Bottle Makers

Whitten (2) noted that the acorn logo is found on the base of hand-blown, clear prescription bottles, and this is where we find it for one Copper Country bottle, M. Printz #30. Whitten (2) attributed the logo to Bellaire Bottle Co. based on its appearance on company letterhead. Lockhart et al. (5) further corroborates this attribution with a letter instructing a mold maker not to cut the acorn on the bottom of a mold.

Bellaire Bottle Co. incorporated in Oct 1881 and the factory was operational by Feb 1882 (5). It was idle in late 1922 with plans to remodel but it never reopened (5). Lockhart et al. (5) and Whitten (2) noted that the use of the logo was likely limited to the earlier years of the company, and suggested end dates of c.1890 (5) and c.1895 (2). The M. Printz bottle falls within these ranges, given it could not date any later than Apr 1891 (see company history for Eagle Drug Store).

Given that American Bottle Co. was a conglomeration of factories, it is no surprise that many Copper Country bottles bear its mark. American Bottle Co. incorporated in Aug 1905 with the addition of Adolphus Busch Glass Manufacturing Co. (Belleville, IL and St. Louis, MO) and Streator Bottle & Glass Co. (Streator, IL) to Ohio Bottle Co. (8). American Bottle Co. maintained the exclusive license to produce beer and soda bottles with Owens machines from 1905 to 1929 (37), but Newark Machine Bottle Co. was the one that initially made the ABMs (8). American Bottle Co. served as selling agent while its plants continued to mouth-blow bottles (8). At some point, the Newark Machine Bottle Co. dissolved and the Newark and Streator plants of American Bottle Co. started using machines (8):

1. The Wooster plant closed in 1904 due to labor issues and never reopened.
2. The St. Louis plant burned in Feb 1905 but was rebuilt. Busch withdrew the plant from the merger in 1907.
3. The Belleville plant closed in 1909 due to walkouts and strikes possibly resulting from reduced production of beer bottles due to local and state prohibition.
4. The Massillon plants closed in 1913 due to flood damage.
5. The Newark plant received its first Owens machine in 1905 and had 15 in 1907 and 27 in 1909. Lockhart et al. (8) concluded that mouth blowing was probably discontinued by 1906. Owens Bottle Machine Co. became the majority stock holder of American Bottle Co. in 1916 and took control of the operations of the Newark plant. The plant was closed in 1930 following the formation of Owens-Illinois Glass Co. in May 1929.
6. The Streator plant converted to machines and abandoned mouth-blowing by 1914. By 1916, it had 27 machines at two plants.

American Bottle Co. dissolved when Owens Bottle Machine Co. and Illinois Glass Co. merged to form Owens-Illinois Glass Co. in 1929 (8).

Based on the dates for the A B Co. mark stated by Toulouse (1), Witten (2), and Lockhart et al. (8), it is apparent that the mark was discontinued when Owens Bottle Machine Co. took control of operations in 1916.

American Bottle Co. pioneered marking bottles to indicate plant and production date (8). The intent was so bottlers could track the life of the bottles in circulation (8). According to Lockhart et al. (8), a number indicates the year and a letter indicates the plant (B = Belleville, S = Streator, N = Newark). For example, 6-B = Belleville 1906, S-12 = Streator 1912, 0-S = Streator 1910, and 25N = Newark 1925. Since a number 5 is not known, Lockhart et al. (8) speculated that bottles may not have been produced with the A B Co. mark in 1905 during the transition period after the merger, or if they were, they were not date coded.

A closer examination of the Copper Country bottles revealed that many have a date code. For example, 8 - S on Hancock City Bottling Works #64 indicated that it was produced by the Streator plant in 1908. All Copper Country bottles with an A B Co. date code, it turns out, was made by the Streator plant. On some bottles, the date number was on distorted glass, often raised from the bottle surface, indicating that the mold was patched and re-cut for a new year. Some bottles have specimens with different date codes, indicating that a different batch was ordered during a different year.

Even though the A B Co. mark ended in 1916, the company did not end, nor did the use of its date code. Some Copper Country bottles have the date code, but no maker's mark. ABM bottles exhibit the 16 S to 29 S series for 1916-1929 (8).

The AB ligature that we find on two Copper Country soda bottles from Hancock Pop Co./Louis Wolfsky was attributed to Adolphus Busch by Toulouse (1) but to American Bottle Co. by Lockhart et al. (8). These two companies shared a history.

Adolphus Busch was the son-in-law of Eberhard Anheuser and got involved with bottle production when Anheuser-Busch struggled to obtain enough bottles to meet its beer production (7). He got involved with several glass companies but also formed his own companies (7). He purchased the Belleville Glass Works in 1886 and started the Adolphus Busch Glass Co., and then incorporated the Adolphus Busch Glass Manufacturing Co. in 1892 with a plant in Belleville, IL and a plant in St. Louis, MO (7).

Lockhart et al. (7) noted that it was common in the 19th century to have one name for the factory (which usually ended in "Works") and a different name for the company that operated the factory. This practice seems prudent since a factory often changed ownership over its lifetime, and a company often operated more than one factory.

The two-year gap in dates for the Belleville plant marks a brief closure due to the 1893 depression (7). In April 1900, a fire destroyed the St. Louis plant and Busch moved it to the old Heitz Glass Works building (7). Another fire destroyed the St. Louis plant in Feb 1905 and it was rebuilt (7). Significantly, both plants were absorbed into American Glass Co. in Aug 1905 but Busch withdrew the St. Louis plant in 1907 and operated it under his name (6,7). Lockhart et al. (7) concluded that Busch converted to machines probably sometimes between 1913 and 1917. With contradictory accounts, Lockhart et al. (7) elected that the plant probably closed in c.1926 but did not specify a cause.

The date range for this mark was specified as c.1904-1907 by Toulouse (1), 1905 to most likely 1909 by Whitten (2), and 1905-c.1909 by Lockhart et al. (8). These dates roughly align to when American Bottle Co. had control of Busch's plants. Furthermore, Lockhart et al. (8) identified that the known date coding accompanying the AB ligature follows American Bottle Co.'s coding and specifies only the Belleville plant during 1906-1909. Because most bottles do not have date coding (8), it is inconclusive whether or not the St. Louis plant also used the AB ligature. There is also the question of why would only Busch's plant(s) of American Bottle Co. use this mark.

A start date of 1843 is often given to A. & D. H. Chambers (as by 1,2), but this date marks the start of a succession of Chambers family companies, with A. & D. H. Chambers being a later iteration (6). A. & D. H. Chambers was established by brothers in c.1852 (6). They either operated the same plant or built a new plant on the same site as its predecessors: Anderson, Chambers & Co. and Chambers, Agnew & Co. (6). The company continued with the same name after the deaths of David Chambers in 1862 and Alexander Chambers in 1875, and was succeeded by the Chambers & McKee Glass Co. in early 1889 (6).

Although A. & D. H. Chambers marked their beer and Hutchinson soda bottles (6), we only find their mark on six of the squat sodas from the Copper Country (the remaining five were unmarked). Thus, we associate A. & D. H. Chambers with the earliest bottles of the Copper Country.

