Letters to the Editor

to the Editor

The Spirits are Watching

Hi, John,

I was dusting the bottle shelves today when I got the eerie feeling that I was being watched. Turns out I was right. This teal blue demijohn (at left) obviously contained “spirits” at one time… and still does. Happy Halloween.

Andy Agnew Cockeysville, Maryland

Quack Medicine Extraordinaire - Montana Harry Rides Again!

Hi, John,

And the beat goes on. Thanks so much for keeping me in the loop about Montana Harry! I think you have proven the label’s authenticity and it adds color to the picture of Montana Harry.

What threw me off was the age of the original bottle, it was so early. But by the time the tooled-top smooth-based bottles were being produced, now that is a little more believable. At about that time there was an aura of mystique connected to the Native Americans and the pull of the ‘Old West’ itself, that at least one other company was cashing in on it, big time, the Kickapoo Indian Medicine Company, who coincidently, also had their home base in Connecticut.

From all of the things we spoke about in our initial conversation, along with this new information, I tend to think that Montana Harry was a fictional character. His story is just too good and it so much mimics the hundreds of dimestore western novels that were being churned out at that time. The names (Chief Kill Eagle, really?), places (Sweetwater Res), people (Col. Forsyth, Montana Harry), and facts (7th Calvary), are all such catchy sounding buzzwords, but they have no substance or are not in harmony with the history of Montana Harry.

At least the Kickapoo Indian Medicine Company got a few things right. For example, one of their bottles is embossed Warme Springs Oregon, and there is a Warm {not Warme} Springs Indian Reservation in eastern Oregon. They were probably the business model that Montana Harry was trying to cash in on. But Montana Harry just didn’t have the capital for embossed bottles and all of the advertising and hoopla that the Kickapoo medicine company put into their endeavor. It sounds like Montana Harry was the creation of a dreamy-eyed entrepreneur at the time of this country’s progressive era.

I am printing and storing all of the pictures and info you sent as who knows what new info will come to light once your info hits the pages of the bottle magazine. Again, thanks John. Montana Harry so typifies the patent medicine industry and is just one feature of bottle collecting that keeps it so entertaining!

Marc Lutsko Libby, Montana

Get to Know the New Mid-Maine Bottle Club!

First, a quick introduction. We are the Mid-Maine Antique Bottle Club, founded in 2014 by myself and Sam Fuller. We both recognized the need for a Mainebased bottle show and for regular club meetings here in Maine.

We began with 6 members at our first meeting in an antique shop and grew to 10 members, meeting in various members’ homes, to now over 25 members regularly attending our monthly gatherings in our rented hall.

to the Editor

Our meetings became so well attended that they started taking up 4 to 5 hours, with all the show and tells, buying, selling and presentations. We revised the format so that monthly meetings are now in the 3 hour range. The nice part is now we can have large meetings with plenty of time to enjoy our interests.

As a club, we needed to consider whether we would be an open club or a private group. After several club discussions, it was decided to keep the club small. We consider new memberships through a member’s recommendation and a club vote. Our members collect a wide variety of bottles, stoneware, insulators, marbles and related antiques. Several members are advanced collectors and some are newer collectors, but everyone has incredible enthusiasm to share and a strong desire to learn more about our hobby. It’s a great club!

Now we're in our seventh year and our goal of having a Maine-based show is only a few months away. We have a wonderful exhibition hall ready minutes from Portland and right off I-295. There's plenty of parking, food on site, and room for over 60 tables. We're very excited to host the show and hopefully we can continue our support of this great hobby by making our show an annual event for dealers and collectors alike.

Maine is a beautiful place to visit and our members are ready to welcome everybody to our inaugural show, the Mid-Maine Antique Bottle Show on November 7, 2021 at the Topsham Fairground Exhibition Hall in Topsham.

Please reach out to me anytime at 207832-1503, or email me at oldbottles@ outlook.com. Our website has show information at midmaineantiquebottleclub.com Many thanks to all the collectors who have supported our club and our hobby in general. Best wishes to everyone for a great upcoming show season!

Sincerely,

Paul McClure Show Chairman, MMABC

Alan’s A Rock Star

(from another fan of the Brit)

Dear Ralph,

Ralph, I really liked your recent Alan Blakeman write-up in AB&GC. I recall going to an English bottle show in Milton Keynes about 20 years ago. So much excitement was in the air, and Blakeman was the primary impetus.

Regards,

Eric McGuire Petaluma, California

Ralph replies: Dear Eric, an impetus? Alan Blakeman is more like a rocket. Busy, busy, busy, and always on the go. Especially up. He loves to climb up rocks, the taller the better. He even has attached climbing holds to the back of his house, where before breakfast he could go out and climb up and down the building.

I have so many fond memories of him, and favorite photos. One I can’t find is of his daughter, “Becks,” who, as a child, would sit on a giant pot lid it to watch TV. That pot lid was once used in a Victorian window display.

One of the great things about Alan is that he helps connect the hobby from one side of the ocean to the other.

D

Alan Blakeman holding the giant pot lid that his daughter, Becks, used to sit on and watch TV.

Alan also enjoyed the rock climbing hobby, and the taller the better.