideLeft

PurdysCottageBitters3_End

Purdys&Steeles

Posted in Bitters, Collectors & Collections, Humor - Lighter Side, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bernard’s Orange Bitters and a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland

Posted on 14 February 2014 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Old-EdinburghMap

OrangeBittersSeriesArtBernard’s Orange Bitters and a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland

PART OF THE ORANGE BITTERS SERIES

14 February 2014 R•050919)

Apple-Touch-IconAHere we have yet another mysterious and unlisted ‘orange bitters‘ trade card from the Joe Gourd collection (see below). At first I thought that there was not much to go on but quickly located Richards and Harrison (William H. Richards and Robert J. Harrison) in San Francisco. On the back of the trade card, they are listed as Agents and Importers of Bernard’s Orange Bitters and Bernard’s Old Tom Gin. They also imported English, Scotch and Irish ales, porters, foreign wines and liquors. The good stuff. A ’boutique’ establishment for sure. So who is Bernard? We probably need to travel.

Two Richards and Harrison trade card fronts. Reverse advertises that they are Agents and Importers for Bernard’s Orange Bitters (see below) – Joe Gourd Collection

Richards and Harrison trade cards reverse (see above). Note Bernard’s Orange Bitters – Joe Gourd Collection

My first hit on Bernard takes us to Quebec where I find an 1865 advertisement (below) for Bernard & Co’s (trade mark) of Leith, Scotland. They actually mention the Old Tom Gin. Looks like we are going to cross the pond to look for this bitters.

BernardsOldTomGin_1865

Advertisement for Bernard & Co.’s Old Tom Gin – Quebec Morning Chronicle, November 13, 1865

Another search confirms that we are talking about Bernard & Company from Edinburgh, Scotland. This 1862 advertisement below shows that 50 cases of Bernard & Co’s Orange Bitters were ‘Just Received’ by W. H. Richards & Co. at 708 Sansome Street in San Francisco. Note that Old Tom Gin was also included in the shipment.

JustArrivedBernardsOrangeBitters_1862

50 cases of Bernard & Co’s Orange Bitters just received by W.H. Richards & Co. at 708 Sansome Street in San Francisco – Daily Alta California, 28 August 1862

Thomas and James Bernard (Thomas & James Bernard LTD) began brewing at the Edinburgh Brewery, North Back Canongate, Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1840. Thomas Bernard died in 1874 and was succeeded by his two sons, Daniel and John Mackay Bernard. Thomas Bernard & Co. was then established as maltsters in 1874. The original site became too small and a new Edinburgh Brewery was opened in Slateford Road, on the western edge of the city, in 1888.

BerPaleAleTray

Thomas & James Bernard Ltd black backed tray dating from 1900.
The Edinburgh Brewery was based in Slateford Road, Edinburgh – Richard Percivals Breweriana

A dispute arose between Daniel and John Mackay Bernard soon after the opening of the new brewery and in April 1889. Daniel Bernard left the business to set up his own brewery at nearby Gorgie, Edinburgh, Scotland. In March 1895, Thomas & James Bernard & Co. Ltd. was registered as a limited liability company to acquire the business. In 1960 the company was taken over by Scottish Brewers Ltd, Edinburgh, Scotland, and ceased to brew.

The Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol 3, (London, 1890)

So Bernard’s Orange Bitters will be a new listing in Ring & Ham and I have no bottles or graphics to show you for the brand. The bitters must have been shipped globally, as I find advertisements in far-away places like San Francisco, Quebec and New Zealand.

The new listing for the forthcoming Bitters Bottles Supplement 2:

Trade Cards
B 87.8 BERNARD’S ORANGE BITTERS, (front: nature scenes with deer, reverse: three columns of imported products) Richards & Harrison, Agents & Importers, 314 and 316 Battery Street
Thomas & James Bernard LTD, Edinburgh, Scotland
Richards & Harrison (William H. Richards and Robert J. Harrison), Importers of English, Scotch and Irish Ales and Porters, and foreign Wines and Liquors, San Francisco.

