Small, metal shank button about 1.5cm wide Bar in the center reveal 2 open slots in the middle of the button Letters legible “AGG” ‘FISK” “LARK”
Fisk Clark & Flagg, probably manufactured in New York
Selective Surface collection, West, Stanley Park, Historic Chatham Township (modern Summit, New Jersey)
Drew University, Department of Anthropology, Drew University Passaic River Survey
Court of Appeals State of New York. Thomas m. Argall vs. Abraham Jacobs and W. Wisebart. T.J.P. Averell Law Publisher, 29 May 1880, p. 73. “Henry Greene Fisk.” The American Hatter, vol. 31, 1902, p. 84. New York Court of Appeals. Richard W. Bogart vs. J. Kleckner, J. H. Wittigschlager, Daniel E. Rutherford, Frederick D. Clark and William J. Carr. C.G. Burgoyne's "Quick" Print, 22 Aug. 1881, p. 29. The New York Supplement. Fisk vs. Fisk, Clark & Flagg. Volume 76 (New York State Reporter, Volume 110), pp. 482–485. “‘Want’ Ads.” New York Journal, 24 Apr. 1899, p. 13.
Fisk, Clark & Flagg was founded in 1867 by Henry G. Fisk, Thomas R. Clark and Thomas J. Flagg, “for the purpose of manufacturing and selling gloves, neckwear and other articles of men's attire.” (Fisk v. Fisk, Clark Flagg, 37 Misc. 737, (N.Y. Misc. 1902)). The firm established a well-known name for themselves in their trade and manufacturing, producing high quality goods and becoming a leading figure in lines of gloves, furnishing goods, and shirt waists. They first began business in White Street, New York City, and then moved to several other locations in NYC throughout the decades including 690 Broadway, 686 Broadway, 5 Washington Place, and very briefly, 85 Fifth Avenue. Being that Fisk, Clark & Flagg produced a series of premium clothing and home goods, the men and women of early Chatham belonged most likely to a higher social class. The close vicinity to NYC allowed clothing stores to be conveniently stocked with these goods, demonstrating a close connection between the distribution of goods across states and cities in America.
DUPRS_0045 - P. & J. Arnold Ink bottle produced by J. Bourne & Son potters
The bottle is ceramic which appears wheel thrown due to streak marks and cut base. Brown outside probably from a sort of glaze. Base is 9 cm in diameter, equal to about 3.5 inches. Stamp-marked with the following label: Vitreous Stone Bottle; J Bourne & Son,; (indiscernible); Denby Pottery, Near Derby; P & J. Arnold; London. Unfortunately because the top of the bottle is missing, exactly what this bottle once contained cannot be determined. However, most likely the bottle held ink because P & J. Arnolds was an ink producing company. Based on the ‘Son’ on the back stamp this stone bottle dates post 1841. It was hand thrown on a wheel and glazed with common salt producing the brown glazed finish.
Vitreous Stone Bottle, held the ink produced by P. and J. Arnold Manufactured post 1841 due to labels inclusion of & Son; between 1860-1890. In Denby near Derbyshire England. Exported by P. & J. Arnold of London
Selective Surface collection, east Stanley Park, Historic Chatham Township (modern Summit, New Jersey)
These stone bottles were not high class material, comparable to our contemporary plastic storage containers, they were disposable. The people of the 1800s utilized these stone vessels to store various liquids such as ink, preserves, paste, beer, medicine, varnish, and so on. Compared to glass at the time, stoneware products were economically practical. The company that produced this bottle was named after Joseph Bourne who officially founded the company in 1809 and it continued to manufacture stone bottles until 1976. Joseph’s father William was a potter as well as who, on the horizon of the Industrial Revolution, foresaw the benefits of leasing a large clay bed near Derby which was then passed onto his son. The modest singular kiln company grew steadily over the years. Joseph Bourne’s pottery in Derbyshire England made large quantities of these bottles. For many years P. & J. Arnold of London used Bourne vessels for his ink products. For many years, P. & J. Arnold of London used bourne vessels for his ink products. These ink products, and Joseph Bourne’s containers were heavily imported to the U.S. by the mid 19th century, which could account for this artifact being found along the Passaic River in New Jersey. If there were factories in this area, records would have to be kept and ink to write them in. Bourne’s bottles were not expensive during this time period, unlike glass, and with their thriving factory during the Industrial Revolution it is doubtless their exports reached the ports of New Jersey and New York (New Amsterdam).