It is noteworthy why the Copper Country has only one bottle, a Hutchinson soda from Matthew Northey, bearing the mark of American Glass Works Limited when it produced beer and soda bottles for a decent time period. Lockhart et al. (12) corrected the account by Toulouse (1) with extensive research. American Glass Works Limited formed in Feb 1887 with a new plant in Redmond Mills, PA (12). The limited partnership ended around 1892 ("limited" was dropped from the name), and then the factory closed in c.1903 for yet undiscovered reasons (12).

Lockhart (12) cited that the mark on Hutchinson soda bottles is only known to be found on the heel, either the front or back. The Northey bottle bears the mark on the front heel, which may be par for American Glass Works Limited, but we find it to be an atypical location for a Copper Country bottle.

Adelbert M. Foster took over Dean, Foster & Dawley, the Chicago branch of Dean, Foster & Co., in 1889 when Arther J. Dawley withdrew his interest due to ill health (28). Foster purchased the company in 1893 and renamed it A. M. Foster & Co. (28). Like Dean, Foster & Co., A. M. Foster & Co. was a distributor, not an actual glass manufacturer (28). The company sold bottles and jars until 1928 when an apparent merger with the Upland Flint Bottle Co. formed the Foster-Forbes Glass Co. (28).

We find three variations of this mark on Copper Country bottles: the mark by itself, the mark with KELLOGG, and the mark with KLONDIKE. Lockhart et al. (28) cited cases of the mark by itself being horizontal or arched but found no chronological distinction. They determined that bottles with the A. M. F. & Co. mark by itself were probably manufactured by Marion Flint Glass Co. in Marion, IL. KELLOGG and KLONDIKE refer to bottle shapes that were designed and produced by the company (28). Bottles marked with KELLOGG A. M. F. & Co. were probably made by Sheldon-Foster Glass Co. in Gas City, IN and Chicago, IL (27) and more specifically date to c.1897-c.1902 (28). Bottles marked with KLONDIKE A. M. F. & Co. were probably made by Marion Flint Glass Co. (27) and more specifically date to c.1897-c.1900. KLONDIKE was named after the Klondike gold rush that was occurring at the time (27). Its bottle shape was not patented (27).

In 1904, the Berney Glass Co. merged with the Bond Glass Co. and formed the Berney-Bond Glass Co. (46). Semiautomatic machines were installed at their three plants by 1917 (46). Also in 1917, management became nervous about the impending Prohibition and chose milk bottles as another product (46). They began modifying their existing Lynch machines and produced the Lynch-Budd machines, but they were not successful (46). With cooperation from outside companies, they eventually created the highly-successful Miller-Budd (MB) machine, which was colloquially called the Milk Bottle machine (46). In addition to milk bottles, they also made soda, beer, ammonia, and miscellaneous bottles (46).

In 1926, Berney-Bond signed a contract with Hartford-Empire Co. to use up to 25 of the Hartford feeders (46). In 1927, Berney-Bond purchased the Winslow Glass Co., which made carbonated beverage, liquor, and milk bottles (46). Berney-Bond, along with the Atlantic Bottle Co., was purchased by Owens-Illinois in 1930 (46). These acquisitions allowed Owens-Illinois to enter the milk-bottle market (46).

After Cunningham and Ihmsen (1865-1878), the next two iterations of the Cunningham family glass companies were Cunningham & Co. (1878-1882) and Cunninghams & Co. (1882-1886) (13). Lockhart et al. (13) did not document the reason for adding the "s" in Cunninghams. A fire destroyed the factory in Apr 1879 and it was rebuilt (13). The company changed names again, and so did its mark, when it became a limited partnership in 1886 (13).

Torch Lake Brewery has two bottles with the C & I mark (#1 and #s1) and three with the C & Co. mark (#1a, #2, and #s2), all with the same plate (but different molds). Since we assume a particular plate was used until it wore out before a new plate was purchased, we conclude that the C & Co. bottles date to the onset of Cunningham & Co. (1878-1882). In contrast, Lockhart et al. (13) questioned whether bottles were marked with C & Co. during this iteration, and hypothesized that it was used during the following iteration, Cunninghams & Co. (1882-1886). They also provide examples of C & Co. being used by the iteration that succeeded the limited partnership; that is, Cunninghams & Co. (c.1902-1907). However, the Copper Country beer bottles with C & Co. would not date to this later period because they have lightning-stoppered tops, and, at least in the Copper Country, the lightning stopper was promptly replaced by the Baltimore loop seal in the second half of the 1880s.

The next iteration of the Cunningham family companies started after the death of Wilson Cunningham in 1885 (13). Dominick Cunningham inherited two window glass plants while his uncle, Robert Cunningham, retained the bottle factory (13). They formed a limited partnership in 1886, but Robert withdrew later that year leaving Dominick in charge of the company (13). Meanwhile, Dominick was also running his other company and plant. One factory burned down in 1895 and was rebuilt (13). The limited partnership ended in c.1902 for unknown reasons and the company name reverted back to Cunninghams & Co. (13).

Only three bottles from the Copper Country bear this maker's mark: a Knivel beer bottle and two bottles from Upper Peninsula Bottling Works (C.J. Sorsen). Knivel #107 bears the mark of C & Co. while its variant bears the mark of C & Co. LIM. Since these bottles used the same plate, they are estimated to date to the transition from Cunninghams & Co. to Cunninghams & Co. Limited. However, Lockhart et al. (13) noted that evidence strongly suggests that the C & Co. mark was used until c.1892 (at least on some bottles) before LIM was added, likely because the older molds continued to be used until they wore out. This opens the possibility that the Knivel bottles straddle a later transition date.

Only two Copper Country bottles were marked by Cunninghams and Ihmsen. These were from Torch Lake Brewery and they may be the earliest beer bottles of the Copper Country, as suggested by this maker's mark.

Cunninghams and Ihmsen was one iteration in a long history of Cunningham family glass companies that started in c.1845 (13). Their factory was called Pittsburgh City Glass Works (13). Cunninghams and Ihmsen started when Dominick Cunningham, the son of Wilson Cunningham who ran the original company, purchased George Duncan's shares, arguably in 1865 (13). It ended when Dominick Cunningham purchased Dominick Ihmsen's shares no later than July 1878, and the name was changed to Cunningham & Co. (13).

Paralleling the change in glass company name, we see a change in maker's mark from C & I to C & Co. on Torch Lake bottles with the same plate. Thus, the C & I bottles most likely date just prior to, or during, the transition period in 1878.

Cream City Glass Co. was incorporated in Aug 1888 with new partners, resurrecting the former Wisconsin Glass Co. factory after it had been idle for two years (16). Lockhart et al. (16) questioned whether both plants were reopened or just No.2, but based on the marks, they reasoned for both. The company filed for bankruptcy in 1893, with the 1893 depression being the cause (16). Other sources (2,3) state a close date of 1894.

Only two beer bottles (from Torch Lake Brewery) and two soda bottles (from Lake Linden Bottling Works and Chas. Klein Bottling Works) from the Copper Country were marked by Cream City Glass Co. The beers bear the mark on the base while the sodas bear the mark on the heel. Lockhart et al. (16) questioned whether different marks can be attributed to different factories, suggesting that C C G Co. may have come from No.2 (see Chase Valley Glass Co. for information on the original two furnaces at this site).

