# Old sawmill "town" dump



## Stony99 (Apr 24, 2011)

Yesterday was a great day to be out in the woods looking for bottles!  The first really warm day we had around here.  I went with some bottle diggers from Bradford to an area a friend and I have been exploring for a several weeks. We ended up finding two or three abandon towns or smaller settlements (10 houses or so) from the late 1800's (1890 maybe).  I made "mental notes" of everywhere we found bottles or glass on the surface and now, one by one we will go back there with a group and dig a bit deeper.  Yesterday was such a trip.

 The site we explored yesterday was the site of an early sawmill operaton that may have been from the 1880 or perhaps earlier, but then in the 1920 it was in the middle of an oil boom area, so that there is an "oil operation" right on top of what was a sawmill site and small town or settlement previously.   We found several dump areas that had glass in them, but we explored an area we though was the biggest or what may have been the "town dump".   

 Our fist pass through the area weeks ago we found some "older stuff" just on the surface or sticking out of the side of the creek bank.  But there is also some newer stuff mixed in. On our first pass we found a complte ink, a flask, and a few other older bottles that were broken, including some old medicines.  Stuff that were from before t.o.c. .   

 But yesterday after some digging around we found stuff from t.o.c. all the way up into the 1950's!     Quite a wide range if you ask me.

 Yesterday there were four of us, and we had to sort through quite a lot of garbage and broken glass.  It was a very rocky area, and we were digging in and around old cut stone foundations.  So lots of broken stuff!   And all the older bottles were broken.  We didn't really get anything too old that was complte.

 But we did get a lot of other stuff along with the newer bottles we did get.  Among the "odd ball" stuff was oil cans, an old steel budwiser can, an old iron, a metal iron stand, two porcilin dolls, an old toy police car, lots of old tooling or machinery parts, leather boots, licence plates (one with my birth year on it!), and other stuff I can''t quite remember just yet.

 One of the "best finds" of the day that we all would have loved to take home, was a newer "Dr Pepper" pop bottle that was from Kane Pa.  It was a real heavy glass, and the letters were inlayed instead of raised.    

 The iron stand was really cool also!     As was my "tractor" plate from 1955, the year I was born.  We found a bunch of cool stuff, and maybe I'll remember more later!

 Oh, and old tea pot from england that was broken.

 Here is what I took home:


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## Stony99 (Apr 24, 2011)

Here they are after the first rinsing ....... I'll try to identify them .....

 From tall to short ..... I think the one with the side handles is a modern maple syrup maybe? I can't read the words on the bottom ... a long 10 letter name with "inc" under it.

 The next tallest is a "Newbro's Herpicide" dandruff cure.  Then a "Flavorite" from Buffalo.  Next is a newer screw top with either the Heinz symbol or the Keystone symbol on the bottom of it. Can it be a small ketchup bottle? Then there is an Avon bottle! Newer with a screw top.  (Odd for a lumber camp!) . The next bottle is an aqua colored Millikens stove enamel. Then a Beckers horse-radish. Then a Mellins food from Boston that says "free sample" on the back of it .... that alone makes it cool to me! Then I have a small "Caldwells Syrup Pepsin" from Monticello Illinois, whatever that is? And the last bottle is a Carters ink.   Then I found two small porcelain dolls, one male and one female, but I put them in a bag that had a hole in it and I lost one while shuffling around the area. Only one made it all the way home.  

 On the hike out we pass several old telegraph poles with insulators all over the ground around them I grabbed one that looked to be older.  It's a smaller, skinny one that says "Brookfield" on it.   When I start collecting insulators, I know exactly where to go!  So far I only have four!


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## Stony99 (Apr 24, 2011)

Here is the toy police car.   A bit of a "tug of war" over it! LOL!


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## Stony99 (Apr 24, 2011)

...... And the way cool "Dr Pepper"  (from Kane Pa!)


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## Stony99 (Apr 24, 2011)

...... And the "fancy" English tea pot.  Is this what they call "red ware" BTW?


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## wilmingtonbottleboys (Apr 24, 2011)

Nice Stony!!!  Keep it up man!!!


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## Brains (Apr 24, 2011)

good job, the Dr. Pepper is nice.
 -Make sure that, if you're near Kane Pennsylvania... you go see what's left of the Kinzua Viaduct not far north of there.
 That's interesting if you're finding telegraph poles out in the woods- try to see if you can make out a right-of-way going through the woods and you can follow the telegraph line.  The insulator's a cd-102 brookfield, probably from around 1910-1921


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## Stony99 (Apr 24, 2011)

Thanks Wilmington! I hope to find a cache of bottles like you guys did some day!

 Brains, thanks for the info .... I may soon start an insulator collection!  That telegraph line was along a local railroad and there are several poles that are down or tilted almost to the ground, that have insulators on them, free for the pickings .... and easy pickings they are!

 Oh and thanks for mentioning the Viaduct!  I was there the day after it fell!  That was always one of my favorite motorcycle or bicycle ride destinations!  I'd hop on either the pedal or the motorized bike, and go there for lunch on warm, nice days.

