El Champion bottle

[Conch times]

Hey Mr. Jim!!
Yeah I've been crazy busy at work and with life in general.
Finally got on a new dig and I'm sure happy to be pulling bottles again!

 

[Dugout]

Keep pulling them out Jay, we need some excitement to look at. That last one looks like the glass is thick and heavy. What else are you getting?

 

[Conch times]

we are getting the usual stuff for the most part. however we did cross an actual privy that spit out 6 of the D T SWEENY PATENT TOP bottles and that is not usually an easy one to come by!!! only two were whole but it was still awesome to see them coming out. im just learning the forum again so ill start posting some more pics soon.

 

[Conch times]

Found this one today, not as rare as the others but still a great bottle!!

 

[Dugout]

Awesome hutch Jay. Keep 'em coming.

 

[sandchip]

Good lookin' bottle.

 

[Conch times]

Found a Chas B Fogarty in the muck yesterday! First one of this style for me!

 

[cowseatmaize]

Do any of your bottles have base marks or any identifying marks that give a clue where they came from? I can't think of any factories in KW or even Fla. Those certainly looks US but from where and when?I'm thinking at least a bit north. Maybe I missed that part? [8|]

 

[Conch times]

That's a good question, I've checked the books that I have and they give lots of history about the bottlers in key west but not so much the bottle maker. I know the D T SWEENY bottles are John Matthews Gravitating Stopper bottles. In the book "Old bottles found along the florida keys" it talks about the D T SWEENY factory and how he came to key west in 1874 as the first bottler! I happen to have met the owner of the property the factory was on and all the excavation can still be seen today, it's an awesome sight!!!

 

[Conch times]

These are a couple pics I took of the old cistern system that was under the D T Sweeny bottling plant. It's only a couple blocks away from the dig that's going on right now!!