On my 15th birthday, I went to an estate sale and found three old bottles. I was curious where they came from and what purpose they had served, so I did some research. Through my research, each bottle taught me a little something new. I learned about companies, businesses, and measuring units. Furthermore, I realized just how big the glass industry was. Now alongside an additional fourth bottle, they serve as fun artifacts from the past and capsules of history.
TC Wheaton Bottle
The most identifiable bottle in my collection is a bottle from TC Wheaton Co. It measures approximately 5.5 cm (2.2 in) in height and 8.5 cm (3.3 in) in circumference. There are two very faint, almost nonexistent seam lines from the base to the lip. On the base, it says “TC W CO / USA / 10” and nothing on the sides.
Theodore C. Wheaton was born on August 24, 1852, in Cape May, New Jersey. He was the middle child of five boys. He married Bathsheba Brooks Lancaster in 1880 in Philadelphia, and they had at least 4 children together. Between 1880 and 1885, he moved to Milville, New Jersey, where he lived until his death in 1931 at age 79.
According to an article published by the Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA), which has since been taken down, Dr. Theodore C. Wheaton, a pharmacist, lent a failing factory in Milville, New Jersey $3,000 (about $112,539 today) on October 24, 1888. The company formerly known as Schull-Goodwin Glass Co. changed its name to T.C. Wheaton & Co.
The company produced varying types of glassware, from lab equipment to perfume bottles. A considerable amount of the factory burned down on November 24, 1889, and Dr. Wheaton left his practice to devote himself to the flint glass business in June 1890.
℥ii Bottle
This bottle says ℥ii on its front and has a diamond symbol and “7” on its base. It has two seams that are diagonal from each other and reach from the base to the lip. It is about 12.5 cm (5 in) tall, about 5 cm (2 in) across, and about 2 cm (0.79 in) wide. The “℥” symbol means ounces, and the “ii” means two, so this bottle should hold about 2oz. This symbol was used in traditional Troy-based versions of the British Apothecary system. This system was officially used in Britain until the Medical Act, which adopted the avoirdupois system in 1858, and the metric system for medicine in 1968. It was also used in the United States until 1971, when they too adopted the metric.
Guaranteed Full ½ Pint 8 oz
This is the newest bottle in my collection. This bottle says “GUARANTEED / FULL / ½ PINT 8 OZ” on the front. On the base, there is a diamond with an “A” in the middle and the numbers “382” below it. It has four “seams”, two on each side, that are basically symmetrical. There are a few imperfections, including a large bubble at the base and a bubble in the lip. It is about 17.4 cm (6.9 in) tall, about 8 cm (3.1 in) across, and about 4.9 cm (2.0 in) wide. It is very similar in dimension and shape to a Guaranteed Full ½ Pint 8 oz bottle made by Fellows & Co. Chemists. Fellows & Co. was founded by a Canadian father and son, Isaac and James I. Fellows, around the 1850s, and sold household medicine.
WT Co Bottle
This bottle has “W T CO. / A C / U.S.A.” on its base and nothing on the sides. It has a few scratches and an uneven lip. This bottle is about 10.1 cm tall, about 4.9 cm across, and about 3.1 cm wide. It may have been produced by Whitall Tatum Company. It looks very similar to some Whitall Tatum bottles in the shapes “Philadelphia Oval” or “Penn Oval” (patented January 18, 1898). Both were popular shapes in Australian prescription bottles.
In 1806, in Milville, NJ, James Lee built a glass factory that originally made window glass, but added bottles in 1809. He sold the company in 1814. Around 1815, Gideon Scull gained control of the business (which he named G. Scull, Jr. & Co.) and called the factory Millville Glass Works. It was eventually taken over by William Scattergood and Thomas Booth, and in 1838, John M Whitall joined the company (called Phoenix Glass Works at the time). His brother, Israel “Franklin” Whitall, joined in 1845, and the company became Whitall, Brother & Company. Franklin Whitall left in 1857, Edward Tatum (John’s brother-in-law) joined in his place, and the company became Whitall Tatum & Company, then Whitall Tatum Company in 1901.
With help from a dating guideline made by SHA, I can guess my bottle was mouth-blown because it has the “WT CO.” logo and not a “W / T” in a triangle, which signifies it was machine-made. The use of the “U.S.A” mark was not a general practice until after 1890, so I can guess my bottle was made after then. The formation of “W T CO. / (letter) / U.S.A.” was used between the 1890s and 1901, which narrows down the likely period of when my bottle was made.
Leo Gest • Nov 10, 2025 at 2:02 pm
Love the article! I enjoyed the simple yet detailed bottles. You did a great job of explaining the history behind them, which I really appreciated. I think it is interesting how each bottle tells its own story. You can tell you put thought and effort into this because of the details and the research behind it. I don’t have a personal collection but the closest thing that I have to one is my collection of frisbees. Each one brings me back to a tournament or game and it’s so cool how each one has so much memories in it.