DUPRS_0048 - Consolidate Fruit Jar Company Lid
This is a round, flat, white piece of milk glass with two consecutive rings outside of it with the inscription ‘Consolidated Fruit Jar Company, New York’ around the outermost ring. It is about 3.5 inches in diameter. The center circle has a symbol on it and the writing, rings, and symbol are all raised. It is a circle of milky, opal-colored glass, 6.5 mm in diameter. 2 outer concerntric rings surrounding a center circle of 3mm in diameter. Center circle has raised marker’s mark and the outermost circle has ‘Consolidated Fruit Jar Company, New York’ pressed on it. Underside has a number ‘12’ pressed into it and one outer concentric circle of 1mm surrounding inner circle of 5.5mm diameter. It was used to separate the fruit and the metal closures in canned fruit jars to make the fruit more ‘sanitary’.
The Consolidated Fruit Jar Company operated out of New Brunswick, NJ between 1871 and 1908. It was owned by Lewis R. Boyd, who is most famous for the patent of this object which is a white milk-glass insert for zinc screw lids on hand-blown glass jars that was used to keep food from coming in contact with the metal so that it would preserve for longer. During 1871 and 1885 companies used outside contractors to make their lid-liners following a large factory fire. This type of glass lid-liner was patented in 1869 by Louis R. Boyd. Lewis R. Boyd and his company – The Sheet Metal Screw Company – patented a white ‘milk-glass’ insert for zinc screw lids to theoretically lessen the chances that food would come in contact with metal in 1869. Boyd became a partner in the Consolidated Fruit Jar Company in 1871, which was based in New Brunswick, New Jersey. This company contracted out with many other companies to produce their mason jars, a very popular item at the time. They stopped being manufactured around 1885, and the company went out of business in 1908. Since the glass lid dates from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, it could mean that this area of the Passaic River was in use at this time, unless the lid drifter downstream from another site, but this in unlikely since the jar top was found buried. Since the lid would have been on some sort of food product, it could indicate that this area was a popular picnic spot of the late 1800s, as it is today, or that this area was lived in and the jar lid was a commonplace item in a home of this time. Since this part of the Passaic River is on the outskirts of New York City, perhaps Madison was a popular weekend spot for New Yorkers during this time period to get out of the city, relax, and picnic. The presence of this object helps us to date possible settlements near the Passaic River and supports the hypothesis of this area being a lower class area. These jars were mass produced and relatively inexpensive. It also implies that instead of a housing barrack for just male workers, that women and children might have lived here.
DUPRS_0034 - Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Bottle and Stopper
An American Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Bottle.
An American Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Bottle. The initials ‘JDS’ on the bottom of the bottle stand for ‘John Duncan Sons’ – the original importer of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce, located in New York. If the mold seam continues straight through to the top of the bottle, it was made after 1890. If the mold seam stops just before the finish, the bottle was made prior to 1890.
Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce by Salem Glass Works
The ‘JDS’ bottle for Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce was first made in 1876 by the Salem Glass Works, Salem New Jersey. Prior to that full bottles were imported from England. The lettering on the bottle guaranteed the customer of the original and genuine Worcestershire sauce. Often copied but never duplicated, it was widely imitated in the 19th century. In the beginning, John Duncan had a license for importing Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce into America. He had his own bottles made in England, filled there, and then shipped to America. Later Duncan obtained a new license, and began bottling L&P Worcestershire in America. The first bottles manufactured in America were made in 1876 by the Salem Glass Works in Salem, NJ. Numerals shown on the bottom of the bottle are not part of the trademark, but the numbers are the serial number of the mold that made the bottle. The number will differ because different molds were use. The green color of the bottle is a result of an impurity (iron) in the sand that was used to make the glass. The L&P bottle is a reflection of life at the site. The site may have been a community or a place where people lived.
DUPRS_0047 - Alderney Dairy Co. Bottle Base
A broken glass shard of irregular shape.
