# J R Watkins  what was in it?



## bunny1

Have a J R Watkins bottle - when I took cork out there was a strong odor that definitely was not vanilla.

 Does anyone know what it might be?

 Thank you, 
 Nancy


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## woody

Probably linimint.
 The company is still in business today.

http://www.jrwatkins.com/jrwatkins/content.cfm?Area=Who%20We%20Are&Country=Usa


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## towhead

Hi Nancy-

 Welcome to the Forum ....

  I have a few of the JR Watkins bottles too, but I don't know what was in them.  Someone will be along shortly that knows....

 -Julie


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## towhead

Wow Woody!!!! You musta' been typing at the same time as me.  Thanks for your input!

 -Julie


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## bunny1

Thankyou for your quick reply Woody.
 Nancy


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## woody

I use Watkins liniment when I get a sore back.[]
 You can buy it at Walmart.
 They make alot of different products.


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## towhead

Wow.... I didnt know they still made it!  Thanks Woody

 -Julie


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## bunny1

Hi Woody,
 I am new at this - and I am still researching about my JR Watkins Co bottle I found at a garage sale.
 When I was able to carefully pull the cork out and smell the little bit of dark residue in it , it smelled like
 a strong cleaner of some sort and not vanilla as I suspected it might be.  
 I did look on the internet about the history of the company, and they did make cleaning products.  Or maybe
 someone could have used the bottle to store some other product.  Their bottles were covered in dirt and must
 have been buried somewhere when they were discovered. 
 It is about 8 1/2" tall and in real good shape with the cork still in it, and 3" x 1 1/2" flat bottle
 Do you know of any other product they produced?
 What do you think?
 Appreciate any other opinion you may have.
 Thank you very much.
 Bunny!


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## woody

Hi Bunny,
 Here is a timeline of the company with a history of the products that they produced.
http://www.jrwatkins.com/jrwatkins/contentF.cfm?Country=Usa&Area=Our%20Story&mainstg=Who We Are

 It's hard to determine what exactly was in the bottle you have without having the original label on it.
 It very well may have been a cleaning product.


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## bunny1

Hi Woody,
 Thanks so much for the info.  The link to the history of Watkins products was very informative 
 and interesting.  
 Thank you for taking time to answer my question.

 Bunny


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## bunny1

Hi Woody,
 Just forgot to mention that Watkins history was even more interesting since it started
 in Minnesota, my home state.
 Bunny


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## woody

That's great, Nancy.
 I used to live in Duluth, Mn. from 1967-1969
 Great fishing in the land of 10,000 lakes.[]


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## bunny1

Hi Woody
 Just saw your latest post.  I've lived in Duluth all my life.  I love it here, especially Lake Superior.
 It's a small world, isn't it.
 Nancy


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## woody

It is a small world, Nancy.
 My father was stationed at Capehart Air Force base during the Vietnam war. I went to Washington junior high school during those years and then we moved back to South Hadley, Mass. where my father retired from the air force with 22 years of active duty.
 He retired at Westover AFB in Chicopee, Mass. in 1969.
 We lived at the base housing there in Duluth, Mn.
 I remember my music teacher, Mr. Sullivan, at school there.
 Very good music program with concert band and orchestra band.
 I like Minnesota with the great fishing & hunting.
 Cold winters, though........


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## dollarbill

Hey all 
     Just found a J.R.Watkins cook book and what they called the Watkins bookfax. This company made almost everything for cooking ,cleaning, Meds you name it .
                   bill


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## woody

So.... unless you had a label on the bottle it is almost impossible to determine what was in it, then.


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