By: Jim Thompson
Honey and compounds found in these types of jars tend to be very dark. This is a very common trait of honey darkening with time. To determine the date when the bottles were made you may find a date from the glass company that made the bottle, when the patent was granted, the style of the bottle lip, the date of the advertising literature, an indication of the date by the label on the bottle, or sometimes the level or layer in the ground where the bottle was found.
It is interesting to read about all of the claims that were made about the mixtures and one can see where the term “Snake Oil Salesman” may have come from.
Dr. Bell’s – Pine Tar Honey, was sold as early as 1898 and was produced by the E. F. Sutherland Medicine Co., Paducah, KY. There were at least two different sizes of jars. People have tried to place a date when these bottles were made, as reports mention that several houses during the Civil War that were used as hospitals had these jars. Another dating factor indicates that the bottles were made prior to 1906 as the Food and Drug Act was passed making the list of ingredients, the label law. This made a change in the way the manufacturers made their bottles. Dr. Bell’s Pine Tar remedy was used to treat many ailments from colds and coughs to skin treatments.
Pine Tar is actually extracted from pine trees. In the South this is sometimes called a Fat Pine. The trees are usually located in a damp places and the tar is lemon colored and greasy. Once the tar is obtained it could be made into a cough syrup similar to Dr. Bell’s by using a ratio of 1 part pine tar to 6 parts of honey. Pine tar could also be used in making a cough candy by using water, sugar, pine tar dissolved in alcohol, capsicum (hot pepper), and wintergreen.
Hale’s Honey of Horehound and Tar
Made by C.N. Crittenton of New York, this bottle is embossed on three sides and uses a cork stopper. The bottle lip is the style that was used in the time period of 1880 to 1910. The bottle is 7″ tall, 2″ wide, and 1 1/8” thick. An advertisement in 1865 stated “Hale’s Honey of Horehound and Tar, a certain cure for coughs, cold, influenza, hoarseness, difficult breathing, and all affectations of the throat, bronchial tubes and lungs, leading to consumption. The Honey of Horehound soothes all irritation. The Tar of Balm of Gilead penetrates, cleanses and heals all parts of the throat and lungs. There is nothing like it. Fifty cents per bottle. For sale by all druggists. Charles Downer, General Agent, No. 44 Cedar-St., New – York.” An advertisement in the Weekly Hawkeye newspaper, January 4, 1883 further states what the ingredients are and do: “Honey of the plant horehound, in chemical union with Tar-Balm, extracted from the Life Principle of the forest tree Abies Balsamea, or Balm of Gilead.” “Five additional ingredients keep the organs cool, moist, and in healthful union.” An 1899 advertisement was similar but described physical symptoms.
Kennedy’s Laxative Honey and Tar
Made by E.C. Witt & Company, in Chicago, it is 7″ tall and made of blue glass. It is approximated to have been made about 1900. It is rather interesting that the formulation for coughs and bronchial problems is now a cure for laxative problems.
Honey Tolu
This bottle required research as to what Tolu was and what it was used for. I found Tolu is a fragrant yellowish-brown balsam obtained from a South American tree. It is used in medicine, as a stomachic and expectorant or a common cough ingredient. My bottle is rather plain, but on other bottles there is an embossed skep in between the words Honey and Tolu. It was marketed to help coughs, colds, consumption and affections of the throat and lungs. It was manufactured by Gilbert Bros and Co., Baltimore. Because there is no listing of ingredients, the product was made prior to 1906. The bottle is 7 3/8″ tall, 2 7/16″ wide, and 1 ¼” thick. The bottle lip is consistent with those made in the 1880-1910 time period. The bottle mold marks are on the diagonal corners.
Hines Honey and Almonds skin cream
Hines made various creams for the face, hands, and skin in 1875. In 1907 Aurelius Stone Hinds sold his business to Lehn & Fink, maker of Lysol. However the A.S. Hinds honey almond cream was still marketed until 1948. A.S. Hinds did much of the early formulation and marketing work in Portland, Maine. Because the cream was such a success, production was shifted to a company in New Jersey. In fact there was a Hinds Honey & Almond Cream radio program on CBS starring George Burns and Gracie Allen from 1939 to 1940. It is difficult to date the bottles of the cream as the early bottles did not carry a date. There were several sizes of bottles. The smallest one that I have is 2 ½” tall and embossed on all four sides. The 5 ½” bottle and the 6 5/16″ bottle have embossing on one panel and the bottom. Therefore the taller bottles were probably produced after 1906.
