Construction Site yields stoneware galore!

Welcome to our Antique Bottle community

Be a part of something great, join today!

RIBottleguy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2008
Messages
2,314
Reaction score
167
Points
63
Location
Providence, RI
I stopped by a construction site last Sunday and let's say it went much better than I anticipated! I had dug the same site about 7 years ago. It was a hard dig and it only dated to circa 1915. Fast forward and the site is torn wide open. They exposed a much older layer that was packed with bottles and stoneware. I was quickly joined by a friend, met two other diggers for the first time, and then a few more friends stopped by after digging somewhere else. My first find was an ovoid jug that miraculously missed getting hit by a bulldozer. We were teased with a few pontil shards but most of the bottles dates from the 1880s-1900, though the jugs were obviously older. The next day the spot was covered over, but hopefully not forever!


My friend's stoneware
46577432605_b1b791a0c9_c.jpg



47492792121_a91858ae18_b.jpg


47492792541_823b8650a7_c.jpg


A stoneware pitcher in situ
40526819053_acaa2535df_c.jpg



My finds!
47492792001_d14eb119f9_b.jpg



The ovoid, no damage!
40526818933_9a8afb0604_c.jpg



A Bunker Hill Pickles (during the cleaning process)
47492792151_4cb002209b_c.jpg



A nice lighter colored Hostetters
40526818843_2ecdbbb74a_c.jpg



A large size boldly embossed Stephen Sweet's Infallible Liniment
47492792251_0d685d3ea7_c.jpg
 

CanadianBottles

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 24, 2014
Messages
4,640
Reaction score
2,368
Points
113
Wow, those are stunning! That's a dream find for me. That Somerset jug is amazing, not sure I've ever seen one in that shape before.
 

sandchip

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2008
Messages
5,295
Reaction score
1,161
Points
113
Location
Georgia
Fantastic haul! I don't think I've ever seen a Bunker Hill with that much character. Nicely whittled!
 

yacorie

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2018
Messages
632
Reaction score
381
Points
63
Location
CT
Wow thats great. I've been stopping at every construction site that has any type of promise just because of posts like this.

Keep it up
 

RCO

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 17, 2012
Messages
4,905
Reaction score
2,204
Points
113
Location
Ontario , Canada
I've never found an older stone ware jug in the wild and the condition of the ones found is incredible
 

GACDIG

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2006
Messages
987
Reaction score
14
Points
18
Location
Concord NC.
Some good stuff, the ovoid is sweet. What a great time period to be digging in.
 

Members online

Latest threads

Forum statistics

Threads
83,218
Messages
742,906
Members
24,231
Latest member
rrenzi
Top