long-forgotten 19th century chicago landfill yields hundreds of bottles

a utility subcontractor excavating a small parcel of land located just south of downtown chicago came across one of the most remarkably intact and long-forgotten 19th century landfills or dumping grounds, which in a few days times, yielded hundreds of bottles. from c. 1880's hutchinson type carbonated soda and/or mineral water "blob tops" to utility bottles and everything in between, the sheer size and variety of bottles is no doubt a fantastic find and historically important cross-section or portrayal of what 19th century chicagoans were using in their households.

according to sanborn insurance maps from the 1880's, the area where the recent work was being performed, happened to be apart of a much larger expanse of land that served as one of several chicago landfills containing refuse dating from the late 1870's until the depression, at which time it was covered over, developed and largely forgotten.

research pertaining to the history and/or characteristics of this particular 150 year old chicago landfill is still very much in its infancy. at this point i am limited to meticulously documenting each and every unearthed artifact i acquired as a complete "collection", sold to me by the primary worker (who retrieved the great majority of bottles as they were being dug up).

i very much hope to get to the actual site with my camera to document any and all features of the pit and surrounding area, where bottles are still being retrieved. this will no doubt aid in my research. in the meantime, i have included a few images of bottles that were part of this massive acquisition.

update: images of additional bottles selected from the acquisition. nearly 400 hundred bottles are currently being photographed with some of the more notable finds likely to be included in the "unearthing chicago" book (bldg. 51 press) due out later this year.