 Oh, back to our sawmill town dump ..... One of the gals found a rusty, full, unopened, can that looks like it might contain spam.  Spam the meat, not the form of unwanted internet communications!  I was almost tempted to carry it home to open it, just to see what was in it! LOL!


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## madman (Apr 24, 2011)

HEY STONEY GREAT FINDS A PIX I  LOOKS LIKE A FUN OUTING! KEEP DIGGING


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## downeastdigger (Apr 24, 2011)

aint diggn a blast?

 Thanks for the pictures.  Do you think that Flavorite bottle was like a Gravy Master type of product?


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## JOETHECROW (Apr 24, 2011)

> The next bottle is an aqua colored Millikens stove enamel.


 
 Can you show a close up pic of that bottle ?


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## Stony99 (Apr 24, 2011)

Madman, thanks, it was fun!

 Downeast, I'm just learning about bottles, not sure what you are asking me about the "Flavorite"

 It says "Flavorite Mfg. Co" and "Buffalo NY" on it.   It has a very noticable seam up the side, but not all the way to the neck. And the neck has a very obvious defect in it.

 At first I thought it was a chip, but it is not.  It's smooth. So that it seems to be a large air bubble that was cast into the neck. Quite a large and noticable defect.  Let's see if I can show it.


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## Stony99 (Apr 24, 2011)

Here is the Flavorite:


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## Stony99 (Apr 24, 2011)

Here you go Joe ..... It says "Milliken's Parlor Pride Stove Enamel Milliken & Co. Boston & NY"   but the letters are really crude.


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## Stony99 (Apr 25, 2011)

Here are a few more bottles from our dig after they were cleaned up.

 The milk says "Milk the only real complexion builder" with a twenties "flapper girl" and 'Bradford milk company; on the front. The Dr Pepper and the milk is estimated to be from about 1925.


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## Stony99 (Apr 25, 2011)

Bradford Brewing Co, Bradford Pa.


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## druggistnut (Apr 25, 2011)

John,
 That was a nice narrative-well done.
 Is that a Bokker knife? Looks German or perhaps British.
 Who is who in the photos? I am thinking that is you fighting with the gorgeous redhead over that toy. -smile-
 Keep the stories coming.
 Bill


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## Stony99 (Apr 25, 2011)

> ORIGINAL:  druggistnut
> 
> John,
> That was a nice narrative-well done.
> ...


 
 Thanks Bill.   I am the male in the photos and I don't think I should identify the others without their permission first.  They are not members of this forum.

 The knife is a "Special Projects Cold Steel" ..... It's a fairly inexpensive, well made knife. I use it to cut, dig, chop, pry, hammer, and even cook on! (I've grilled burgers on it out in the woods before!)  It's a hard steel blade, a ruberized handle (like a diving knife might have) and it's light weight.   I also carry a small, stainless steel folding shovel.

 BTW- I once lived in the UP of MI for a few years.  My dad is from the UP.


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## steamfitter38 (Apr 26, 2011)

looks like fun


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## farmerdan (Apr 26, 2011)

Hey Stony

 Glad to see you made up your mind to start really digging. You never know what will turn up! 
   To answer your question about the teapot, yes it does appear to be "redware".  Had it not been for the chips, it would be difficult to identify it as such, due to the glaze and decoration. Redware is basically fired clay, or "terra cotta" and was produced in this country from the mid 1600s up through the 19th century, and some is still being made today. From your picture, that piece appears to be mostly intact - I certainly hope someone kept it! As for its age, it appears to be a later piece, but you never know how long something like that was kicking around before it got pitched. It also appears to have been molded as opposed to being thrown on a wheel. This is also a clue to it being  made close to or in the 20th century.
 Learn more about redware here:  http://www.antiquesandfineart.com/articles/article.cfm

 Also, check the bottom for a potters mark, they are very easy to research, and can often pinpoint the age within a few years! Here's a great resource for that:  http://www.gpsf.com/Sortpotinx.htm
 Unfortunately, over 90% of early American redware was not marked, but you said it was from England, so I'm assuming there was a mark. Also why the link is for a British potters mark index.

 I recently stumbled upon a site that is turning up lots of big pieces of beautiful slip-trail decorated redware dating to about the 1820s - 1840s. In a case like that I use the sifting screen to try to find every piece because its fun to glue them back together and sometimes they actually display pretty nice.

 Happy digging

 Farmer


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## farmerdan (Apr 27, 2011)

oops that first link didn't work. try this:

 http://www.antiquesandfineart.com/articles/article.cfm?request=193


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## Stony99 (Apr 27, 2011)

Thanks for the info farmerdan.  Yes, we found most of the teapot. Even the top and the spout, but we left it all there.   I'm not really into gluing stuff back together. Yet, anyhow!


 Here is a photo of the bottom of it:


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## nydigger (Apr 28, 2011)

just wait till you find the perfect item in your eyes and the first place you stop is for krazy glue lol


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