Select Timeline Events

1840: Thomas and James Bernard (Thomas & James Bernard & Co.) began brewing at the Edinburgh Brewery, North Back Canongate, Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1840. – The Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol 3, (London, 1890)
1862: W.H. Richards & Company advertisement (see above), 708 Sansome Street, San Francisco. 50 cases of Bernard & Co’s Orange Bitters Just Received – Daily Alta (San Francisco) California, 28 August 1862
1865: Advertisement (see below) for Bernard & Co.’s Old Tom Gin – Quebec Morning Chronicle, November 13, 1865
1870: Listing (see below) – Richards & Harrison, Importers of English, Scotch and Irish Ales and Porters, and foreign Wines and Liquors. Corner Battery and Commercial Streets, San Francisco – 1870 Pacific Coast Railroad Gazetteer
Richards&Harrison1870PacificCoast RR Gazetteer

Richards and Harrison listing – 1870 Pacific Coast Railroad Gazetteer

1874: Richards & Harrison advertisement (below), W.H. Richards and R.J. Harrison, 314 and 316 Battery Street – The California Horticulturist and Floral Magazine, 1874
1874: Thomas Bernard & Co. was established as maltsters in 1874 in Scotland.
Richards&Harrison1874

Richards & Harrison advertisement – The California Horticulturist and Floral Magazine, 1874

1886: Listing (see below) – Richards & Harrison (William H. Richards and Robert J. Harrison) importers and wholesale dealers in English ale, porter, foreign wines, liquors, groceries, etc., 401-403 Sansome – 1884 San Francisco City Directory
Richards&Harrison

Richards & Harrison listing- 1884 San Francisco City Directory

1895: Thomas Bernard & Co. Ltd, became a limited liability company. – The Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol 3, (London, 1890)

OrangeBittersSeriesArt

Pale Orange Bitters and PJ Murray’s Ghost

De Kuyper’s Orange Bitters

Mack’s Orange Tonic Bitters – a sweet bitters from Orlando

California Aromatic Orange Bitters – San Francisco

Fine Aromatic Orange Stomach Bitters – Berry, Demoville & Co. – Nashville

Roped Squares – Baker’s Orange Grove Bitters

The Color Orange in Antique Bottles & Glass

More on the Color Orange in Antique Glass

Posted in Advertising, Ales & Ciders, Bitters, Breweriana, Ephemera, Gin, History, Liquor Merchant, Spirits, Trade Cards, Wine & Champagne | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

An unlisted Indian Queen Bitters?

Posted on 13 February 2014 by Ferdinand Meyer V

IndianQueenBitters_I21

An unlisted Indian Queen Bitters?

by James Viguerie

13 February 2014 (R•040819)

OK, maybe it is listed. This ebay listing might be Ring & Ham I 21 in Bitters Bottles, or a slight variation of it. Too bad it is not an unlisted figural variation. This one looks like it is from Pittston, Pennsylvania and not Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania as is noted in I 21 (see below).

The listing may want to be updated in Bitters Bottles Supplement 2.

I 21  L … Indian Queen Bitters
// I // CAP. 21 3/4 OZ // c //
Metropole Drug Company, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Pittston, Pennsylvania
Round, Clear, ABM
Tonics Were Cocktails, Metropole Drug Co. – Oil, Paint and Drug Reporter, 1921

I did a quick check on the Metropole Drug Company. They had some trouble with the law in 1921. It seems they exceeded the allowed alcohol level being that Prohibition was in effect. I wonder what the level was…?

Metopole

Tonics Were Cocktails – Oil, Paint and Drug Reporter, 1921

Their legal problems did not stop them from submitting a couple of patents a few years later. They had patent 151,279 for a General tonic on November 20, 1923.

MetropoleDrugCo1923

Metropole Drug Company, General Tonic patent 151,279 – United States Patent Office, 1923

And patent 180,243 for a Tonic on February 26, 1924

TonicGeneralMetropole1924

General Tonic patent 180,243, Metropole Drug Company – Index of Patents Issued From the United States Patent Office, 1924

IndianQueenCircleTop

Detail of cork. Notice the Indian wrapper piece. – ebay

Read More on Indian Queens:

Looking closer at the Brown’s Celebrated Indian Herb Bitters

Mohawk Whiskey Pure Rye Indian Queen

Why do we call the bottles the ‘Indian Queen?’