Mila • Nov 10, 2025 at 11:51 am
I really enjoyed reading this article, because it reminded me that everything has a story behind it. My mom has a collection of glass bottles similar to these, and I have never given them a second thought. This article helped me remember that stories are hidden in objects everywhere we look. After reading this article, I now feel so much more aware of the significance of things around me in the world and even in my own home! I also find it really impressive that Clellan found out all of that information about the bottles with nothing but the few and faint words leftover from the past.
Eden • Nov 9, 2025 at 12:37 pm
This article is so interesting and crazy that so much history could be found from just a few bottles. After reading I feel like I’ve been missing so much that I could’ve been learning, and I’m suddenly inspired to look closer at things. To know that all of this history was what created this bottle, the whole company that had to come before one, the family the owner of that company had; it makes everything feel so much more connected, how the world just keeps spitting out stuff that makes new stuff and someday someone might even write about it!
Anjali Tremblay • Nov 7, 2025 at 2:35 pm
I love the historical research behind this article, Clellan! It’s super interesting how much history is behind seemingly simple objects.
Makayla Littles • Nov 7, 2025 at 9:58 am
It is fascinating to me that someone can track history with bottles and no further information. Our cherished items provide history for our lives because the things we cherish show fragments of who we are and what we value. When I was younger, I would collect stuffed animals with all different shapes, sizes, and designs. I collected stuffed animals because I believed that they were so cute. Anytime I had to take a souvenir from somewhere, I always bought a stuffed animal.
Most of my stuffed animals were from Rite Aid. If someone found my stuffed animals a hundred years from now, they would learn about Rite Aid because I assume Rite Aids will not exist a hundred years from now. Many Rites Aids are currently closing down.
Additionally, I have many stuffed animals that are from my loved ones, and I have matching ones with my friends. As of today, I still have all of those stuffed animals, and when I see them, each one either reminds me of a specific person or time in my life.
One of my favorite stuffed animals is my medium sized teddy bear. For my 14th birthday, my best friend bought one for me, and one for her. On the bears, she put best friend’s necklace. My bear had one half of the necklace, and her bear had the other half. I remember I felt so loved when I saw the stuffed animal.
Harrison • Nov 7, 2025 at 9:56 am
Everybody should have a collection of things that are meaningful to them. I found it interesting how Clellan’s collection of bottles led them to learn more about the glassblowing industry and the history behind different companies. I too have a collection, but mine is of houseplants. I am drawn to collecting houseplants because I like bringing nature into my home, and they teach me about the different climates, soil, and precipitation of regions across the world. My favorite plant in my collection is the Alocasia Black Velvet because it is one of the first plants I rescued from the lowest clearance shelf. Now it is thriving and producing offspring.
Joseph Lee • Nov 7, 2025 at 9:41 am
What stood out to me the most about this article is how Clellan has taken the time to delve into the history behind each bottle and describes not only their national origins, but also any familial narrative that goes along with it. By doing so, Clellan reveals that such antique bottles are more than forgotten objects – they are “artifacts from the past and capsules of history”. Clellan discusses four bottles that she has collected – their technical attributes such as size, volume, make, model, company of origin, and in which historical period they were used. She went above and beyond by researching the people who founded the companies that manufactured these bottles, which family members they did this with, and any other information pertaining to life stories. For example, Clellan reveals that “Fellows & Co. Chemists. Fellows & Co. was founded by a Canadian father and son, Isaac and James I. Fellows, around the 1850s, and sold household medicine”, going beyond mere attributes of the bottle – she discovered the story of a man and his son who collaborated to build a company which provided assistance to families who may not have had the resources to concoct suitable remedies for sicknesses. It is possible that these men had great personal motivation – perhaps a death in the family due to the lack of sufficient medicine? Clellan, by including information about the individuals who labored to create the bottles, pushes the audience to consider the deeper emotional and personal significance behind objects that may otherwise be considered mundane. They are indeed artifacts, beautiful time capsules from the lives of complex people whose stories may never be told – but we can stop for a moment to wonder about the narrative that constitutes their being.
Augusto Q • Nov 7, 2025 at 9:33 am
Collections, the kind that foster creativity and curiosity, are certainly few and far between, but when the “bug” does snap, like Clellan, I believe it truly does invite copious understanding, not only of the objects within the collection themselves, but of the greater world. When I was little, I too held a cherished historical collection: rocks. Large, miniscule, shiny, dull, malleable, firm, each piece of my prize collection told an intricate story that in the instance of rocks told of rekindled geology, ancient sediment, and bygone human action. Take my favorite for example, a bright, clear amber with dulled edges, seemingly a sliver of the sun displaced from years of erosion. It was only much later in my youth that I discovered that peculiar rock was in fact no rock at all, but rather a shard of stained glass that had since fused with other nearby geologic structures. Such is the way of collections, to acquire not mere objects but stories – stories that should live on far beyond that of its earthly host.
