Digging in a Time Capsule

[RIBottleguy]

Yesterday I went on a dig with a fellow local collector in a fairly unusual spot. It was a 1-1/2' wide gap between two buildings. One was a drugstore, and someone had pulled about 20-30 bottles from the alley about 20 years ago. He suspected the rather large guy who squeezed in there missed some stuff, so I had the honors of giving it a second go. I wasn't sure to expect, and the preservation of a lot of stuff was incredible. The building next to the drugstore was moved there in 1899, and the druggist used the now defunct windows to toss trash out of. The roofs of the two buildings were connected, and the front entrance boarded up, and a 3-foot hole was left in back. The first thing I pulled out was part of a magazine from 1908. I dug through a 1-2 foot layer of decaying paper, cans, and other misc. garbage. We did find a few bottles, including a rewarding mystery-solver. I found a damaged Dr. Wilcox's Best Cough Syrup, which is listed on the Little Rhody Bottle Club site, but I haven't been able to find anything on it. This one had a partial label which stated it was put out by the Standard Medical Co. of Wakefield, RI. Us local collectors have always wondered what the history of the Standard Medical Co. was, as their embossed bottles turn up semi-frequently. I now believe that this company (listed 1905-1910) was formed by Dr. Horace Wilcox and was the predecessor to the Wilcox Co., which was founded in 1911. Even though the bottle was damaged, the information was priceless! Here are some of the other finds. Many damaged items were kept for historical documentation. A.A. Vantine & Co. perfume, Sharpe & Dohme poison, and C. Damschinsky Liquid Hair Dye

Big crier, a Brady's Frozen Mint label under glass soda fountain bottle!

Nice label on a broken whiskey

Columbia fruit jar lid

Koehler's One Night Cough Cure tin

Nice Pratt's Poultry Regulator box

1898 book Saved by the Enemy, Spanish American War?

Stickney & Poor's Nutmegs

Souvenir tin showing the old Stone Mill in Newport, RI

Prince Albert tobacco

Yours Truly Chicken Soup from Providence, RI

 

[2find4me]

Great finds for digging through trash, looks like you found a lot of cool tins! This might have been the same Drug Store the Brady's Frozen Mint came from?HERE

 

[sunrunner]

I always wonder what is between thous old buildings .

 

[deenodean]

It must be exciting pulling that old stuff out !! Congratz on the nice finds !

 

[hemihampton]

Cool Stuff. LEON.

 

[Macaco]

Wow. Good stuff. That "regulator" must have been effective because I haven't heard of a chicken having cholera since. Too bad about the 'Frozen Mint'. There's probably an intact one still there. -Edit- Looks like a spot to exploit some more. Steve

 

[islamoradamark]

wow i would be going back