Information

[Joelbest]

Anyone know if York springs in Toronto became imperial mineral water of Hamilton?

 

[CanadianBottles]

I don't know much about the companies specifically, but didn't York Springs stay in business long after Imperial Mineral Water started? York Springs had ABM crown top bottles and Imperial was using round bottoms and Hutchinsons. What makes you think they might be connected?

 

[Joelbest]

I don't know much about the companies specifically, but didn't York Springs stay in business long after Imperial Mineral Water started? York Springs had ABM crown top bottles and Imperial was using round bottoms and Hutchinsons. What makes you think they might be connected?

 

[CanadianBottles]

The seller seems to suggest that York Springs was a brand used by Imperial. As far as I can tell they weren't the same company though, unless they were separate bottling facilities owned by the same individual. York Springs seems to be very much a Toronto company: http://www.torontohistory.net/okeefe-windmill/

On the west side of Yonge was a large tract of land owned by the Gooderham family, who used it as a summer retreat. When springs were discovered, Mineral Springs Limited was formed to bottle and sell spring water. This was no small concern, as the watercourses entering the downtown area and those of the harbour were heavily polluted at the time. Mineral water was dispensed from this site for almost 20 years; however, the name was later changed to York Springs Limited. After a fire destroyed their main building in downtown Toronto, the O’Keefe Brewing Company took over the site. The earlier company had purchased it in 1906, and O’Keefe in 1931 when this company erected a windmill to pump the waters into their brewery. Operations ceased in 1934, but O’Keefe’s maintained the grounds around the windmill until 1954 when the apartment building was constructed. A small fountain was built over the York springs. The windmill itself was six-sided, with a tiny window high up on each face. The exterior walls were shingled. An unusual fan-shaped doorway was at the base on one face.

What's weird to me about that passage is that it seems to suggest that York Springs only began operations in 1906, which seems pretty late for those blob-top round bottom bottles. I guess they may still have been in production in the UK though, and may have been ordered from there.

 

[Joelbest]

View attachment 229865

Thanks I’ve seen those a lot but never heard of that connection either
That’s good enough for me to pass as it’s a nice bottle just not from Hamilton which is what I focus on. Thank you again for your help because I would have bought it.

 

[Joelbest]

The seller seems to suggest that York Springs was a brand used by Imperial. As far as I can tell they weren't the same company though, unless they were separate bottling facilities owned by the same individual. York Springs seems to be very much a Toronto company: http://www.torontohistory.net/okeefe-windmill/

On the west side of Yonge was a large tract of land owned by the Gooderham family, who used it as a summer retreat. When springs were discovered, Mineral Springs Limited was formed to bottle and sell spring water. This was no small concern, as the watercourses entering the downtown area and those of the harbour were heavily polluted at the time. Mineral water was dispensed from this site for almost 20 years; however, the name was later changed to York Springs Limited. After a fire destroyed their main building in downtown Toronto, the O’Keefe Brewing Company took over the site. The earlier company had purchased it in 1906, and O’Keefe in 1931 when this company erected a windmill to pump the waters into their brewery. Operations ceased in 1934, but O’Keefe’s maintained the grounds around the windmill until 1954 when the apartment building was constructed. A small fountain was built over the York springs. The windmill itself was six-sided, with a tiny window high up on each face. The exterior walls were shingled. An unusual fan-shaped doorway was at the base on one face.

What's weird to me about that passage is that it seems to suggest that York Springs only began operations in 1906, which seems pretty late for those blob-top round bottom bottles. I guess they may still have been in production in the UK though, and may have been ordered from there.

I think she is making that jump because torpedo bottles are also known as Hamilton bottles are they not?

 

[CanadianBottles]

I think she is making that jump because torpedo bottles are also known as Hamilton bottles are they not?

It's possible that's where she got confused, I'm not sure. They are known as Hamilton bottles although that has absolutely nothing to do with the city of Hamilton.

 

[Joelbest]

It's possible that's where she got confused, I'm not sure. They are known as Hamilton bottles although that has absolutely nothing to do with the city of Hamilton.

I know.I have fifteen bottles from Hamilton but no Hamilton bottles.