# Cathedrals



## CALDIGR2

I took some of my pickles out back for some air yesterday afternoon. They have been cooped up inside forever and the air did them some good. The tallest is 14". It was cloudy but you'll get the picture.[]


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## bostaurus

Inspiring bits of gothic beauty.


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## kungfufighter

Very nice!


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## justanolddigger

Superb! They have always been among my favorites& those are some fantastic examples, thanks for sharing
 Bill


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## HH White

Great collection. Superb examples!


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## ktbi

Those are great Mike.  I love cathedrals and you have some very nice examples.  Were they used for anything other than pickles? I've seen pepper sauce bottles that look quite a bit like those - but nothing can compare to the pickles. Thank you for sharing.....Ron


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## bottlekid76

Those are really sharp Mike!! 

 ~Tim


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## CALDIGR2

Yes, I have had them with lead labels for peaches, brandied pears, and other non-pickle foods. Some of the ones that came out of the Embarcadero project still had contents. IIRC, at least one contained oysters. The smells were disgusting. In another nearby site some of us got sick from digging in the rotten fish cans and stuff. The stink permeated the black ooze.


> ORIGINAL:  ktbi
> 
> Those are great Mike.Â  I love cathedrals and you have some very nice examples.Â  Were they used for anything other than pickles? I've seen pepper sauce bottles that look quite a bit like those - but nothing can compare to the pickles. Thank you for sharing.....Ron


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## baltbottles

> at least one contained oysters.





> ORIGINAL:  CALDIGR2
> 
> I had suspected as much. I have the shards to a marked cathedral pickle that after doing some research it all points to an oyster packer rather then a fruit packer.
> 
> Chris


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## surfaceone

Hey Mike,

 Thanks for documenting the airing of your cathedrals. The Notre Dames of bottledom in more ways than one. Did you save any of the lead seals? I have a couple, but have not seen them for years. I gotta find those one'a these daze.






 "UF10597 is a lead bottle seal from the landing on Level 2 of the Barracks. It is embossed with the name of George Whybrow, a pickle manufacturer and oil importer who started a business in London around 1825. The company made various kinds of pickles, relishes, vinegars and salad oils. Bottles embossed with the Whybrow name have been found at a number of archaeological sites in Australia, including the Conservatorium in Sydney, the Parramatta Childrenâ€™s Court site, and at Casselden Place in Melbourne. The seal is 51 mm in diameter, and originally came from a wide mouthed bottle, which probably held pickles or some other table condiments. The â€˜Trade Markâ€™ indicates the bottle post-dates 1876, and pre-dates 1899, when the company was wound up." From.


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## cacarpetbagger

Sweet!!!


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## JOETHECROW

> ORIGINAL: CALDIGR2
> 
> Yes, I have had them with lead labels for peaches, brandied pears, and other non-pickle foods. Some of the ones that came out of the Embarcadero project still had contents. IIRC, at least one contained oysters. The smells were disgusting. In another nearby site some of us got sick from digging in the rotten fish cans and stuff. The stink permeated the black ooze.
> 
> 
> 
> ORIGINAL: ktbi
> 
> Those are great Mike.  I love cathedrals and you have some very nice examples.  Were they used for anything other than pickles? I've seen pepper sauce bottles that look quite a bit like those - but nothing can compare to the pickles. Thank you for sharing.....Ron
Click to expand...

 

 LoL,...I can almost smell that dig from your description,...sounds disgusting but fun...Any I've ever been lucky enoug to dig were missing the lower corners...[]  Those are really nice.


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## Dansalata

NICE!!!


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## tigue710

Nice Pickles Mike!  Interesting you found oysters in one...   In a journal I read from the gold rush the author collected hundreds of pickle bottles along the shore of happy valley, (which he describes as littered with thousands!). He then bought vinegar and cucumbers from a merchant, filled the bottles and made a quick profit of 300 dollars in two days in the mines...

 Could you imagine just walking along the shore of Frisco and picking up hundreds of gothic pickles?!


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## CALDIGR2

I do know that many cathedrals were broken and turned into windows in miner's cabins. Maybe that's why so many are found sharded in the surrounding area of the cabin sites. They also broke wine and champagne bottles to make candle holders from the necks. Some of the fragile bottles that came up those early trails by mule train survived by what can only be called a miracle. Most Northern CA camps were supplied from river towns like Sacramento and Marysville, where steam and sail boats were unloaded and the goods sent up to the mines. In some cases the trip was over a hundred miles.


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## tigue710

thats very intersting...  on a recent dig tons of broken cathederal pickles were found, although usually just the shoulders, and tops... I was hopeful one would turn up whole but no luck, a good amount of very fragile berry bottles survived though, and spices!  First bottle I bought in Cali was an open pontil spice, just as I hadnt really seen one before... needless to say Ive replaced it with a dug example now...


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## Stardust

Very Nice PICKLES Mike! I'd sure like to be in a pickle like that. [] Thanks for posting for us all to see. Must add to my wish list! *


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## ArmyDigger

eye candy


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## UncleBruce

ArmyDigger said:


> eye candy


Way to go. Reviving old threads!


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## embe

Doesn't bother me none, saw something new.


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## TxBottleDigger

Beauties. That’s quite a bit of money right there. Great collection !


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## nhpharm

It's a bit bittersweet to see these old posts resurrected.  I believe Mike (the originator of the post) passed back in 2012 and many of the other folks on the thread no longer post here and haven't for a decade or close to it.  Back then the knowledge on this forum was immeasurable.


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