The artifact is in one piece, a broken glass shard of irregular shape. It was plainly once circular, and formed the end of a cylindrical shape. Most likely this is the bottom of a bottle. It is marked with an ‘F’ in the center and along the edges ‘T.F’M’G Co., ‘PAT’, and ‘9’0 are clearly seen. The rest of the information they formerly conveyed, as well as their context, has been lost with other bottle pieces.
‘T.F’M’G Co.’ is a marking typical of the bottoms of milk bottles produced by the Alderney Dairy Company, once located at 26 Bridge Street, Newark. Both Alderney and T.F’M’G have long ago passed into obscurity; the exact date was undeterminable, however it is likely that the Alderney company based in the greater Newark area closed down some time prior to 1938. Very little information seems to remain of the old Alderney company outside of old photographs of their milk bottling facilities. The business may have shut down due to the Great Depression or just the flow of business. The bottle shards would seem typical of a bottle in the style of the complete bottle produced by Alderney Dairy, Newark in 1889. The bottle shards were found in an area that has long been used as a garbage dump (the designation of the site area as a park hasn’t stopped this practice completely; plenty of modern trash may be found next to items which may be over a hundred years old), so I believe the item’s significance is one of an everyday object, something quite common in the time of its manufacture and use. The bottle must have been considered disposable enough to discard at some point; either intentionally as a whole bottle once used, or as a consequence of breaking the bottle in some other way. If it were more precious, repair could have been attempted.
DUPRS_0046 - Greenwood China Dish Fragment
A sherd of white ware pottery with GREENWOOD CHINA stamped as an identifier.
A sherd of white ware pottery with a small portion of the foot visible on the underside. There is also a small imperfection on the underside of the artifact on the outside lip. In the middle of the underside GREENWOOD CHINA is stamped and underneath that is Trenton, N.J. And above all the writing is a small squiggle. All marks on the piece appear in a light green color.
Greenwood pottery Co. was established in 1862 by William Tams, an experienced potter from Staffordshire, England, who went into business with several Trenton investors. It was one of the largest producers of household and hotel china and remained in existence for more than 70 years. For a short period of time in the 1880s, it produced high quality art porcelain known as Ne Plus Ultra. This artifact, however, is not porcelain and therefore not the high quality ware referred to in the 18800s. This was most likely a plate based on the size and shape of the artifact which according to http://pages.tias.com/7401/PictPage/1920693965.html is 1-1/2” L; 5-7/8” when whole. This piece appears to be fairly widely produced and distributed due to its being found in Wyoming while being manufactured in New Jersey. It seems as if the ceramic may have been cheap and the picture above was listed for sale online for sale at $3.75. It is unclear whether the company still exists or went out of business therefore all that is known is that the piece originated post 1862. This artifact found on the east side of the survey area seems to further indicate a possible home or hotel based on the fact that the same type of pottery was found at a historic hotel in Wyoming. It is interesting to note that a selective collection at a hotel historic site in Yellowstone National Park at the Yellowstone Lake Hotel found 22 pieces of chinaware identified as being Greenwood China and Co. from Trenton N.J. The army was at one point stationed in the park and supposedly added a mark to their pottery denoting that it was ‘quartermasters corp.’; although this was only until 1916.
Blue glass bottle fragment with embossing identifying it as a John Wyeth & Bro. Medicine Bottle
Blue glass bottle fragment with “Pat. May 16TH 1899” embossed on bottle base and on the bottle side embossing ending in “...& Bro.” The bottle is fragmentary and only part of the side and base are present but the shape is of a square sided bottle.
