C.B. Williams/Arcade Saloon/Houston, Texas

[nhpharm]

Dug this out of a wee trash pit today...it was only about 6" below the surface of the ground. We dig a ton of this style of flask (unembossed) so I almost tossed it in the "junk" pile before I saw the embossing. Needless to say I was pretty happy...I've never dug a saloon flask before. I'm very surprised it survived...it is a big bottle and very thin. I've never seen this particular Houston flask before...seen plenty of others (some are quite common) but never this one.

 

[andy volkerts]

cool flask!! I find the S.F. saloon flasks quite pricey, I only have a couple, ones I dug many years ago, a oulihans bar from Stockton with a walking bear on it in clear glass, and a Carlisle saloon flask S,F, in amber both corkers. the ones that seem the most expensive have addresses on them.......Andy

 

[nhpharm]

I never expected to dig such a thing...we've been digging one small lot now for several weeks and found probably 500 bottles...99% slicks or junk and almost all 1910's with a bit of earlier stuff mixed in. Lots of damaged or broken stuff as well. Yesterday I was digging alone and dug probably 50 intact bottles (mostly junk)...this was definitely the prize of the dig. Also dug a nice early local pharmacy bottle, about 15 marbles, a pile of buttons, and a very hard to find (but sadly cracked) local cologne bottle.

 

[Lordbud]

This style of flask is called a "dandy" out here in Cally. These can either be cork or screw top/grounded screw top. Even examples with out the "saloon" being embossed are "quite pricey" as Andy mentioned above. The coffin and pumpkinseed flasks are almost always priced out of my budget. Sometimes the dandy flasks can be had for a reasonably "not too high" price.

 

[nhpharm]

Yep...most of the Texas saloon flasks are pumpkinseeds, jojos, or coffins...I have seen a few embossed screw top dandies but I think this is the first cork dandy that I have seen embossed from Texas.

Appears that Charles B. Williams ran the Arcade Saloon at 1011 Preston Avenue around 1911-1913 or so. In 1905 I find him listed as the proprietor of the Commercial Saloon at 1011 Congress Avenue, which I think is probably the same address (Preston and Congress run parallel to each other). In 1915 I find him still running a saloon at 1011 Preston but do not find a reference to it being called the "Arcade Saloon" any more. I don't know when he changed the name from Commercial Saloon to Arcade Saloon. Herman Sass ran the Commercial Saloon before Charles B. Williams took it over.

 

[truedigr]

I got a call about you digging these today. Brad called me and said you dug some good ones. Let us see a pic. of the cologne. I emailed a pic of those beers.

 

[nhpharm]

I got the photos of the beers-sent you an email. Let me know if you didn't get it.

 

[nhpharm]

The cologne was a heartbreaker...this one is more intact than the last on I dug (which was a different size). Embossed "Silver Medal/Cologne/J.J. Schott & Co./Galveston". He won a silver medal for his cologne in 1875 and I think these bottles are maybe from the early 1880's. The museum in Galveston actually has the silver medal itself which is pretty neat! Someday I'll dig a whole one.

 

[nhpharm]

Also dug this nice early J.J. Schott pharmacy bottle.

 

[truedigr]

Excellent. That is an early Schott. That cologne is awesome. Don't you wish every dig was like that one. I was telling Brad about the earlier conversation you had about whiskeys not long ago. Now a couple weeks later, you get a nice, embossed, and saloon to boot. Keep up the great work and I have always enjoyed reading about your digs and finds. RC