H. Pharazyn Indian Queen – Philadelphia

Ladies & Gents…The Kansas City Queen

E. Longs Indian Herb Bitters

Vintage Indian Queen, Princess & Maiden Advertising

The Rubenesque Queens

Posted in Bitters, History, Medicines & Cures, Tonics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pale Orange Bitters and PJ Murray’s Ghost

Posted on 13 February 2014 by Ferdinand Meyer V

PaleOrangeBittersTCfront

OrangeBittersSeriesArtPale Orange Bitters and P.J. Murray’s Ghost

PART OF THE ORANGE BITTERS SERIES

13 February 2014

Apple-Touch-IconAIs P.J. Murray watching over my shoulder as I write this post? Does he know that I am looking at one of his advertising trade cards (top, Joe Gourd Collection) for Pale Orange Bitters and snooping around the ruins of his once thriving distillery and speakeasy in Holyoke, Massachusetts? It is rumored that his spirit inhabits “Ye Olde Bud” as it is affectionately called by locals. I don’t know, but I just had a chill go down my spine a moment ago. I am near a window in my old warehouse studio and that will happen when the wind is blowing. The wind is not blowing this morning as the cold front passed and we have blue sky.

HolMassBirdsEye

View of Holyoke, Hampden County, Mass. in 1877 drawn & published by H. H. Bailey & J. C. Hazen.

Holyoke, Massachusetts

At one point, over 25 paper mills were in operation and the population rose from just under 5,000 in 1860 to over 60,000 in 1920. 

Holyoke was settled in the mid-1700s along the Connecticut River and was originally a farming community with few inhabitants until the construction of a dam and the Holyoke Canal System in 1849. With the subsequent construction of water-powered mills, particularly paper mills, the city grew. At one point, over 25 paper mills were in operation and the population rose from just under 5,000 in 1860 to over 60,000 in 1920. In 1888, Holyoke’s paper industry spurred the foundation of the American Pad & Paper Company, which as of 2007, is one of the largest suppliers of office products in the world. The map above pictures the following establishments. Look how many are paper and cotton houses.

Holyoke Water Power Co. G. M. Bartholomew, Pres., W. A. Chase, Agt. & Treas.
Holyoke Gas Works. G. M. Bartholomew, Pres., W. A. Chase, Agt. & Treas.
Lyman Mills (Cotton) Q. W. Lovering, Agt.
Hampden Mills (Cotton) A. D. Barker, Agt.
Holyoke Warp Co. (Cotton) J. G. Smith, Agt. & Treas.
Hadley Co. (Thread) Wm. Grover, Agt.
Merrick Thread Co. Timothy Merrick, Treas.
Farr Alpaca Co. J. Metcalf, Treas., H. M. Farr, Agt.
Springfield Blanket Co. W. H. Wilkinson, Treas.
Beebe & Holbrook, Paper Mfrs. G. B. Holbrook, Agt. & Treas.
Whiting Paper Co. Wm. Whiting, Agt. & Treas.
Parsons Paper Co. J. C. Parsons, Agt. & Treas.
Valley Paper Co. J. S. McElwain, Treas.
Crocker Paper Co. D. P. Crocker, Agt. & Treas.
Albion Paper Co. E. C. Taft, Agt. & Treas.
National Paper Co. H. L. Fairfield, Agt. & Treas.
Franklin Paper Co.
J. H. Newton, Agt. & Treas.
Holyoke Paper Co. O. H. Greenleaf, Agt., H. Heywood, Treas.
Riverside Paper Co. J. H. Appleton, Pres. & Treas.
Union Paper Mfg. Co. Henry Dickinson, Agt. & Treas.
Massachusetts Paper Mfg. Co. E. C. Rogers, Agt. & Treas.
Excelsior Paper Co. R. C. Dickinson, Agt. & Treas.
Newton Paper Co. Jas. Ramage, Pres., M. Newton, Treas.
Hadley Falls Paper Co. J. Carew, Pres., F. Carew, Treas.
Robertson, Black & Co. Tissue Manila Paper Mfrs.
Holyoke Machine Co. S. F. Stebbins, Agt., S. Holman, Treas.
Massachusetts Screw Co. D. H. Newton, Pres., J. C. Newton, Treas.
G. W. Prentiss & Co. Mfrs. of Refined Iron Wire, from Swedish & Norway Irons
F. R. Chapman & Co. Mfrs. of Table & Butchers Cutlery
Coghlan’s Steam Boiler Works. D. F. Coghlan, Proprietor
Pattee & Perkins, Machinists, Jobbers & Mfrs. of Perkins Improved Fire Hydrant
Warner File Works. F. Hubbard, Pres., B. W. Benjamin, Treas.
G. H. Deane & Co. Steam Pump Mfrs.
Smith & Roby, General Machinists, Shafting & Bolt Mfrs.
Unquomonk Silk Mills. Wm. Skinner, Proprietor
Mosher, Wait & Co. Millers
Holyoke Steam Boiler Works. B. F. Mullen, Proprietor
J. Merrick & Co. Lumber Merchants. Door, Sash & Blind Mfrs. & Builders
S. Snell & Co. Cement Pipe Mfrs.
New England Asphalt Pipe Works. J. E. Fuller, Pres.
Conner Brothers, Satinet Mfrs.
E. Whitaker, Reed Mfr.
Germania Mills
New York Mills
City Hall
Q. S. Backus, Mfr. Of Bit Braces & Boring Implements

