Torpedo Bottles

Previously, I mentioned in an post that my parents and relatives visited Cumberland Island in the summer of 1970. See the link below:

http://bubbajunk-asmalltownboy.blogspot.com/2010/06/plum-orchard-carriage-house.html

Back then, The National Park Foundation had been recently established by Congress for the purpose of purchasing "collecting" property on Cumberland Island for a possible future of a national seashore under the jurisdiction of the NPS. The well established non-for-profit Andrew W. Mellon Foundation contributed to the NPF roughly $5.5 million to  purchase Fraser's two tracts towards the possible seashore. My Uncle Joe had caught wind of that fact and retained permission from Charles Fraser for my family to visit and camp on his southern tract.

 Being the avid antique bottle hunters that they are, my family while camping descended upon the old Dungeness household dump site.  Below are a few photos of some of the antique bottles dug from the old household pit.

 

Torpedo Bottles

The bottles above are known as torpedo bottles. The molded bottles were designed with rounded bases to ensure that they rested on their side so the wired down cork in the blob would not dry out. The torpedo bottles were used for ginger ale, soda, and mineral waters.

The majority of the bottles that are dug or found in this country date from the 1870's to the 1910's and were imported from the United Kingdom. The most common type were ginger ale bottles.

The company that dominated the market in the late 1800s was the firm Cochrane and Cantrell.

The bottles above are worth very little. 

If your fortunate, $10.00 a pop.

 

Tinted aqua or green torpedo bottles with no embossing are very common. Torpedo bottles that are colored amber, emerald green, or cobalt blue are worth more.

Ceramic Jam Crocks

The crocks have the same inscription stamped on the bottom. Only one has a label applied before glazing that is decorated with acorns and leaves bearing the inscriptions: GRAND MEDAL OF MERIT VIENNA 1873 - JAMES KEILLER & SONS - DUNDEE MARMALADE - ONLY PRIZE MEDAL FOR MARMALADE LONDON, 1862 - Great Britain.

It is great that the torpedo bottles and crocks have survived for over a hundred years.  We will donate the many torpedo bottles and ceramic crocks to the CUIS.

 

 

Casserole Soup

Must have been that hash brown casserole I made last night. Sorta kinda ticked me off that the thing would never gel. What I should have told the parents, "oven fried chicken, corn on the cob, okra, and hash brown soup". Should of taken a picture of it. Maybe I'll go back over to mama's refrigerator and snap one for ya.

Heading out to Folkston tomorrow with my father for a relatives funeral. His father's side of the family is from that area and it's located in the southeastern part of the state. Afterward, we will check out the ghost town of Newell where he was raised as a small child. It will be interesting to see where he was raised! Sure nothing is left.

Yep, I was right. My father is pointing to the area where his Grandfather's commissary once stood. Their house once stood to the left of the commissary close to the trees. To the right and back of the commissary was their turpentine steel.

Look what I got last weekend. Ever since I saw them in an older friend's house twelve years ago, I have always remembered them and wanted them. She is selling her house, downsizing to a condo, and was about to have an estate sale. Made a phone call and walla a set of eight abalone glasses are mine. The story is, she purchased them in Mexico and hand carried them on the flight back.




Working on a project, I'll tell you later. Gotta get ready for work!!!