Sterry A. Weaver's Canker & Salt Rheum Syrup, from RI or CT?

One of the more commanding RI medicine bottles is boldly embossed "Dr. S.A. Weaver's Canker & Salt Rheum Syrup".  There are close to a dozen known variants, ranging from open pontil to smooth-based.  The earliest known examples are also embossed Providence, RI, which makes most collectors assume that all of the Weaver bottles are from Rhode Island.  

As a passionate RI bottle collector and research nut, I decided to see what I could find out about the bottles that didn't have Providence, RI embossed on them.  My final conclusion was rather disappointing for me (as a RI collector), as I am now almost certain most Weavers bottles are actually from Connecticut.

the Providence marked Weavers

First, let's take a look at the originator of this quack medicine.

Sterry Arnold Weaver (1816-1857) was a doctor in Providence. He went to Brown University in 1842, but was listed as a non-graduate.  It appears that the Albany College of Medicine was more to his liking.  He graduated that college in 1844. He is listed in the 1848 Providence tax book as a doctor. He was listed as a clerk on Eddy St. in 1837. He was listed as a physician at 105 High St. in 1849.  He advertised his popular Canker & Salt Rheum Syrup, as well as a Cerate and Canker Cure. Canker Cure from 1849-1851.  One ad claimed his Salt Rheum Syrup was:

“For the Effectual and Speedy Removal of Canker, Salt Rheum, Erysipelas, Scrofula, and All Other Diseases Arising from an Impure State of the Blood; Also, Liver Complaints, Catarrhal Afflictions, Such as Soreness Or Tightness about the Chest, Bronchitis, a Hoarseness and Tickling of the Throat, Dyspepsia, Female Weakness and Debility”

1850 ad from Troy, NY newspaper

excerpt from "Genealogy of the Stone Family Originating in RI", published in 1866

Despite being a doctor, he died of consumption in 1857.  This was the first red flag that came up in my research.  If he died that early, the all of the smooth based Weaver bottles were being sold by another company.  In fact, it was likely a lot of the pontiled examples were too.  I could not find any ads mentioning Providence after 1851, which seems to indicate that he sold the rights to produce the medicine to someone else.  Sure enough, I found a reference to a S.A. Weaver & Co. in New London, Conn. dating to 1854.  A few more minutes produced a letterhead from the same company dating to 1851.  In 1857 a J.N. Harris of New London was the proprietor of Dr. S.A. Weaver’s Canker & Salt Rheum Syrup.

 

The 1851 letter

iron pontiled example

 The more I searched, the more newspaper ads I found confirming that S.A. Weaver & Co. was the sole manufacturer of the Canker & Salt Rheum Syrup, Cerate, and Canker Cure from 1851 onwards.

 

Typical 1850-60s ad for Weaver's medicines

Sometime in the late 1800s, Davis & Lawrence of New York and Montreal bought out the company, and were selling Weaver's Cerate as late as 1907.

Weaver's Cerate box

So in conclusion, it appears that almost all of the Weaver bottles actually come from New London, CT and later New York.  The only thing that could upset this argument would be a pontiled Weaver bottle with a label.  I saw an iron pontiled one on ebay a few years back, but the picture was grainy and the label in rough condition.  If you happen to have a labeled example, please contact me!  I would love to see what it says.

Blue Bird Beverages of West Barrington

After a long search, I was able to obtain an elusive RI deco soda bottle.  It is embossed Blue Bird on the shoulder (embossed blue birds), and W. Barrington, RI on the bottom.  My past research had turned up very little on this bottle, so I decided to try to track it down for good.  The results were a little varied, but interesting!

The Blue Bird deco soda

Base embossing

Blue Bird was a grape flavored soda.  The bottle design was patented in 1925 by the Citrus Products Co. of Chicago.  This was the parent company of brands such as Kist and Chocolate Soldier.   

Bottle design patent.  Paul Ginter was a prolific designer of deco soda bottles

Blue Bird never achieved the success of brands like Kist, but it did well enough to make its way to the east coast.   

Advertising sign

Later ACL Blue Bird soda

There were only two bottling companies in West Barrington in the 1925-1930s time period this bottle was used.  The Sherba Beverage Co. and Deep Rock Inc.  Due to personal favoritism and educated guessing, I believe that Deep Rock Inc. was the likely bottler.  They bottled a small multitude of brands including 7-Up, Hires, and Tru-Ade.  Sherba does not have any brands listed in their advertisements (at least the ones I have seen so far).

UPDATE:  Mystery solved!  Local collector David C. had the good fortune of coming across this crate that confirms that Deep Rock was indeed the bottler of Blue Bird.