Honey Hop
Honey Hop featured hand blown bottle standing 5 ¼” tall. Clear square bottle and embossing on all sides. “Manufactured by Henning-Wennersten Co., Chicago, U.S.A.,” “An Extract of Malt & Hops” and “Makes Gals a delicious drink”. The bottle lip indicates that the bottle was made in the 1880 to 1910 time period. It’s hard to tell if they were talking about Root Beer or regular beer.
Foley – Honey & Tar
Foley Honey & Tar was available in several jar sizes and embossing. The smallest jar 3 7/8″ was a trial sample jar and has the edges embossed with Foley & Co. and Chicago, USA. Another trial sized bottle is 4 ¼” tall and carries the same embossing but has the paper labels on both sides. The paper label states that Foley’s Honey and Tar compound contains seven percent alcohol, so keep the bottle sealed with the cork when not in use. On the paper label on the other side indicates that M.L. Corel of Horseheads, N .Y. sold this bottle. The regular sized bottle (5 3/8″ tall) has flat sides and the same embossing on the edges. Whereas on another Foley’s regular bottle there is no embossing on the edges but embossing on one side. That embossing is “Foley’s Honey and Tar, Foley & Co., Chicago, U.S.A.” Thereby indicating that this bottle is the earliest one as it didn’t have the list of ingredients that were required in 1906. The bottle lip on all of the bottles that I have, are of the flat tooled variety so they were made in the 1880 to 1910 time period. However I have seen advertisements from different magazines that were in 1918 and 1941.
Jesses Cough Medicine (paper label)
Pine Tar & honey cough medicine. This is estimated to have been made about 1920 as it has the “Kork-N-Seal” cap which is listed in the 1920 catalog. The bottle was made by the Illinois Glass Company. The Cough Syrup was prepared by Old City Drug Store, Prague, Oklahoma. The ingredients are: Mentholated Pine Tar, Honey, Cod Liver Extract, Eucalyptus with Chloroform, and Alcohol.
Hobson Hive & Cough Syrup (paper label)
Hobson Hive & Cough Syrup was used for coughs due to colds and minor bronchial irritations. This bottle was made August 1933. It is cork type bottle rather than a screw on cap and has a label on three sides. There is no embossing on the jar. The active ingredients are: Tartar Emetic, Senega, Tolu, Spruce Gum, honey, and 5% alcohol. It was made by Pfeiffer Chemical Company, NY and St. Louis.
K-IT, Cough syrup -white Pine tar & honey
This medicine is to provide relief from coughs and throat irritations. The mixture contains: white pine, wild cherry, spikenard root, balm Gilead Buds, Sassafras blood root, cudbear, Oil of sassafras, oil of tar, oil of orange, Guaiacol, honey, sugar, and Gum Arabic. It was prepared by Balch Products Company, N. S., Pittsburgh, PA. The estimated date of manufacture is 1935.
Beehive Beverages
Beehive Beverages (soda pop) were made about 1948. The beverages were produced by the Beehive Red Rock Bottling Company, Brigham City, Utah. You would expect this beverage to come from the Beehive State! The ingredients were: Sugar, plain or carbonated water, True or artificial flavor and color, Citric Acid or other essential acids and oils. The bottle is labeled to hold 10 Fluid Ounces. The bottle is approximately 9 3/8″ tall.
Watkins – Honey & Almond Lotion
The Honey & Almond Lotion is in a bottle that has a reverse machine made top crown, thus indicating that it was made in the time period from 1903 to the present time. The bottle is 8 3/8″ tall, 3″ wide, and 1 5/8″ thick and embossed Watkins on one side. The paper label further states that there were 11 Fl Oz. of lotion and it was made by Watkins Products, Inc., Winona, MN 55987. Because there are no ingredients listed this is an indication that the bottle was made before 1906, however there is a zip code listed indicating that is was made after July 1, 1963. This is probably a violation of the labeling law. We can assume that it is very similar to the Hines skin cream.
A. Davis Ashley
Ashley made a Honey Balsam for colds, all coughs, and croup. It was manufactured in Boston.