Patrick J. Murray (PJ)

MurrayPaleOrangeTM

Irishman, Patrick J. Murray was born in Pennsylvania in either 1861 or 1862. He and his clan came to Holyoke, Massachusetts and started their liquor business at 30 John Street, across from City Hall, sometime in the 1890’s. They may have been around earlier in the 1860s after arrival from Ireland though information is hard to come by. There are like, 10 or so Patrick Murray’s running around in the vicinity during this era. Kind of a common Irish name. The building structure that Murray added on to was one of the original stage coach stops between Boston and Albany. The remainder of the building was constructed in the late 1890’s and was known as the PJ Murray distillery.

Pee-JayWhiskeylabel

Label for The Pee-Jay Pure Rye Whiskey No. 6, P.J. Murray & Co., Holyoke, Mass., undated – HistoricNewEngland.com

Around the turn of the century, Murray no longer made a profit at distilling whiskey and he became an importer, wholesaler and distributor. Some of the brands he sold or represented were Pee-Jay Pure Rye Whiskey No. 6 (pictured above), Hermitage Sour Mash Rye Whisky (pictured below) and Murryego Slivowica which was made for the Polish market (see below).

MurregoCard

The liquors made by the Murray Company are described in Polish. Trade card for Murryego Slivowica, P. J. Murray Company Incorporated, Holyoke, Mass, undated – HistoricNewEngland.org

HermitageMurrayOrange

Label for Hermitage Sour Mash Rye Whisky, Hermitage Distillery, W.A. Gaines & Co., distillers, undated – HistoricNewEngland.com

It looks like Patrick Murray first went into the saloon business around 1899 partnering with a fellow named Kelley. The establishment was called the Murray Saloon and it was located at 407 High Street. In 1913, the whole ground floor of Murray’s, John Street building, was opened as a saloon. Later some called it the “Bud”, possibly in honor of the fact that in 1903, Murray had become the first area distributor of Budweiser Beer for Anheuser-Busch east of the Mississippi. He was also the president of Bud Wine Liquor Company.

It was rigged with flashing lights to warn patrons of impending raids. There were escape routes through passageways behinds fireplaces on each floor and apparently a tunnel leading from the basement of City Hall to the basement of Murray’s saloon.

The PJ Murray distillery also housed a working-mans bar in this blue collar town. Women were not really accepted in bars then. His Pale Orange Bitters trade card says, “An American Product”, “Made by Americans in the U.S.A” and “America’s Best Liquors” to counter the European versions of Orange Bitters flooding the market. I am humming Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A” now.

Prohibition closed the first floor saloon, but a speakeasy, stocked with PJ’s own liquor, remained open. It was rigged with flashing lights to warn patrons of impending raids. There were escape routes through passageways behinds fireplaces on each floor and apparently a tunnel leading from the basement of City Hall to the basement of Murray’s saloon. It is said that the mayor and police chief used to visit the speakeasy after hours using this tunnel. Also, the hostess station in the main dining room was hollow. Inside the station was a ladder leading to the basement and then to two double doors exiting to John Street. Yet another convenient escape route used during raids. [Ye Old Bud Part 2]

PJMurrayBottle

P.J. Murray & Co – Incorporated – Wine Merchants and Jobbers Distributing and Bottling Plant Holyoke, Mass. – Barb Hahn

