Digging the "Roaring 20's" dump with dad

[cobaltbot]

Great dump! Its always great to add to the history by discovering unknowns. I've found 30's dumps that were great to dig because all the bizarre finds from that era. 20's dumps as been said are great for sodas and early milks and SCA milks.

 

[KBbottles]

Excellent! 20s also have occasional poison bottles in the mix. Keep at it! It is a great era to dig and milks are fun!!!

 

[Plumbata]

Thanks everybody!

Some of you may wonder why I'm digging here when I could dig that sweet TOC dump found at the beginning of the year. Well, my right knee is still jacked-up after slipping in slush and falling on it in mid-march. What I want to do at the TOC spot requires more knee-power than this 20s dump, or at least in the spot we started digging, which was where I had been digging a tunnel in early January so it was already opened up for easy access to the goods. Wouldn't hurt to let things leaf out a bit more while the knee recovers; it's OK if people see evidence of digging in the 20s spot, but I'd be very annoyed if I clued-in other people to the TOC spot as a result of overeager haste.

Anyway, for the reasons suggested the spot is a fun place to dig, and it is the one single spot I've been able to find the late BIM "Best and Jordan" Peoria druggists (and they catered to the Bradley students, another reason I think it is a Bradley dump). Before now they may have been pretty tough, as they won't be showing up in most privies, but they turn up frequently enough in this particular dump. Here's the 4 different B&J druggists that came out during the dig, and a very fancy and totally unchipped and intact shaving mug, with the name E (or F) Mayer:

1/2, 1, 2, and a slightly melted 4 ounce. It isn't cracked and stands fine so it'll stay until a better one surfaces. Already had the smaller ones.

Some more dig shots!

Before clearing out the tailings:

Same spot after scooping it out:

Close-up of layer:

Now keep in mind that the grey "floor" of the pit is a layer of ash, underneath which is another layer of bottles and milks. I dig it too, but it isn't as photogenic of a layer.

More shots!

Tailing piles:

More finds!

Regarding that item Brian, I do not know if it is a light globe. It is slightly greenish and was found in a rusty bucket right next to the stoneware master ink. My dad thinks it may have been a vase held in an ornamental wire stand or something.

A tough milk I didn't have; a small-letter precursor to an example I dug a while back, which is pictured later

Sweet Peoria celluloid foam scraper. Speaking of celluloid, I damn near caught my coat on fire while smoking a cig. I rested my hand down and was talking to dad, then heard and felt something strange. Turned back and saw that the tip of the cig had touched a jumble of thin celluloid sheets which caused it to burst into flames instantaneously. Yet another addition to the list of the dangers of smoking, lol. []

More milks:

Very striking quart "400" chocolate milk. The company was headquartered in Chicago, but the bottle was probably used by a local dairy. Read the blurb about it from http://dairyantiques.com/Other_Dairy_Bottles.html here:

"400" was a franchised product that was introduced by Walter Jahn in the early 1920's. The dairy was required to purchase the chocolate syrup and the bottles from the "400" Products Company of Chicago, Illinois. There was no franchise fee and the "400" Products Company handled the advertising for the product. The price to be charged for the 7 ounce bottle was 5 cents. The brand did not last long. By 1925 the formula was sold to the Dairy Drink Company, also from Chicago, and was called Chocolated Dairy Drink. This bottle is not in any way related to the train that also used the 400 name. We have seen this bottle sell on ebay as a railroad collectible and for sure the product was not unique to the railroad. It possibly was served on trains but it was also available to all dairymen and was not exclusive to any train. The bottles were made by the Atlantic Bottle Company of Brakenridge, Pennsylvania and would date prior to 1930.

Not sure what the amber vials held, these were all threaded and had aluminum caps. These were the first 3 I found but many more surfaced, which weren't gathered. I always figured that such vials held liver, laxative, kidney, or digestive pills, but I have some labeled clear vials that hold ceramic pigments, so I guess they could have held anything. I found lab glassware (another reason I think it is a university dump) so maybe they were culture tubes or held chemicals.

Broken, but unlisted variant from a Peoria dairy. Hope to find a good one; early milks with phone numbers are cool.

Lineup of half-pints. Top row from left are the small-letter central city dairy, then the large-letter I dug earlier, a damaged and cracked Chapin Dairy (dug several other busted half pints; this one was good enough for me to take back as a placeholder, considering the rarity), and an early "Peoria Dairy Products Co." I used to think they were tough, but wound up digging the full set and some duplicates relatively recently, so I guess not. Bottom row shows the front of the classic private mold Roszell's dairy, 400, broken Jubilee variant, and back side of the Roszell's. At this point I probably have 4 or 5 full sets of this style of Roszell milks. They are quite attractive, so maybe they are worth selling.

This a cool chronological lineup of sodas. Left is a no-town generic Whistle, I figure the very first used by the Peoria franchise. Next is basically the same bottle in aqua, but the base is embossed with "The Whistle bottling co. Peoria, Ill". Next is where it gets more interesting. Near the base it says 'Whistle bottling co. Peoria, Ill" but on the shoulder it reads "Arcana". I did not have this one, and it is dated 1923. Next is the all-too-common deco style of Arcana, no mention of Whistle, made from 1924-1926 I think, then came 2 more unpictured variants which I've got, the last one from 1931 I think.

 

[plehbah]

I really enjoy the art deco sodas. Those are very funky looking after your eyes have seen 50 hutch sodas in a row. I have only really had one chance to dig them out here, and that was when a lake was drained in a city park.

That seam looks great. I see lots of glass, and lots of rust. Get after it! Tear the old shoes out of the deposit with your teeth!

 

[toddrandolph]

I find those 400 milk bottles here in NE Ohio as well, so they got around, in fact I would say they are somewhat common. They always went into the yard sale pile as any milk that I can't identify as local has little interest to me. That sure looks like a fun dump to be digging.

 

[madman]

thanks for sharing! great pix!

 

[JOETHECROW]

wow

Nice post Stephen....Interesting finds, and I love that shaving mug.

 

[GACDIG]

GOT MILK !! Nice haul of milker and sodas Plum. There got to be more...[]

 

[ILUV2DIG]

NICE DIGS! You have been busy!

 

[tftfan]

Nice pics ! Looks like a alot of work, and well worth it ! Thanks []