GONZALES, TX JUG

[Dale]

Here is a jug I bought at a car show in Luling last week. It was holding up a sign in front of a '34 Ford. I haven't been able to find out very much about it, except someone said it was suppose to be an extremely scarce jug. As you see the name on it is not very clear, but I think is says LOUIS HALFIN'S, but not sure. The handle is missing and has a quarter size chip at the bottom, but I still think it is a pretty neat jug. It is 6 1/4'' tall and 4 7/8'' wide. A half gallon jug? Anybody out there with any information on it, please pass it along.
Thanks, Dale

 

[jays emporium]

Dale, I've never seen one before and I've been living around Shiner / Victoria for 55 years. All pre 1920 bottles from Gonzales are pretty scarce. Hutchinsons, drug stores, BIM crown tops are all hard to find. I suspect they dumped in the river back then and everything got washed away in floods. That and hardly anyone digging bottles there if there are any dumps left.
Jay

 

[Dale]

Hi Jay, I was hoping you would know something about the jug. I have tried asking around in Gonzales trying to find a dump location and everybody is pretty tight lipped. I haven't given up trying to find a dump there with the possibility of finding some pontil bottles, since the town has been around since the 1830's. I was in Victoria a couple of month's ago and stopped by the mall and saw all of your bottles. Boy, you have got alot of nice bottles.
Thanks for the reply,
Dale

 

[surfaceone]

Hey Dale,

Cool jug. Too bad about the damage.

I found a listing for Louis Halfin in the 1860 Gonzales Census:

" 11 817 764 Halfin Jacob 27 M . Merchant 2,000 3,000 Bavaria . . . . .
12 817 764 Halfin Sarah 26 F . . . . Bavaria . . . . .
13 817 764 Halfin Louis 3 M . . . . Texas . . . . .
14 817 764 Halfin Harmen 2 M . . . . Texas " From.

There's a Texas Token of note:

"LOUIS HALFIN / GONZALES, TEX.
Good For / 121â„2¢ / At The Bar
very scarce*** 1900 saloon" From.

Headscratchingly, I found this listing in the 1884 Morrison & Fourmy Dallas Directory: "Miller & Brin (Louis Miller, Barney Brin), Kentucky liquor house, 1138 Elm cor Cabell."

Louis Miller doesn't jibe with the lettering on your jug, alas.

 

[Dale]

Thanks for the INFO surfaceone,every little bit helps! Dale

 

[jays emporium]

Dale,
Since you mentioned pontil bottles in Gonzales it reminded me of something. About 20 years ago when they were building the highway loop around the west side of Gonzales, close to the river, I did some poking around after they cleared the new right-of-way. All I could find was scattered glass, no concentration, but I remember finding the bottom of an aqua iron pontiled soda. Not enough to tell if it was embossed but the whole base with pontil. I have never dug a whole pontiled bottle in Texas.
Jay

 

[Dale]

I remember that one of the University was doing a archaeology dig there and had KEEP OUT signs and NO DIGGING. I think that is the older side of town and I always get the feeling there is an old dump near by! I have found out more info. on the jug. I have seen pictures of two other Louis Halfin jugs, both are scratch jugs. One is solid brown and the other one is solid tan. The man who has them in his collection says that mine is the first one he has seen with blue stenciling. Apparently, Louis Halfin also had a saloon in Lockhart, Tx about 30 miles from Gonzales, Tx. So, as far as I can tell, mine is the only one that anybody knows of.

Dale