The brass trough that runs along the base of the main bar was equipped with running water. Its original purpose was to be used as spittoon. In those days however, if a man left a bar on a Friday night to find a bathroom he would normally lose his seat. Therefore, the trough was on more than one occasion used as a urinal. In fact, the main bar displayed a brass splatter shield. [Ye Old Bud Part 2]

It is told that Joseph Wilbur Murray (PJ’s nephew) kept a masonry worker and cabinet maker busy throughout the entire great depression. Each week he would have a new project for them. This is the prime reason for the unique nature of the building. It is said that the woodwork, hand chiseled fireplaces and unique masonry work were the result of thousands of hours of work.  [Ye Old Bud Part 2]

BBHolyoke

The old “Bud” building in Holyoke, Mass. across from City Hall was where Patrick Murray ran his distillery and wholesale liquor business. It may have been named after a long-gone Budweiser Beer distributorship. The building once housed the Smokin’ Gun Lounge, the Carnival Night Club and the Caribbean Restaurant.

In later years, the “Bud” held other colorful establishments such as the Smokin’ Gun Lounge, the Carnival Night Club and the Caribbean Restaurant. The structure is now vacant on 30 John Street and is on the Holyoke Historic Inventory and a possible candidate for restoration or adaptive reuse. The Bud certainly has a twisted and colorful history.

Legend also says the ghost of PJ Murray haunts the Bud. Ex-bartenders and regulars at the establishment still talk of strange happenings over the years.

Legend also says that the ghost of PJ Murray haunts the Bud. Ex-bartenders and regulars at the establishment still talk of strange happenings over the years. The most recent incident was an encounter by one of the patrons with the ghost in the men’s restroom. This sighting was written up in the Holyoke Transcript. No one is sure whether this is the ghost of PJ Murray or his nephew, Joseph Wilber Murray (b. 6 May 1892), who inherited the establishment.

Bud1BldgOrange

The P.J. Murray building, whose namesake is talked of as being the The Bud’s resident ghost. See the old green PJ Murray sign above the door.

Workers used to throw these silver dollars up on top of the back bar. A few years ago, the back was taken down for renovation and hundreds of old silver dollars were found behind the bar.

There is still a faded, lead-painted sign on the rear of the building, which states, “This is a bar, not a bank.” It seems that Mr. Murray, being somewhat eccentric, had a never ending battle with the local banks. The mill workers were paid on Friday by check and the banks were closed by the time their work day ended. Mr. Murray obviously wanted the workers to have cash so that they might spend it at his bar. In an effort to force the banks to stay open, PJ Murray began cashing the workers checks and paying them in silver dollars. In a short period of time he created a shortage of silver dollars and longer banking hours. Workers used to throw these silver dollars up on top of the back bar. A few years ago, the back was taken down for renovation and hundreds of old silver dollars were found behind the bar. [Ye Old Bud Part 2]

As far as Murray’s Pale Orange Bitters goes, this must have been a short run, labeled bottle. I am not aware of any examples. This does not appear to be listed in Ring and Ham’s Bitters Bottles book though there are quite a few references to other Pale Orange Bitters, mostly European. I hope you like what I wrote PJ, if that is you.

Read: Ye Old Bud

Read: Holyoke’s ‘The Bud’ building inspires historians but deterioration and unpaid taxes might spell its doom

Select Murray Timeline Events:

1861 or 1862: Patrick J. Murray born in Pennsylvania, mother and fathers birthplace, Ireland, wife Mary F. from Massachusetts, son, Joseph W. Murray – 1920 Federal Census

1899: Murray & Kelley Patrick J. Murray, (saloon), 407 High – Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directory

1901-1902: Patrick J. Murray, proprietor The Murray Saloon, 407 High – Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directory

1906: PJ Murray & Co., (Patrick J. and Michael J. Murray), wholesale liquor dealers, 30 John – Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directory

1913: PJ Murray & Co., Inc., Incorporated May 1 1913, Capital $35,000, Patrick J. Murray pres and tres Michael J. Murray v-pres, 30 John – 1914 Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directory

1915: PJ Murray & Co., Patrick J. Murray, Pres and tres, wholesale liquor dealers, 30 John, also P.E. Murray & Co., (Peter E. and William F. Murray), Saloon 446 High and props Murray Hotel. – Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directory