Complete examples of this bottle type with this same embossing are from John Wyeth & Bro. and the bottle rim would have had a dose glass resting on it and the bottle said “TAKE NEXT DOSE AT” and then a mark so the dose glass can be rotated to the hour marked at its base. This type of bottle was patented in 1899. Only the older bottles from this manufacturer are blue but it is not known when this bottle color was phased out. These bottles were handblown until 1910 which is also around the estimated time when the deep cobalt blue was discontinued. This bottle represents a medicine bottle but since the same bottle was used for various medicines it is impossible to say for sure which type of medicine, but the same shape of bottle with its label intact contained sodium phosphate; “A mild and pleasant Laxative Employed in the Treatment of Constipation, Obesity, Children’s Diarrhea, Rickets, Jaundice, etc. According to Baybottles - an antique bottle website: https://baybottles.com/2018/12/19/john-wyeth-bro-philadelphia/ “The business of John Wyeth & Brother originated in 1861 when John and Frank Wyeth formed a partnership and opened an apothecary store in Philadelphia. The company and its several successors have remained in business for over 150 years, ultimately becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Pfizer in 2009. A graduate of the Philadelphia School of Pharmacy, prior to founding John Wyeth & Brother, John Wyeth had partnered with Henry C. Blair under the name of Blair & Wyeth, in a Philadelphia pharmacy business located at Eighth and Walnut Streets. His brother Frank Wyeth, also a Philadelphia School of Pharmacy graduate, worked for the business as chief clerk. On July 1, 1861 the Blair & Wyeth partnership was dissolved and the brothers formed a new partnership under the name John Wyeth & Brother. Notices for both the dissolution of the old business and establishment of the new business were printed in the July 2, 1861 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer.” Their entrance into drug manufacturing appears to be driven by the increased need for drug related supplies as a result of the Civil War. Wyeth’s obituary, in the April 1907 edition of a pharmaceutical magazine called “The Spatula,” stated: When the Civil War broke out he secured a big contract to furnish the Government with medicinal supplies, and from this began the manufacturing of pharmaceutical articles. Early in their history the business became famous for their sweetened tinctures which they called elixirs. A story featuring Wyeth in the March 28, 1881 edition of the Montreal Gazette described their elixirs like this: The elixirs are drug compounds, made up in an elegant and palatable shape; drugs which are nauseating in the ordinary form are in this guise cordials which a patient can take with relish and which the weakest and most sensitive stomach will not reject. The company was sold to American Home Products in the early 1930s after the death of the son of John Wyeth. One of the headquarters of American Home Products and then Wyeth was located in Madison, New Jersey, next to Drew University for the latter part of the 20th century and early 21st century.
DUPRS_0064 Misc. Suspender and Garter Pieces
Miscellaneous Suspender and Garter Metal Pieces
This collection includes: -13 metal suspender buckles and adjusters in various sizes, shapes, and designs -22 metal pieces composed of 2 connected pieces featuring a hole in the center on the end -4 small rings pieces that fit through the above pieces -5 metal thin pieces with an opening on the end (supposed garter hooks/clips)
Selective Surface collection, West Stanley Park, Historic Chatham Township (modern Summit, New Jersey)
http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2037331,00.html http://diggingi95.com/features/high-priority-features-section-8/section-8-feature-5-personal-accessories/ https://vintagedancer.com/victorian/victorian-mens-fashion-history/ http://www.kristinholt.com/archives/5027
The suspender pieces featured in this collection include a mix of buckles and adjuster pieces, along with other unidentifiable but related metal pieces that could have belonged to other areas on the suspender strap or garter belt. An integral piece of men’s fashion during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th century was suspenders, or known as “braces” in Britain. Suspenders were composed of several diverse, metal pieces that fastened, tightened, and loosened the strap pieces according to each person’s desired fit and length. They were essential to keeping undergarments and outer garments in place, and served as a fashionable and decorative accessory. In fact, women and children wore them for the same purpose! Suspenders first appeared in 18th century France as strips of ribbon attached to the buttonhole of trousers, and were not meant to be seen or worn on the outside of garments. Beginning in the early 1820’s, British designer Albert Thurston provided a solution to the profoundly high-waisted pants men wore according to the fashion of the day. Suspenders that attached via leather loops were manufactured to replace the belt in these cases, since men’s pants were very high above the hip. Original designs show suspender straps made of tightly woven wool known as “boxcloth” and formed an “H” when attached at the back. They were made in two separate bands, with leather tabs and buttonholes, and one end adjustable with a buckle. Later designs were made in knitted and crocheted