It turns out that another glass factory, Colorado City Glass Co., used the same mark and operated roughly during the same time period. Schriever et al. (17) specified how to distinguish between the two marks; for us, the easiest being their conclusion that only Cream City Glass Co. supplied Michigan.

Two mouth-blown J. O. Bruneau milk bottles from Houghton have bases bearing, CREAMERY PACKAGE MFG. CO. CHICAGO. This company was distributor of dairy products, not a glass manufacturer (44).

Charles M. Gates started the Creamery Package Co. in Chicago in 1882 and incorporated the company in 1883 (44). The firm reorganized as the Creamery Package Mfg. Co. in 1887 and expanded with factories in Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan (44). Lockhart et al. (44) suspected that Thatcher Mfg. Co. may have made the bottles in the early years. Certainly, bottles were made by Winslow Glass Co. by 1923 and by Owen-Illinois by at least 1935 (44). In 1960, the St. Regis Paper Co. acquired the company (44).

Lockhart et al. (44) noted that this mark is usually accompanied by a model name, and we find the two that they specified on Copper Country bottles. They dated the IDEAL mark to c.1903-c.1916, with the large letter variant probably being the oldest, and the ACME mark to c.1904-1916.

Ely Sons & Hoyt was incorporated as Clyde Glass Works in 1895 (20). They ceased window glass production and focused on producing amber bottles (20), which is what we find from Clyde in the Copper Country. They added semiautomatic machines by 1913, but ceased operations in July 1915 (20). Lockhart et al. (20) did not identify why.

Lockhart et al. (20) limited the date range of the CLYDE GLASS WORKS mark to c.1910 based on examples being mouth-blown, but they could have been made later. We have a number of bottles from the Copper Country bearing the Clyde mark, all amber beer bottles with Baltimore loop seal tops: five from Torch Lake Brewery / Bosch Brewing Co, one from Phil. Scheuermann Brewing Co., and one from A. Haas Brewing Co.

Chase Valley Glass Co. was short-lived, but it was the start of a long history of glass making in Milwaukee, WI. Retired Dr. Enoch Chase started experimenting with glass making in 1879 with sand found near Milwaukee Harbor (14). Lockhart et al. (14) cited that he began work on a glass plant on his farm in Mar 1880 and it was nearly complete in May. It consisted of two furnaces located in separate buildings (14). In July 1880, a recruiter returned from a trip to the East with experienced glass blowers (14). Toulouse (2) noted that the larger furnace (No.2) was split off to form a corporation in Aug 1880 before operations started in Sept, but the smaller furnace must have been operating earlier to produce the bottles with maker's marks. It is unclear how long the factory operated before the split. The splitting of the operation presumably ended the era of the C V G Co. mark (14).

The Copper Country has only one bottle with the C V G Co. mark, Hutchinson top N. & J. Bottling Works #88. Based on Lockhart's et al. (13) assessment, we can quite precisely date this bottle to 1880.

Dr. Enoch Chase formed a corporation in July 1880 to operate his larger plant, Chase Valley Glass Co. No.2, while he retained full ownership of the smaller plant, Chase Valley Glass Co. No.1 (14). Lockhart et al. (14) cited that the sand for No.2 came from the east shore of Lake Michigan. No.2 operated for 12 months before Chase merged it with No.1 to formed the Wisconsin Class Co. in Aug 1881 (1,14). Lockhart (15) cited that it was unknown why Dr. Chase sold ownership of No.1 and his interest in No.2 after just one season of operation.

Some of the earliest and rarest beer bottles of the Copper Country are graced with the mark of C V No. 2, which dates them quite precisely to 1880-1881. These are lightning stoppered beers from Union Brewery, Eagle River Brewery, and Bavarian Brewery / L'Anse Brewing Co.

Lockhart et al. (27) cited conflicting reports of when Dean, Foster & Co. started but concluded that it was most likely in 1874. Started by George Foster, Charles L. Dean, and Albert G. Smalley, the company was a glassware wholesaler not a glass maker (27). Lockhart et al. (27) lists the companies that supplied Dean, Foster & Co. (and also A. M. Foster & Co.), but noted that the pharmacy bottles bearing their marks appear to have been produced by the glass factories under their control: Marion Flint Glass Co. in Marion, IL and Sheldon-Foster Glass Co. in Gas City, IN and Chicago, IL. Lockhart et al. (27) reasoned the company likely closed in c.1911 when Foster bought the Upland Flint Bottle Co.

We find this mark with the full name of the company on only one bottle, the nursing bottle from Sodergren & Sodergren. Whitten (2) noted that this mark is found on a nursing bottle, and Lockhart et al. (27) also pictured a nursing bottle. Other bottles from this company used the D. F. & Co. mark.

Lockhart et al. (27) noted that the "no rays" mark is only found on the Chicago Oval pharmacy bottle, and that is where we find it on our Copper Country bottles. It occurs similarly to the D. F. & D. mark with the patent date and sometimes an M, which Lockhart et al. (27) associated with Marion Flint Glass Co. in Marion, IL, whom probably manufactured the bottles. In fact, MacDonald Druggist #33 has the D. F. & D. mark and the D F & Co. mark on different sizes.

Lockhart et al. (27) noted that the mark in the center of rays or a sunburst probably date from the inception of the Sheldon-Foster factory, which probably manufactured the bottles, to the end of the company. The bottle style always accompanying the sunburst mark is called the Eastlake Oval (27). We find this mark and bottle style on only one bottle, Fred W. Kroll Druggist #3.

Arthur J. Dawley joined Dean, Foster & Co. in 1876 and opened a branch (again as a wholesaler) in Chicago, IL under the name of Dean, Foster & Dawley (27). Dawley withdrew in 1889 due to ill health and Adelbert M. Foster took control of the company (28). Lockhart et al. (27) noted that the company either reverted back to the Dean, Foster & Co. name or continued using the Dean, Foster & Dawley name until Adelbert M. Foster purchased it in Oct 1893 and renamed it as A. M. Foster & Co.

We find this mark, accompanied with the patent date, on the Chicago Oval pharmacy bottle, which, according to Lockhart et al. (27), was patented by Adelbert M. Foster. Reports cited in Lockhart et al. (27) confirm that our bottles follow the known occurrence of the mark; that is, apparently only on the Chicago Oval. Lockhart et al. (27) suspected that the M often accompanying the mark refers to the Marion Flint Glass Co. in Marion, IL, whom probably manufactured the bottles.

We have a few Copper Country bottles bearing the D O C (or D.O.C.) mark, all from Union Brewery / Phil. Scheuermann Brewing Co. This glass maker was the last chapter of the Cunningham family companies.

Dominick Cunningham left Cunningham & Co. to start his own company and plant (Jane Street Bottle Works) in 1880 (13). The bottle factory burned in Feb 1886 and was rebuilt (13). The company was incorporated as the D.O. Cunningham Glass Co. in Nov 1897 (13). Meanwhile, Dominick also took over his family's company after his father died and his uncle Robert Cunningham withdrew his interests (13). Dominick eventually merged Cunninghams & Co. with D.O. Cunningham Glass Co. in 1907 (13). Dominick died in Mar 1911 and his son, Howard V. Cunningham became the president of the corporation, which remained in business until 1958 but ceased glass production in 1931 (13).