A Beginner's Guide to RI ACL Soda Bottles

Welcome!  This post is for anyone who is looking to learn more about ACL, or painted label soda bottles from RI.  I will start by giving a brief history on ACL (applied color label) soda bottles.
The first ACL soda bottle dates to 1934.  Someone had the bright idea of creating a label that would not wash off when a bottle was sterilized.  Paper labels were only good for one use because the bottle was cleaned when it was returned, and embossed bottles don't stand out as much as one with a colorful label.  The process involved applying a paste made of ground lead, borosilicate glass, and mineral pigments to a bottle that was still hot (ca. 1,100° Fahrenheit).  The process had to be repeated for each color, which made the process more expensive.  ACL bottles were slow to catch on in the 1930s, as only a few brands have ACL bottles from this decade.  However, by 1940 they were becoming popular, and by 1945 about half of the existing bottling companies were using ACL sodas.  They reached their heyday in the late 1940s through the 1960s.  With the introduction of the NDNR bottles, they slowly lost popularity.  However, one can still find ACL soda bottles on the market today.
On another note, one can be easily confused with similar terms such as "pyroglazed" (nicknamed pyro) labels.  This is what painted label milk bottles are called.  While the method of applying the label is virtually the same, for some reason the term "pyroglazed" won out.  If you dig for bottles, you will find that pyro milks generally do not survive as well as ACL sodas.  This is simply because most ACL sodas have a solid label, while pyro milks usually just have thin pyro lettering.  There are also ACL medicine bottles from the 1930s-50s.  These are collectible, but not nearly as popular as sodas and milks.

Rhode Island was on target with most states when it came to using ACL soda bottles.  The first plant to use them was the Deep Rock Co. in West Barrington, RI.  Made by the Owens Illinois Glass Co., these bottles have informative date codes on the bottom of the bottle.  The earliest one I have found dates to 1937.
These early bottles have single color labels (in this case red for clear bottles and yellow for green bottles).  The process had not yet been perfected, so the bottles found from this era often have faded or peeling labels.  The Deep Rock plant went on to bottle a number of different soda brands including Alka-Time, Dr. Swett's Root Beer, King Orange Soda,  and Xtra.  
Not far behind Deep Rock was the Ochee Spring Water Co. of Providence.  They bottled their own brand of soda, along with others like Canada Dry Spur and Ledge.

As an ACL collector, the subject of value will eventually come up.  Fortunately for collectors, most ACL soda bottles are quite cheap, and many can be had for $1-5.  There are valuable ones, such as the Shiloh ACL from Providence.  One sold for $240, but they normally sell for $100-150.
Condition is a major factor in the value of ACL bottles.  For example, a Shiloh bottle with a very faded label might only sell for $20.  Fading and discoloration can cut the value of a rare ACL bottle in half.  If it is a common ACL, then the value drops to $0.  If it is faded to the point where the colors are barely discernible, even rare ACLs will have little value.

Cleaning dug ACL bottles is a tricky business.  Most ACL bottles you dig will not clean up shiny and new.  Quite often they will look ok when you pull them out of a dump, but by the time you get home they may start to flake and peel.  Usually this is not preventable.  It does help to keep the dirty ACLs in a somewhat moist environment for a few days so they can "air out".  Once they are ready to be cleaned, you must be careful not to scrub the labels.  Often times I have used my finger or a soft sponge to gently wipe the dirt off the label.  Don't be frustrated, as it takes practice and luck.  Buried in the right conditions and soil types, ACL sodas can be dug in near mint condition.


Here is a list of the common RI ACL sodas you might come across that normally sell for $1-5.  Note that there are uncommon versions of some of these bottles that are worth more.

Coca-Cola
Empire Beverages
Hope Club Beverages
Manhattan Beverages
Nehi
Red Fox
Rose Beverages
Royal Crown
Squirt
Tru-Ade
Warwick Club
Yacht Club


The following RI ACL sodas normally sell for $5-20 (again, rare variants are exceptions)
Batchelors Beverages
Bridge Club
Brownie Club
Clover Club
Cott
Drink Me Pop
E.J. Dybala's Soda
Girard Spring Water
Lamberts Beverages
Liberty Club
Mission of California
Nugget
Ochee
Pepsi-Cola
7-Up
Simba
Spur
Virginia Dare
Wellington Club

The rest of the brands you might come across are fairly hard to find.  They might not necessarily be worth more than $20, as I don't have sale info on some of them.


I am one of three members of the Little Rhody Bottle Club currently working on a book for RI ACL sodas.  I suppose we are lucky to have such a small state, as it is already proving to be a challenge.  Below are a list of RI ACL soda bottles that have been reported, but no picture can be found.  If you have one of these, or know where one is, please contact me so I can properly record it.  A picture says a thousand words, so they are most appreciated!

Alaska Beverages- need picture of small (7-12oz) size (update, got pictures, need pics of a mint example)
Berry Spring- reported 3-color ACL, picture needed (update, acquired!)
Brooklawn- reported, need picture!
Canada Dry- need picture of one in good condition
Clover Club Ginger Ale- need picture of one in good condition (update, one variant acquired)
Deep Rock Beverages- need picture of quart size in good condition (update, got pictures!)
Hebe- reported, need picture (update, got pictures!)
Ma's Root Beer- need picture (update, acquired!)
Moose Head- need picture of green example in good condition
Newport Club Beverages- need picture of green example (update, acquired!)
Red Rock- confirmed, need picture (update, only pictures of 12oz size)
Star- need picture of 12oz. with red and white label (update, got pictures!)
Dr. Swett's Root Beer- need picture of one in good condition (update, got pictures!)
Town Club- need picture of clear example (update, got pics!)
Twin City- need picture of ginger ale
Virginia Dare- example from West Barrington reported, need picture!
Yacht Club- need picture of example with red and white ACL
Unknown soda from Graniteville, RI (Bare Rock Beverage Co.) which bottled Virginia Dare, shard found, need pics of an intact example!