1921: PJ Murray & Co., (Patrick J. Murray, Michael J. Murray), 30 John, pres Bud Wine Liquor Co., 6 Delaney ct., Peter E. Murray & Co., (Peter E. and William F. Murray), beverages, 446 High, props Murray Hotel, 448 do – Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directory

OrangeBittersSeriesArt

De Kuyper’s Orange Bitters

Mack’s Orange Tonic Bitters – a sweet bitters from Orlando

California Aromatic Orange Bitters – San Francisco

Fine Aromatic Orange Stomach Bitters – Berry, Demoville & Co. – Nashville

Roped Squares – Baker’s Orange Grove Bitters

The Color Orange in Antique Bottles & Glass

More on the Color Orange in Antique Glass

Posted in Advertising, Art & Architecture, Article Publications, Bitters, Breweriana, History, Liquor Merchant, Questions, Spirits, Trade Cards, Whiskey, Wine & Champagne | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bottles under the pier in Fredeiksted, St. Croix

Posted on 13 February 2014 by Ferdinand Meyer V

US_NavyPepper_c

Bottles under the pier in Fredeiksted, St. Croix

by Vince Staley

13 February 2014
BottlePier

The new Fredeiksted pier after Hurricane Hugo 1988. The pier has yielded hundreds of bottles, ceramics, and ship parts.

This U.S. NAVY PEPPER bottle above, and a MUSTARD were found under the pier (see above) in Fredeiksted, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. For several years US Navy vessels called here during negotiations to purchase the Virgin Islands from Denmark. The United States wanted to prevent Germany from obtaining the islands as coaling stations.

SailorsGraveMarker

Sailor’s grave who died in the Tsunami.

In 1867, the US Navy steam-sail vessel USS Monongahela, was driven into the town by a tsunami caused by an earthquake on the island of Dominica. One year later, the navy finished blasting a channel through the onshore coral reef to free the Monongahela. In all, five bottles have been found but only three undamaged.

Read: The Terrible Earthquake and Tsunami of Nov. 18, 1867

USS_Monongahela

The November 1867 tsunami left USS Monongahela high and dry on the Frederiksted shoreline until it was refloated in May 1868. (U.S. Navy Historical Archive)

Following the War, Monongahela was assigned to the West Indies. On 18 November 1867, she was cast ashore at St. Croix, Virgin Islands, by a tidal wave and was only refloated six months later. In 1873, after extensive repairs, she began six years’ service in the Pacific, the western Atlantic and in Asiatic waters. Monongahela was converted to a sailing storeship in 1883-84, with her engines removed to increase storage space. From then until 1890, she served as supply vessel at Callao, Peru.

Read: USS Monongahela (1863-1908)

After Hurricanes David and four days later Frederic in 1979, the old town dump, adjacent to Fort Frederik (pictured below), washed out to sea and thousands of artifacts were uncovered. While snorkeling in the muddy sea you could hear the bottles clinking in the surf. There were instant collections made that week.

Fort

Fort Frederik, Frederiksted St. Croix, USVI

Anchor

Mooring anchor for lightering ships. Frederiksted had no piers in the colonial era. The ships would pick up a buoy attached to an anchor. If a storm came up they could cast off to avoid dragging ashore. This area is called a “lee shore”.

I wonder what my example might be worth? I have been told that this bottle has been reproduced. Mine has sea growth on one panel.

US_Navy_Pepper1

U.S. Navy peppersauce bottle – Staley Collection

US_Navy_Pepper2

U.S. Navy peppersauce bottle – Staley Collection

Posted in Digging and Finding, Diving, History, Pepper Sauce, Questions, Sauce, Treasure, Utility Bottles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ladies and Gentlemen… the Landsberg Sphinx Bottles

Posted on 12 February 2014 by Ferdinand Meyer V

LandsbergSphinxPair_Ketcham

Ladies and Gentlemen… the Landsberg Sphinx Bottles

12 February 2014 (R•121318 – new GWA example & Moses G. Landsberg Info)

LandsberkSphinxCard

Apple-Touch-IconAThis post is a follow-up to the “Another Patended Landsberg Bottle” article on 04 February 2014 by James Viguerie. It is really great that we are now seeing examples of this bottle. Ladies and gentlemen… the Landsberg Sphinx bottles!