Despite the wide date range for this mark, Lockhart et al. (13) observes that few beer bottles appear to have been made during the earlier years of the company. They also note that the company ceased beer bottle production at some point, probably during Prohibition. They could not determine when D. O. Cunningham transitioned to machines, but cited that the company added more machines in 1917. Although our local sample is small, we also observe this pattern with one bottle (#35) marking the end of the lightning-stopper era and the rest fashioning Baltimore loop seal tops.

Only four Copper Country bottles bear the D. S. G Co. mark (in an inverted arch on the base), and these are all early lightning-stoppered beer bottles. They were produced during a brief glass operation run by the DeSteiger family.

The DeSteiger family moved to LaSalle in fall of 1878, formed the DeSteiger Glass Co., and built a bottle plant (21). They also purchased the Pheonix Glass Co., which started in 1867 and manufactured window glass (21). A fire destroyed the plant in 1881 but it was rebuilt (21). The company became a corporation by at least Sept 1882, but it went bankrupt and the property was sold in April 1883 to the First National Bank of Peru (21). Lockhart et al. (21) hypothesized that use of the D. S. G Co. mark ended with the loss of the family business. The plant continued to operate, however, with DeSteigers involved, but beer bottle production apparently ended. A fire destroyed the plant in Nov 1883 and many of the workers moved to Streator Bottle & Glass Co. (21). Rebuilding started in Feb 1884 and Albert A. Paddon purchased the plant in 1884, but the plant continued to be listed under the DeSteiger & Co. name until 1889 (21). Lockhart et al. (21) reasoned that the plant closed in c.1893.

Edward H. Everett Glass Co. was the third iteration of a succession line, and we find its mark on several bottles from A. Haas Brewing Co., one bottle from South Range Bottling Works, and two bottles from Upper Peninsula Bottling Works (C.J. Sorsen).

Shields, King & Co. was established in 1871 (10). Everett purchased their factory, the Newark Star Glass Works, in Aug 1880, which at the time had been idle for two years due to a worker's strike (10). In Dec 1885, Everett established the Edward H. Everett Glass Co. as a corporation and sold the factory to it (10). A fire completely destroyed the factory in May 1893 and it was rebuilt by Dec 1893 (10). This iteration ended when the plant was sold to Ohio Bottle Co. in Oct 1904, which Lockhart et al. (10) noted was another corporation spearheaded by Everett.

Although the mark could date from 1885, the Copper Country examples are later bottles. Curiously, Upper Peninsula Bottling Works #94 also has a star with a central dot embossed on its base. It is unknown if this symbol represented the bottler (which was probably the case for National Bottling Works), or the bottle maker as a variation of the star logos used by Newark Star Glass Works. A star is also found on the base of Sterling Spring Mineral Water Co. #42b but it bears the N. B. B. G. Co. mark.

Glass making started in Clyde, NY in 1824 but bottle production didn't start until 1864 (20). There were changes in companies and partners over the years but it wasn't until Charles W. Reed retired in 1880 that the company became Ely, Son & Hoyt with the plant being called Clyde Glass Works (20). William C. Ely died in Sept 1886, and with the joining of another son, the company became William C. Ely's Sons & Hoyt (20), also written as Ely Sons & Hoyt by other sources. The company was then incorporated as Clyde Glass Works in 1895 (20).

The Copper Country has only one bottle with the E. SON & H mark, Torch Lake Brewery #3. Lockhart et al. (20) cite sources that attribute the E. SON & H mark to Ely, Son & Hoyt given the singular form of "Son" in both the mark and the company name. We follow this attribution, however Whitten (2) attributes both the E. SON & H mark and the E S & H mark to both companies.

One bottle from the Copper Country bears this mark, Torch Lake Brewery #3a. This bottle is a variant of #3, which bears the E. SON & H mark. Curiously, these two bottles have the same plate, and thus presumably, were produced in quick succession. It is also interesting to note that they had different molds as indicated by different sized post-bottoms.

Lockhart et al. (20) attributed the E S & H mark to Ely Sons & Hoyt (following Von Mechow), while Whitten (2) attributed it to both Ely, Son & Hoyt and Ely Sons & Hoyt. Sources cited by Lockhart et al. (20) reasoned that because the E. SON & H mark matches the Ely, Son & Hoyt company name (with "son" being singular), the E S & H mark must be from the Ely Sons & Hoyt company with "Sons" being abbreviated as "S". Empirical evidence for these attributions, however, is lacking. Conservatively, Whitten (2) attributed both marks to both companies.

Given our two Torch Lake bottles--#3 with E. SON & H and #3a with E S & H--both with the same plate, we identify three scenarios. 1) The two marks were used sequentially following the change in company name, and thus the two bottles date to c.1886. 2) The two marks were used concurrently throughout the years of both companies. 3) The E. SON & H mark was used by the earlier company while the E S & H mark was used by both. The second and third scenarios would increase the opportunity for a plate to be used with two different maker's marks. To be conservative, we cite the dates for both companies for the E S & H mark. The end date for this mark was set by the company being incorporated as Clyde Glass Works in 1895. But given Torch Lake Brewery #3a has a lightning stopper (as does Torch Lake Brewery #3), and the observation that the lightning stopper was replaced by the Baltimore loop seal during the mid to late 1880s in Copper Country bottles, we can limit the end date of this bottle to no later than c.1890.

It is no surprise that the Copper Country has a number of bottles marked from Illinois Glass Co. given its rise to domination. These bottles bear the mark on the back heel, with one (soda #97) having it in a slightly elevated position.

With no prior glass experience, William Elliott Smith and Edward Levis incorporated Illinois Glass Co. in Aug 1873 and purchased the Alton Glass Works factory in Alton, IL that had failed three times previously (22). By 1875, the factory had outgrown its space and the townspeople raised money to purchase a 67-acre site to keep the operation from leaving (22). The new four-furnace factory, even at full capacity, could not keep up with demand (22). The factory installed a fifth furnace in Jan 1887 and a sixth furnace in 1890 but a fire destroyed three furnaces in Nov 1890 (22). They were rebuilt and three more were added by 1893 (22). From 1900, the company expanded with factories in other locations, plus added more furnaces (22). Owens machines were installed in 1910 and production began in 1911 (22). Mouth-blowing bottles ended in July 1915, and Illinois Glass Co. merged with Owens Bottle Co. in Apr 1929 to form Owens-Illinois Glass Co. (22).

Lockhart et al. (22) categorized the logos for Illinois Glass Co., and dated the I. G. Co. mark to 1880-1915 and the I. G. Co. mark with a number to the right to 1895-1915.

This is another mark from Illinois Glass Co. Lockhart et al. (22) encountered this mark on prescription medicines, flasks, and Sunshine Jars. They concluded that the IGCO diamond mark was used concurrently with the I.G.Co. mark, and hypothesized that use of the mark ended with the end of mouth-blown production in 1915.