cotton, embroidered in colored silks, lined with silk, and featured an X-back that later transformed into the Y-back. “Braces form a necessary adjunct to a gentleman’s wardrobe and they are generally pleased to have them prettily worked” (Britain, Woman’s Domestic Magazine, Patterns, Fashions and Needlework, 1865). The design and function of a single suspender clasp based off of image Cat # 8.47.12 are as follows: “A single suspender clasp stamped from copper alloy sheet metal, plated with a white metal, was recovered from this shaft feature (Cat # 8.47.12). The clasp features a detailed, stamped decoration consisting of beaded bands with a small floral and scroll motif. A wide, flat hook projects from one long edge and would have connected to a large metal ring to secure the ends of the suspender. This mechanism would allow the suspenders to be unhooked at the ring, while the straps and ends remained secured to the pants.” (http://diggingi95.com/features/high-priority-features-section-8/section-8-feature-5-personal-accessories/) The suspender end design created by E.W. Whittaker was patented on August 13, 1889. It features a design and shape almost exact to one of the suspender buckles in the collection (first picture, buckle in the bottom left hand corner). Garter belts and hose (stocking) supporters were used to hold up men, women, and children stockings to prevent them from falling down constantly. For men’s garters and hose supporters, they were usually made of silk and came in various colors. A clip from the garter was affixed to the sock edge and were made adjustable to fit comfortably below the knee. These pieces were not meant to be seen, hidden under trouser legs. For women, a more intricate design was manufactured and transformed over decades that featured a type of belt with hose supporters attached on each side. They were long straps with clips at the end that fell along the outside of the thigh that was then connected to the stocking. An earlier form of this combination belt, the girdle (corset combined with supporter straps), was replaced with garter belts, as they were easier to handle and less bulky, liberating the female figure.
Over 20 pieces of metal corset slots/pegs from corset busks. Oval-like shapes with an opening in the center and 2 raised bumps/circles on the corners of the opposite end. Some vary in size and shape, with rectangular fragments attached to the back (rest of the busk) 9 round, ring pieces of corset grommets and eyelets. Rusted condition and some have deteriorated.
Selective Surface collection, West Zone, Stanley Park, Historic Chatham Township (modern Summit, New Jersey)
https://twitter.com/bostonNHP/status/1306602431002935296 https://vintagefashionguild.org/lingerie-guide/edwardian-corsets-early-19th-century/ https://www.famsf.org/blog/corsets-context-history#:~:text=1848%20%7C%20Joseph%20Cooper%20invents%20the,adopted%20from%20the%201850s%20onward. http://tahliamckellartextiles.weebly.com/corset-timeline.html https://adamselindisdress.blog/tag/split-busk/
Corsets of the 19th century reflected a more natural form of the female body. Though the hourglass figure and small waist were still coveted, the waistline of the corset dropped to a natural position compared to earlier designs of the corset. The fashion of the era called for high waisted and long flowing dresses, requiring heavily boned corsetry and tight lacing to achieve the desired figure. To ease this intense process of lacing, French Corsetier, Jean-Julien Josselin, invented the split busk in 1829, a front facing slot and stud closure to remove a corset without unlacing. This became extremely popular after Joseph Cooper patented the design in 1848 in America. Corsets were used by all women, regardless of class, to represent and showcase their beauty. These undergarments were even used on young children and teenage girls to begin shaping their bodies and preparing for womanhood.
2 small metal shank buttons, about 1.5cm wide each Both are corroded but contain raised images of an eagle, an anchor, rope, and five-point stars One is flat and the other is convex 1 metal shank button with an image of an anchor in the center, small border around the front, convex shape, and about 1.5cm wide
Unknown (would say on the back of the button)
https://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/173001-us-military-uniform-buttons-interesting-facts/ https://www.georgewashingtoninauguralbuttons.com/1794-1865-the-united-states-navy-the-republic-of-texas-confederate-navy/ https://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/254966-my-us-navy-uniform-button-collection-1800-1865/
Albert, Alphaeus H. Record of American Uniform and Historical Buttons ... 1775-1976. Boyertown Pub. Co., 1977.
Military buttons and shanks underwent numerous transformations of design patterns since the late 1700’s. This popular design was manufactured for 15 years and included variants of the original style, including the eagle facing the opposite direction and the size of the anchor and rope. Each variant however, always featured 13 five-point stars around the eagle standing on top of the anchor. The button featured a loop shank and was a 2-piece build. The other metal shank button design matches buttons found during the Civil War (1861-1865) in both the Union and the Confederate Navies.This indicates that this community was not isolated during the time of the Civil War and might further provide evidence to their involvement to (most likely) the Union cause.