LandsbergSphinxPatent

Hi Ferdinand,

Because of some remodeling projects here, I have fallen behind on my frequent doses of Peachridge. When I was catching up yesterday, I noticed your piece on the Moses Landsberg Sphinx bottle. As it happens, I have two versions of this bottle. Both are shown above.

The example on the left is the older version, having an applied lip. It is the version depicted in the patent drawings, and it bears the Moses Landsberg Co. monogram. The example on the right bears a tooled lip and the monogram reads SLCo. Since acquiring these two versions, I have wondered if Moses sold out to a family member so that the monogram retained the L. While the two vessels share many qualities, they are clearly from different molds. The later example is embossed Chicago, Ill at the base, below the monogram.

The earlier version stands about 12 1/4 inches tall, the later version about 12 3/8 inches tall.

Steve (Ketcham)

I might add that I have heard of at least one more example in the collection of some Chicago Bottle Club members, but I have never been able to verify this or speak with them.

EarlierLandsbergSphinx

Landsberg Sphinx bottle – Older version, having an applied lip. It is the version depicted in the patent drawings, and it bears the Moses Landsberg Co. monogram – Ketcham Collection

LaterLandsburgSphinxDetail

Landsberg Sphinx bottle – Newer version, tooled lip and the monogram reads SLCo. – Ketcham Collection

(Mortar and Pestle) / “M.G.L.” (monogram) – (Griffin) / (Front view of the Sphinx) / (Human Headed Lion). The neck in the form of an Egyptian Obelisk is covered with hieroglyphics as is other areas of the bottle. (unlisted), Illinois, ca. 1883 – 1885, yellow amber, 12 1/4”h, smooth base, applied double collar mouth. – Glass Works Auctions | Auction #126

Moses G. Landsberg Bottles

From left t0 right:

a) Landsberg Pure Blackberry Brandy | A. Heller & Co. New York.

b) MGL “Sphinx” (variant 1)

c) MGL “Sphinx” (variant 2)

d) M. G. Landsberg | Chicago (L 15) (presumed bitters)

e) Landsberg Century Bitters | The Adler Company St. Louis

Moses G. Landsberg

Moses G. Landsberg is associated with some of the finest American antique bottles ever made. They are extremely ornate and finely detailed and are considered prized collectibles. Unfortunately, much about Landsberg remains a mystery.

What we do know is that Landsberg is of Jewish ancestry and was born in New York around 1844. Nothing is known about his parents or when he or they came to America. Of course, New York City was a great jumping off point for many immigrants, especially from Germany. Many arrived seeking religious or political freedom, others for economic opportunities greater than those in Europe, and others for the chance to start fresh in the New World.

Landsberg was apparently a traveling man as we first see him listed as a clerk, probably in a liquor store, at 47 Public Landing in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1870. Cincinnati was a preferred destination for many Germans, if Landsberg was German. He was boarding at a place called Spencer House which leads me to believe he was not living with his family. We see this situation repeating during his life and migration from city to city. In 1871, he is still clerking at a new address, 15 Sycamore in Cincinnati and boarding at 123 Main Street. In 1873, he is found in Cleveland, Ohio listed as an agent for Harris & Zilch (Henry Harris and John Zilch). They were liquor dealers located at 199 Ontario.

This experience clerking and being an agent or salesman for a liquor business leads Moses Landsberg next to New York City where in early 1875 he is selling liquor at his own con-cern at 169 E. Broadway. Shortly thereafter, in 1875, he takes on a partner and the busi-ness is called Landsberg, Kantrowitz & Company consisting of Moses G. Landsberg and Isaac Kantrowitz. They are at the same Broadway address. That same year, a Gerson Landsberg, who is a man of the cloth, is living at 236 E 54th Street in New York City. I be-lieve this is a brother of Moses.

Moses Landsberg next heads to the Windy City and we see him listed as Landsberg & Company (Moses G. Landsberg & Gerson Landsberg) selling flour at 118 Blue Island Ave-nue in Chicago, Illinois. Moses is boarding at the Atlantic Hotel in Chicago while Gerson Landsberg is noted in the Chicago directory as living in New York City.

It is in Chicago in 1882 where Moses G. Landsberg files a Patent and Design for a Bottle which is Landsberg Century Bitters. The patent is Design No. 12861 dated April 11, 1882. That same year, a newspaper notice puts Moses Landsberg as a guest at the Park Hotel in Chicago. It is assumed that the brand was first concocted in 1876 as it is embossed on the two variants of the Landsberg Century Bitters bottles.