This is a later mark from Illinois Glass Co. The "diamond I", as it was called in the company catalog, was first used in 1915, registered in 1927, and discontinued in 1929 when Illinois Glass Co. merged with Owens Bottle Machine Co. (22). The "I" may appear as a dot on smaller bottles (22).

Several glass companies used the L. G. CO. mark (42), but Lockhart et al. (43) attributed the mark with the number "52" to Lamb Glass Co., who specialized in milk bottles. We find the mark on two Hillcrest Dairy bottles from Baraga.

After Rex M. Lamb sold Essex Glass Co. to Thacher Mfg. Co. in 1920, he did not remain out of the milk bottle manufacturing industry for long (43). In July 1921, he and his associates formed the Lamb Glass Co. and they began production in Nov (43). The firm specialized in producing machine-made milk bottles (43). They started with one furnace and four Miller machines and built a second furnace in 1922 (43). The machines were later replaced with Lynch MT machines and then by Hartford-Empire machines (43).

Lamb adopted pyroglaze labels in 1934 and was known for the "baby face" bottles that separated the cream (43). The firm continued to specialize in milk bottles until 1944 when they added fruit jars, packers, and preserve wares, likely because more dairies were switching to waxed paper and plastic containers (43). In 1961, Lamb pushed the use of half-gallon or larger bottles (43). In 1963, Lamb merged with the Dorsey Corp, owners of Chattanooga Glass Co., but continued it use its own mark until 1971 (43).

Lamb Glass Co. did not use date codes, so Lockhart et al. (42) used historical sources to estimate the date range for the L. G. CO. 52 mark to 1921-c.1928. Only a few Copper Country milk bottles bear this mark, but others bear other marks from the Lamb Glass Co.

Lockhart et al. (43) attributed this mark as a later mark of the Lamb Glass Co. We find it on several Copper Country milk bottles.

Lockhart et al. (43) attributed this mark to the Lamb Glass Co. They suspected the mark was used prior to the mark, but we find it on Copper Country Dairy #m-97, which clearly is a bottle from the 1960s.

Massillon Bottle & Glass Co. had a brief history--incorporated in Jun 1900 by a group of coal executives and purchased by Ohio Glass Co. in Aug 1904 (9). This brief history allows our two Hutchinson soda bottles from South Range Bottling Works to be narrowly dated. In addition, Schulz et al. (9) noted that they started with beer bottles and fruit jars in their first year, which further narrows the dating of Hutchinson soda bottles.

The Copper Country has numerous bottles with the N B B G Co. mark, mostly located on the back heel but two are located on the base (beer #116, soda #84).

North Baltimore Bottle Glass Co. was incorporated in Oct 1887, land for a new factory was purchased in Dec 1887, and production started in Apr 1888 (23). The company moved operations to Albany, IN in 1895 when natural gas reserves were depleted (23). It then started a plant in Terre Haute, IN in 1900 and closed the Albany plant in 1902 (23). The factory installed an O'Neill semiautomatic machine in 1911 but continued to mouth blow bottles in 1913 (23). Lockhart et al. (23) concluded that the company ended as a result of Prohibition but cited conflicting closure dates from various sources.

Lockhart et al. (23) noted that this was the only mark used by North Baltimore Bottle Glass Co. They only found one example of the mark on a machine-made bottle, so evidently, use of the mark ended with the transition to machines. In contrast to their prediction that bottles from the North Baltimore plant (1888-1895) should have had applied finishes, they noted that they have not observe any bottles with the N B B G Co. mark and an applied finish. Accordingly, they concluded that either the North Baltimore plant did not mark its bottles or they only used a tooled finish, which would have been atypical. Thus, empirical evidence suggests that we could narrow the date range to 1895-c.1920, which aligns with our Copper Country bottles.

Ohio Bottle Co. was a short-lived, first phase in a succession of mergers that formed Owens-Illinois Glass Co. Edward H. Everett spearheaded the formation of Ohio Bottle Co. in Oct 1904 by merging Edward H. Everett Glass Co. (Newark, OH), Massillon Bottle & Glass Co. (Massillon, OH), Reed & Co. (Massillon, OH), and Wooster Glass Co. (Wooster, OH), however the Wooster plant closed within the month due to a labor problem (8). Lockhart (8) stated that the purpose was to monopolize the use of the Owens machine for beer and soda bottles. They contracted an exclusive license with Owens Bottle Machine Co. within three weeks, but then they absorbed two more companies in 1905 and form the American Bottle Co. before operating any machines (8).

The four Copper Country bottles marked by Ohio Bottle Co. (three from A. Haas Brewing Co. and one from South Range Bottling Works) can be precisely dated since the company lasted for only about 10 months. It is possible though that American Glass Co. continued to use the molds with the O B CO mark until they wore out, which Lockhart et al. often stated was the practice.

To understand this company's rise to dominance, we start with the advent of Owens' bottle making machine.

Michael J. Owens started to experiment with automating steps of the glass making process at Libbey Glass Co. (39). Impressed with Owens' successes, Libbey incorporated the Toledo Glass Co. in Dec 1895 to focus on developing innovations in glass making (39). At Toledo, Owens invented the first fully-automatic bottle making machine and patented it in 1903 (27). Principle investors of Toledo Glass Co. incorporated the Owens Bottle-Machine Co. on 03 Sep 1903 to manufacture and lease Owens' machine (37). The company issued exclusive licenses for use of the machine to manufacture specific types of bottles (37). In 1904, several glass companies merged to form the Ohio Bottle Co. for the purpose of obtaining an exclusive license for soda and beer bottles (8). In 1905, within three weeks of obtaining the license, they absorbed two more companies and formed the American Bottle Co. (8). Thatcher Mfg. Co. held the sole license to manufacture milk bottles (37). Commercial use of the machine started in 1905 (37).

Growth of the company was slowed by two depressions: the panics of 1903 and 1907 (27). Only three licenses were active by 1907 (37). The company quickly realized that the practice of issuing exclusive licenses excluded itself from entering the bottle making business (37). Thus, the company created three corporations and issued them licenses to make bottles (37). The company exerted control of its rivals by becoming the majority stock holder (37). It gained control of Whitney Glass Works in 1915, American Bottle Co. and Graham Glass Co. in 1916, and purchased Greenfield Fruit & Bottle Co. from Ball Brothers Glass Mfg. Co. in 1917 (37).

Between 1911 and 1919, the company controlled 17 plants (37). It was then renamed the Owens Bottle Co. in 1919, at which time it had all the factories it would own (37). The emphasis switched from being a manufacturer of machines to a manufacturer of bottles using the machines (39). Some of the individual plants continued to operate under their own name and continued to use their own maker's mark (37). This ended in Apr 1929 when Owens Glass Co. and Illinois Glass Co. merged to form Owens-Illinois Glass Co. (37).

The company continued the same tactic of gaining back control of its machines. It acquired the Berney-Bond Glass Co. in 1930 and the Atlantic Bottle Co. in 1931, gaining control of milk bottle production (38). In 1931, the firm formed the Owens-Illinois Glass Co., Ltd., which then purchased the Illinois Pacific Coast Co., the largest glass manufacturer on the west coast (38). This west coast operation then changed its name in 1932 to Owens-Illinois Pacific Coast Co. (38). The firm purchased the O'Neill Machine Co. in 1933, and acquired its patents (38). The bottling industry boomed following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933 (38). In 1934, Owens-Illinois gained control of the Closure Service Co. and began making its own bottle closures (38). In 1954, the firm changed its name to Owens-Illinois, Inc. (38), and it continues to dominate the market today.

