You would think that after seven years we would have found everything we were going to find, Well, there was one little section on the third floor where I had not removed the drywall that was put up in the 1960s when the attic was turned into an apartment. It was a closet when we acquired the place and I had left a small strip of drywall and base molding in place along a section of the brick exterior wall that included a part of the bay section that was added between 1887 and 1890. Tonight, when I pulled the strip of drywall away it exposed a "hole" in the brick wall where some five bricks had fallen into the floor cavity below. After pulling the bricks out of the floor I stuck my arm under the floor boards and groped around to see if I could feel anything under there. I pulled out several things. The first being a stovepipe wall ring. Then a bent piece of metal that was the face of a mantle clock at one time. Then there were these;
Two bottles and a bow tie. The bow tie is a primative form of clip on tie. The large bottle is old. The glass has bubbles in it and the hand carved, hollowed out stopper is attached with a string. The small bottle has a label on the front that says "Sour Mash. From John Deis" who owned a liquor store on Wayne Ave in the 1880s. The back has the following molded into it;
A.J. Schiml Apothecary 38 Xenia Ave Dayton Ohio. Sour Mash is sipping whiskey.
I pulled up a floor board to see if there was anything else and found what appears to be a glass oil lamp chimney that is cracked and missing a large piece of glass. It has "Ohio Tubular" imprinted on it.
What is really neat is that these things were left here intentionally. Probably by people putting the flooring in. I guess times were tough or they just weren't being considerate because both bottles were empty! Bastards ......
The really old bottle with the stopper is awesome. Maybe they were drinking on the job? Good thing you were curious enough to take the time to look. I like that everything is from the area where you live. The good old days, when cities manufactured most of what they used in daily life right there in the city.
ReplyDeletePatricia W.
Those are great finds. However,
ReplyDeleteI hate you did not find any Amish toys.
I am collecting my finds during my renovation as well. The original builders of the house were a blacksmith and a whitesmith. Every once in a while I find a chunk of discarded iron scrap in the dirt, or basement. I am going to make a small museum style vitrine case to display them all and hang it as a final tribute to the renovation. You are very lucky to have found such things in the house. They are like physical documents of the inhabitants. Best of luck to you.
ReplyDeleteExcellent finds, Gary. I love the fact they were items with local links.
ReplyDeleteVery cool! I love old bottles like that.
ReplyDeleteI thought for sure it was going to be a large sum of money. Damn!
ReplyDeleteKeep on the lookout for shoes. If you find any, don't move them, photograph them first. We found four kid's shoes and two adult shoes in our 1860's brick home in Covington, KY, but we didn't know we shouldn't have move them before photographing them...
ReplyDeleteconcealment shoes
Just stopped by for a visit. I wanted to say Hello Neighbor.
ReplyDeleteI am in Dayton too!
it's not unusual for alcoholics to hide their empties, and not unusual to find them plastered up in walls. i found several, not very old or snazzy, hidden by various workmen in my tiny three room rowhouse, the most recent a pint vodka bottle behind the baseboard heater element installed in the 1970s.
ReplyDeletei'm glad yours were old.