In 1883, again in Chicago, Landsberg files another Patent and Design for a Bottle which is the Landsberg “Sphinx Bitters.” It is Design No. 13699 dated March 6, 1883.

In 1884, Landsberg is back to being listed as a traveling salesman addressed at 24 Syca-more in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is boarding at Hexter’s Hotel. I guess he was selling his way east as he was back in New York City in 1886 living at 297 E 109th. His next occupation, in 1888, is that of an editor in New York City. He is now living at 261 E 122nd.

In 1891, Landsberg is living in Boston, Massachusetts and he is the editor of the Jewish Chronicle. In 1892, he publishes the History of the Persecution of the Jews in Russia. In 1893 he is living at 34 School, Room D in Boston. Next he moves back to New York City and becomes the editor of the Jewish Herald. He continues in this position until his dealth on 23 January 1900 in Manhattan. He was 56 years old.

Select Listings:

1844: Moses G Landsberg birth about 1844 – New York, New York, Extracted Death Index, 1862-1948
1870: M G Landsberg, clerk, 47 Public Landing, bds Spencer House, Cincinnati – 1870 Cincinnati Ohio City Directory
1871: M G Landsberg, clerk, 15 Sycamore, bds 123 Main, Cincinnati – 1871 Cincinnati Ohio City Directory
1873: Moses Landsberg, agent Harris & Zilch (Henry Harris and John Zilch), Liquor Dealers, 199 Ontario, Cleveland – 1873 Cleveland Ohio City Directory
1875: Moses G. Landsberg, Liquors, 169 E. Broadway, NYC – 1875 New York City Directory
1875: Landsberg Kantrowitz & Company (Moses G. Landsberg & Isaac Kantrowitz), Liquors, 169 E. Broadway, NYC – 1875 New York City Directory
1875: Gerson Landsberg, Reverand, h 236 E 54th, NYC – 1875 New York City Directory
1878: Landsberg & Company (Moses G. Landsberg & Gerson Landsberg), Flour, 118 Blue Island Avenue, Chicago. Moses boards at Atlantic Hotel, Gerson lives in New York.– 1878 Chicago, Illinois City Directory

1882: (Below) Patent: Design for a Bottle (Landsberg Century Bitters), Design No. 12861, dated April 11, 1882, Moses G. Landsberg of Chicago Illinois

1882: Newspaper notice (below) Moses Landsberg, of Chicago, were guests at the Park Hotel – Chicago Tribune, Sunday, July 2, 1882

1883: Patent: Design for a Bottle (Landsberg Sphinx Bitters), Design No. 13699, dated March 6, 1883, Moses G. Landsberg of Chicago Illinois

1884: M G Landsberg, traveling salesman, 24 Sycamore, bds Hexter’s Hotel, Cincinnati – 1884 Cincinnati Ohio City Directory
1884: Newspaper notice (below) Moses G. Landsberg presses suit – Chicago Tribune, Friday, July 25, 1884

1886: Moses Landsberg, h 297 E 109th, NYC – 1886 New York City Directory
1888: Moses G. Landsberg, Editor, h 261 E 122nd, NYC – 1888 New York City Directory
1891: Newspaper notice (below) M.G. Landsberg, editor of the Jewish Chronicle – The Boston Globe, Monday, November 16, 1891

1892: Moses G. Landsberg, Esq. History of the Persecutiuon of the. Jews in Russia, Boston, 1892 – Jewish Agricultural Utopias in America, 1880-1910
1893: Moses G. Landsberg, Editor, 34 School, room D, Boston – 1893 Boston, Massachusetts City Directory
1893: Newspaper notice (below) M.G. Landsberg, editor of the Jewish Herald – The Jewish South, Friday November 17, 1893

1899: Moses G. Landsberg, Editor, 61 Beekman, h 1652 Lexington Avenue, NYC – 1899 New York City Directory
1900: Moses G. Landsberg death: 23 January 1900, Manhattan New York, Age 56 – New York, New York, Extracted Death Index, 1862-1948
Posted in Bitters, Collectors & Collections, History, liquor, Liquor Merchant, Patents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Ladies and Gentlemen… the Landsberg Sphinx Bottles