The OI-diamond logo is found on many Copper Country ABM bottles. It is surrounded by three codes: typically, factory code to the left, date code to the right, and mold code below (40). The date code initially consisted of only a single digit for the last digit of the year (40). Unfortunately, this meant that a "0" could refer to 1930 or 1940 (40). The company corrected this problem by adopting a two-digit date code in 1940, but implementation was delayed (40). By 1941, a single dot after a single-digit date code was used to indicate the 1940s, but only on beer and soda bottles (40). The dot system was replaced by the two-digit system by 1943 (40).

In addition to the logo, Owens-Illinois started to emboss a cursive "Duraglas" on the base of the bottle from 1940 (40). Duraglas was a new, stronger formula of glass that allowed manufacturers to use less glass (thinner bottles) and thus, maximize profits (40). Also from 1940, the base was stippled to prevent checking (shallow cracks) due to rapid cooling of the glass (40). The presence of either of these features can aid in dating, but nothing can be concluded by their absence (40).

The Berney-Bond Glass Co., which was acquired by Owens-Illinois in 1930, used BB48 as one of its maker's marks (46). This mark continued to be used on Owens-Illinois bottles to at least 1962 (46), and we find it on several Copper Country milk bottles along with the mark. It appears on bottles made at the Berney-Bond plants but also at other Owens-Illinois plants (48). The company wanted to discontinue the mark in 1954, but extended its use because it was tied to various state regulations (48), presumably as a seal mark.

The Owens-Illinois Glass Co. changed its name to Owens-Illinois, Inc. in 1954 and adopted this new logo (38,40). We find this logo used on several milk bottles from the 1950s to 1960s.

The Root Glass Co. was incorporated in May 1901, with the purpose of making soda and beer bottles, and had a new factory operational by Nov (24). The factory began using its own semi-automatic machine in 1912, and may have ceased mouth-blowing at that time or perhaps by 1914 (23). A tornado flattened the factory in March 1913 but it was rebuilt (23). It is unclear if Root operated three plants or three furnaces, but one burned in Nov 1924 and was rebuilt, while another was destroyed by fire in May 1925 (23). The company was sold to Owens-Illinois Glass Co. in 1932 and the plant continued to produce glass until 1938 (24).

The R G Co. mark is one of two marks we see on Copper Country bottles from Root Glass Co. We find this mark on the back heel or base, with or without punctuation, on soda bottles. Lockhart et al. (23) discussed alternative attributions for this mark proposed by others, but supported the attribution to Root Glass Co. based on empirical evidence. They dated this mark as the earlier (1901-c.1907) mark of Root Glass Co., but suggested that it is possible that some older molds with this mark was used until 1912.

ROOT is the second mark from Root Glass Co. we find on Copper Country bottles, and we find it on the back heel or base of beer and soda bottles. Lockhart et al. (24) suggested that the mark on soda shifted from the base to the heel probably in 1909. They also noted that the heel mark on soda or beer can be accompanied with numbers for the mold and the year starting from 1909, but some bottles have just the mold number or neither. For example, Henry Larsen #s12 is marked with 12 ROOT 542, indicating that it was made in 1912. Base marks, however, did not have a date mark. Lockhart et al. (23) also noted that the company focused more on soda bottle production from as early as 1910, which matches our greater number of sodas over beers bearing this mark.

We have only one bottle with this mark, A. Haas Brewing Co. #69c.

The belief that this mark is attributed to Streeter Glass Co. was noted by von Mechow (4) without citation or rationale. Lockhart et al. (25) noted that the company may have opened in 1897 and found that the plant was called Streeter Jar & Bottle Works. Streeter moved the plant to Terre Haute, IN in 1900 and incorporated the Terre Haute Glass Mfg. Co. (25). Lockhart et al. (25) noted that the company was under receivership by May 1903, and was sold to Root Glass Co. in Oct 1905, who sold it to Ball Brothers in Nov 1909.

It turns out, more than one glass company used this mark. The likely choices for our Copper Country bottles are Swindell Bros. in Baltimore, MD and Chicago Glass Mfg. Co. in Chicago, IL (2,30,31). Given the shapes of these bottles and their local histories, it seems likely that they date to the 1890s to early 1900s, and thus fit the operational years of Swindell Bros.

Two brothers, Walter and Charles Swindell, established the company in 1873 according to an ad and William Swindell's obituary (30). They started with window glass, but by 1880, they added druggist glass (30). By 1913, mouth-blown and semiautomatic machines were used (30). The plant was sold to Carr-Lowrey Glass Co. in Aug 1948, but continued to operate under the Swindell name until 1959 (30).

Streator Bottle & Glass Co. incorporated in June 1881, recruited many workers from DeSteiger Glass Co. after it was destroyed by fire in 1885, purchased the Streator Flint Glass Works from Adolphus Busch in 1898, and merged into American Bottle Co. in 1905 (11).

Lockhart et al. (11) identified the S B & G Co. mark as the only mark used by Streator Bottle & Glass Co. We find it on a number of Copper Country beer and soda bottles. Lockhart et al. (11) only knew the mark to occur on the base for beers and mostly on the heel for sodas. We find this to be true as well for the Copper Country, with only two sodas (#33a and 81) exhibiting the mark on the base (the location for soda #29a is unknown).

Lockhart et al. (11) observed that Streator's mark did not appear on embossed beers until c.1890. They also correlated the mark in a horizontal orientation in the middle of the base to c.1890-1905. The Copper Country beers fit this style. In contrast, they dated the S B & G CO in an arch or circle on the base to c.1885-1890. The quart Jos. James #81 has this style, although it is a soda not a beer, and it has a lowercase "o" in Co.

We find this mark on the heel of one milk bottle, Redcliff Farm from Arnheim. Lindsey (42) dates it to early 1900s but its attribution is unknown.

The Sheldon-Foster Glass Co. was incorporated in July 1894 by Thomas K. Sheldon and Adelbert M. Foster (29). They acquired the Gas City plant of Marion Flint Glass Co. (29). The company moved to Chicago Heights, IL probably in 1901 but Lockhart et al. (29) noted that the Gas City plant may have continued operating for a few years. The Schofield Brothers in Marion, IL took control in Oct 1912 and changed the name to Chicago Heights Bottle Co. in Jan 1913 (29).

Sheldon-Foster Glass Co. supplied distributors, Dean, Foster & Co. and A. M. Foster & Co. (29), who used their own marks on many of the Copper Country pharmacy bottles. In fact, only one bottle bears the mark specifically for Sheldon-Foster Glass Co.; that is, C.J. Sorsen & Co. #25.