Malea • Nov 7, 2025 at 9:23 am
Having a collection of something, no matter what it is, brings a sense of achievement and peace to the collector. I myself have collected rocks for as long as I can remember. I think the most interesting thing about collecting items that you think are cool is that they have so much meaning to you and others have no clue why you’ve collected them. When I collect rocks, they are usually wet at first in a stream, so I am able to see their true hue and that’s why I am so attracted to it. After it dries and it sits in my room, the beauty concealed underneath its ash rarely gets another chance to peak back through. I think collecting rocks that I find nice helps me see the smaller beauty in items that might usually get passed by and ignored by others. Being able to see their beauty before it dries helps me connect with nature more and appreciate the little things. The rock I cherish the most has a green and pink hue when wet but looks like a generic grey rock when dry, and I find comfort in knowing that I know it’s true identity.
Josie Sheek • Nov 6, 2025 at 1:44 pm
What stuck out to me the most in this article is how Clellan analyzed the bottle separately, along with their other writing. This gave the article and the collection itself life in ways I couldn’t even imagine. Currently, I do not have a personal connection of my own, but, when I was younger, I used to collect small toys like Shopkins and anything that caught my eye. I guess there was something so satisfying about the small pile I would organize into categories for fun, and just the look. I find them rarely around my house now since I’ve moved since then, but when I do, it connects me back to when I was younger and how I adored every little individual figure. It’s mostly a faint memory of the ones I used to collect, but I loved them all equally and laugh at my collecting skills as a little girl.
Sage Solonynka • Nov 6, 2025 at 12:08 pm
I love how you took the time to simply write about something you love. These bottles would have sat on a shelf and we would have never known their stories if you had not expressed this curiosity and willingness to follow through. This whole article is riddled with great research and information that is so wonderfully nerdy. These look like bottles you would find at the Corning Museum of Glass. Its crazy to think that in some of these old medicine bottles, there may have been old, toxic remedies or tonics that turned out to just be wet sawdust or something. I never thought that a bottle could hold so much history.
Cora • Nov 6, 2025 at 10:51 am
This is so interesting! I love little collections and I think it’s so cool you were able to find the stories behind these items. Reading this reminded me of my Ex-Term last year, archival storytelling. In archival storytelling, we looked through the schools archives and various archives around Philadelphia and learned as much about the items as we could. For our final project, we took something we had learned about that we thought was interesting and filled in the gaps with our own knowledge and imagination. It gave me a new appreciation for lots of everyday items and antiques. I learned about the Gibson family and the “Gibson girl” which was a cartoon about the ideal woman of the 1890s to early 1900s. Ever since then, I’ve actually noticed references to her more and I get so excited that I know so much about her and her creator.
Aisling S • Nov 5, 2025 at 9:31 pm
It amazes me that people are able to find out so much from something as simple as a glass bottle. Just from some markings, Clellan was able to decipher the company that made each bottle, the year range it was made in, and even what the creator’s lives were like. The history found through common household items is often overlooked for things seen as “more valuable”, while they can give just as much, if not more insight into the past. This proves that there is always more to be discovered so long as you wish to find it. While I don’t personally have bottles, or any other collections like this, it does remind me that my own research into the past, simple or “boring” as it is, can reveal so much about life long ago.
Maya G • Nov 5, 2025 at 5:41 pm
This is so cool! It reminds me of an archival project we did in APUSH last year, where we examined artifacts collected during the farmhouse dig and created exhibits on them. I would love to learn more about any bottles you collect in the future, and I think it would be so interesting to see an exhibit on them!
Molly Taylor • Nov 5, 2025 at 2:07 pm
I found this article incredibly interesting as it is clear that this collection has allowed Clellan to explore a passion of theirs that is not extremely widespread. I enjoyed getting to learn about each different kind of bottle, and found it very interesting that each bottle had a clear history and story behind it. I do not have a collection as interesting and remarkable as Clellan’s but do collect pins from every place that I have traveled. I enjoy collecting the pins as they are a small yet meaningful keepsake that serves as a constant reminder of the joy I have had traveling. I think that collections are a great way to express your interests, and dive into an unfamiliar, but exciting topic.
Rainy • Nov 5, 2025 at 8:18 am
What I found most interesting in this article was the way that Clellan´s research always connected to the people who made each bottle and revealed something about their stories. I have my own bottle collection, but it is all new bottles that I bought drinks in at some point in my life – I save them if the packaging is pretty and/or if the day that I drank them was a good memory. The only ´collection´ I have that connects me to the past is my geneology project. I´ve done extensive research through family and an ancestry website to trace my family back to the 1600s. I find this type of collecting of information rewarding because it directly connects to the idea of stories from the past that I feel made Clellan´s article extra interesting.
Cam • Nov 3, 2025 at 2:22 pm
This is deeply profound.