Whitten (2) and Lockhart et al. (27) suspected the SHELDON mark was used by the Sheldon-Foster Glass Co. in Gas City, IN and Chicago, IL. Lockhart et al. (27) noted that the mark appeared in the catalogs of Dean, Foster & Co. and A. M. Foster & Co., both of which were distributors not glass manufacturers. The mark, however, may refer to a bottle style, and Lockhart et al. (27) labeled it as the Sheldon Oval, instead of being a maker's mark per se. Similar markings for a bottle style consist of KELLOGG and KLONDIKE associated with A.M.F. & CO. and BREED associated with W. B M CO.

The most prominent maker's marks we find on Copper Country milk bottles, with good reason, are those of Thatcher Mfg. Co.

Dr. Hervey D. Thatcher was a New York druggist who was frequently described as "the father of the milk bottle" (41). It was his colleagues, however, that patented in 1889 what collectors recognize as the iconic milk bottle, which by 1895, Thatcher advertised as the "Common-Sense Milk Bottle" (41). The bottle used a wax-impregnated ligneous disk to sealed the bottle on a ledge on the inside of the top (41).

Thatcher incorporated the Thatcher Mfg. Co. in 1889, and it manufactured milk bottle caps and other Thatcher products (41). The company also sold milk bottles, but they were manufactured by Whitall Tatum & Co. (41).

Francis E. Baldwin took control of the company in 1902 (41). He observed the Owens machine in operation in 1903, and then secured funds to erect a plant and for an exclusive Owens license for milk bottles in 1904 (41). He erected a plant in Kane, Pennsylvania, known as the Kane Milk Bottle Co. or the Baldwin-Travis Glass Co., to manufacture bottles for Thatcher to distribute (41). In the first year, the plant had problems adapting the Owens machine to make a new type of bottle, especially given Thatcher Mfg. Co. had no prior glass manufacturing experience (41). Baldwin hired a young engineer and successful production began probably in late 1905 (41). Baldwin promptly merged the Baldwin-Travis operation with Thatcher Mfg. Co. (41).

Thatcher built a second plant in 1908 in Ottawa, IL, which soon moved to Streator, IL, and then a third plant in 1912 in Elmira, NY (41). The company had four Owens machines in 1909, all at the Kane plant, and then four machines at each plant in 1914 (41).

In 1920, Baldwin purchased four rival companies: Essex Glass Co., Travis Glass Co., Lockport Glass Co., and the Woodbury Glass Co. (41). The deal gave Thatcher exclusive rights to the new Hartford-Empire machines for milk bottles, which the acquired companies held (41). This purchase transitioned manufacturing with the Owens machines to press-and-blow machines (41). Date codes studied by Lockhart et al. (41) suggest that Thatcher eliminated use of the Owens machines in 1925 (41). In 1927, Thatcher operated a total of ten continuous tanks with 16 Hartford-Empire feeders (41).

After being reliant on the milk bottles as its only product, Thatcher acquired the capital stock of Olean Glass Co. in 1935 as part of a plan to diversify (41). It acquired complete ownership in 1943 and produced millions of beer bottles at the Olean plant in 1944 (41). In 1946, the company changed its name to Thatcher Glass Mfg. Co. Inc. (41). By 1960, it ranked fifth in the glass container industry, behind Owens-Illinois, Hazel-Atlas, Anchor-Hocking, and Brockway (41). In 1966, the Rexall Drug & Chemical Co. acquired Thatcher (41). In 1981, Dominick & Dominick bought the company and operated it as the Thatcher Glass Corp. In 1985, Thatcher declared bankruptcy, at which time it had six manufacturing plants making beer, beverage, food, and liquor containers (41).

Thatcher Mfg. Co. used a number of marks during its long history (41). Lockhart et al. (41) dated the T. M'F'G. CO. mark to c.1890-1919, and found it on the base, which is where we find it on bottles from Riverview Dairy and Glen Poplar Dairy in Houghton. The mark on these bottles is horizontal with an Owens scar. Lockhart et al. (41) noted that a date code is usually located below this mark in this orientation (41). A similar mark lacks the apostrophes (41).

This is the most common mark we find on Copper Country milk bottles.

Lockhart et al. (41) identify this trademark first being used on 01 Aug 1923, and found it on bottles up to at least 1954. It was most often embossed on the heel (41). The bottles were made by press-and-blow machines, with only one known exception that was made with an Owens machine (41). From 1923, the date code appeared inside the valve scar, sometimes with a letter (for plant) between the two numbers or preceding the two numbers (41). From about 1937, the date code was on the base outside the valve scar (41).

Another mark we often find on Copper Country milk bottles is the seal mark. Michigan instituted a seal law in 1915 (41). "SEALED / 14" in a circle plate had 14 as the Thatcher number for Michigan. "1 / MINN" in a triangle plate was Thatcher's seal for Minnesota from 1913 to 1947 (41). It moved from the shoulder to the heel by at least 1940 (41). Thatcher bottles also commonly have "SEALED 1-11-14" on the heel, or "1-7-11-14" on the base (41). This may refer to various glass plants or state designations (41).

This is a later trademark of the Thatcher Mfg. Co., and we find it on square, ACL-labeled milk bottles.

This mark is associated with bottles using the Twitchell Floating Ball Stopper, for which the Copper Country has two. Lockhart et al. (26) noted that the company was not a glass manufacturer. von Mechow (4) noted that F. B. S. embossed on the base abbreviates Floating Ball Stopper.

The W-diamond mark is attributed to Whitney Glass Works (1,2,32). The Whitney Glass Works name was established in 1885, being changed from Whitney Brothers (32). The company operated two plants in Glassboro, NJ. One plant, built in 1779 and began production in 1781, became known as the Olive Glass Works in 1808 (32). The other plant opened as Harmony Glass Works in 1813 (32). Lockhart et al. (32) noted that mouth blowing ceased in 1913, with all bottles from that point being made by Owens machines. The plants were sold to Owens Bottle Machine Co. in 1918 and the Whitney Glass Works was dissolved (32).

Only two Copper Country pharmacy bottles bear this mark. Based on reports of the mark, Lockhart et al. (32) estimated a usage range of c.1890-c.1914.

Lockhart et al. (33) identified Western Bottle Manufacturing Co. as a distributor, probably of Marion Flint Glass Co. and Sheldon-Foster Glass Co., not a glass manufacturer itself. The company was incorporated in Dec 1900, and thus Lockhart et al. (33) suspected they probably did not start selling bottles until the following year. They noted that the company closed in 1931 or shortly thereafter as result of the Great Depression.

Lockhart et al. (33) cited accounts of the W. B. M. CO. mark occurring by itself on mouth-blown, embossed pharmacy bottles, and noted that they have found no example of it occurring on generic, machine-made bottles. With the Copper Country bottles bearing this mark (#12, 13) being mouth-blown, we can narrow the date range to 1901-c.1920.

We also have Copper Country bottles (#15, s32) with BREED accompanying the W. B. M. CO. mark. BREED refers to the bottle style, and it was probably named after its creator, R. E. Breed, although the shape was apparently not patented (33). Based on empirical evidence, Lockhart et al. (33) narrowed the date range for the BREED mark to 1901-c.1908.

For the 8 oz. size of Superior Pharmacy #13, we see a variation of the Western Bottle Manufacturing Co. mark, one with MFG. instead of M. This variation was not listed in Lockhart et al. (33). Because the 4 oz. size of the same bottle has the M. B. M. CO. mark, we expect the two marks to have the same date range.

The story of the twin Milwaukee glass plants originally started by Dr. Enoch Chase of Chase Valley Glass Co. continued after the bankruptcy of Cream City Glass Co. The site was next operated by Northern Glass Co. (1894-1896) and Northern Glass Works (1896-1898) (19), but no Copper Country bottles bear their marks. William Franzen, one of three that incorporated the Northern Glass Works, took on his son as a partner in Sep 1898, forming William Franzen & Son as owners of Northern Glass Works (19). In Nov 1899 the factory was destroyed by fire and without sufficient funds to rebuild, the company was incorporated in June 1900 (19), which is often the start date given (such as by 1,2) to William Franzen & Son. The company used Johnny Bull semiautomatic machines by 1909 (19). William Franzen died in 1911 or 1912 (19). The factory primarily made beer bottles, so Prohibition brought its downfall and the corporation was dissolved in Dec 1921 (19).

The Copper Country has only three bottles with the W F & S MIL mark: Calumet Brewing Co. #85 with a base mark, The Twin City Bottling Works #114 with a base mark, and Richard Hooper #30b with a heel mark. Lockhart et al. (19) noted that this factory used machines exclusively by 1913, so we can narrow the range of our mouth-blown bottles to 1898-c.1912. They noted that both applied and tooled finishes were used throughout the hand-blown age for different types of tops, including Baltimore loop seal, Hutchinson, and crown tops. Thus, the type of finish does not help with dating for this company. They described different configurations of the mark, but the ones found on our Copper Country bottles were not part of their classification. Thus, to further narrow the date range for each bottle, we would need to apply additional information, such as the type of closure and local history.

In 1889, Palmer Winslow and his mother, Hannah Winslow, gave up their share of Fairmont Glass Works in Fairmont, IN and started their own business, the Winslow Glass Co. in Matthews, IN (45). They incorporated the company with H. P. Henshaw in Sep 1898 and opened the plant in Feb 1899, making miscellaneous glass containers (45). The company opened a branch in Columbus, OH in 1902, Hannah died in 1904, and the Matthews plant ceased operations probably in 1905 (45). Fire destroyed the Columbus plant in May 1905, but it was rebuilt and operational again by Sep (45).

Winslow converted the plant to manufacturing milk bottles around 1906 (45). The plant was dependent on producing bottles for the Peruna Co., but sales dropped after Peruna was criticized as being a substitute alcoholic beverage and the Pure Food & Drug Act of 1906 required full disclosure of its alcohol content (45). Initially, bottles were made by hand, and then by machine from 1909 (45). The machines were Teeple-Johnson semiautomatic machines which were eventually converted to fully-automatic machines (45). The plant became more and more reliant on milk bottle production, especially as the health boards of many cities were passing laws requiring milk to be sold only in bottles (45).

The plant produced primarily milk bottles by 1912, and perhaps exclusively milk bottles by 1918 (45). Ads in 1924 focused on quality of the glass (45). They showed a bottle being cut in half with a saw to illustrate the uniformity of glass, and testing the strength of the glass with a steel hammer (45).

After a 16-month illness, Palmer Winslow died on 25 Apr 1927 (45). On 01 May 1927, his heirs sold the company to Berney-Bond Glass Co. (45). The plant continued to make milk bottles for Berney-Bond and then for Owens-Illinois Glass Co. when it acquired the plant in 1930 (45).

The 5W mark is one of the marks of the Winslow Glass Co., as evidenced by Winslow registering it for use on Wisconsin milk bottles in 1913 (45). Numbers accompanying the mark can appear in the ejection scar or the heel, but Lockhart et al. (45) could not conclusively determine which one, if either, is a date code.

This mark from Winslow Glass Co. was used concurrently with their 5W mark (45). It may have been the earlier mark and it was certainly used until 1927, when the company was sold to Berney-Bond Glass Co. (45). It also appears with the BB 48 mark from Berney-Bond, indicating that it was probably used until the molds wore out (48). We also find this mark within the seal on some Copper Country milk bottles.

The original factory in Millville, NJ was established in 1806 (34). Whitall Tatum & Co. was a continuation of a long line of company name changes. Their plants were called the Phoenix Flint-Glass Works and Phoenix Green-Glass Works (34). In 1886, it was the largest glass operation in the U.S. (34). The company incorporated as Whitall Tatum Co. in Jan 1901 (35).

Lockhart et al. (34) noted that Whitall Tatum & Co. patented at least 10 designs for pharmacy bottles, and listed the names of the bottle styles and their patent dates. They identified different configurations of the mark and attributed more specific dates to them. Bottles with just the W. T. & CO. mark (often with a patent date), like Macdonald Pharmacy #31, were dated to mid-1870s-c.1890, but most commonly 1880-1890. Bottles with a letter or number below the W. T. & CO. mark, like M. Printz #28 and #29, were dated to c.1880-1895, but most commonly 1885-1895. Bottles with the W. T. & CO. mark with a letter or number below it and then U.S.A. below the letter or number, like C.J. Sorsen #26, 2 oz. size, were dated to c.1890-1901. Bottles with the W. T. & CO. mark with a letter and U.S.A. below it in one line, like C.J. Sorsen #26, 4 oz. size, were dated to c.1890-1894.

Whitall Tatum & Co. was incorporated as Whitall Tatum Co. in Jan 1901 (35). They had a semiautomatic machine for narrow-mouth bottles operational by 1912, and Lockhart et al. (35) reasoned, based on company ads, that mouth-blowing bottles ceased by 1925. The company was purchased in June 1938 by Armstrong Cork Co., who later sold it to Kerr Glass Mfg. Co. in April 1969.

Similar for Whitall Tatum & Co., Lockhart et al. (35) identified different configurations of the mark and assigned more specific dates to each. Bottles with a letter or number and U.S.A. in two lines below the W. T. CO. mark, like Geo. H. Nichols #7, were dated to 1901-c.1924. Bottles with U.S.A. below the W. T. Co. mark (sometimes with a patent date below U.S.A.), like Nichols #11, were dated to 1901-c.1905.

Chase Valley Glass Works No.1 and No.2 merged in Aug 1881 to form Wisconsin Glass Co. (15). Reportedly due to costs, over-diversification, and a series of strikes, the factory closed in 1886 (15). The factory later reopened in 1888 with new partners as the Cream City Glass Co. (15).

Wisconsin Glass Company operated for only five years, which allows us to date its bottles to a narrow range. The Copper Country has three beer bottles with this specific mark, two from A. Haas Brewing Co. and one from Union Brewery.

Lockhart et al. (15) studied the variation in marks and hypothesized that the ones with "glass" abbreviated as "G" were from one factory and the ones with "glass" embossed as "GLASS" were from the other factory. But they found no way of knowing which mark came from which factory, if that was in fact the case.

This is a variation of the Wisconsin Glass Company mark, one without MILW as part of the mark.

The WIS. GLASS Co. MILW mark is another mark from Wisconsin Glass Company we find on a Copper Country bottle: lightning-stoppered Union Brewery #34. This bottle bears the mark on its front heel, an atypical location for a marker's mark.