19th century building parts and bottles unearthed during excavation near the m. schultz piano factory (1889)

an excavation site just west of the m. schultz company piano factory and showroom (erected in 1889) yielded several artifacts spanning several decades. the earliest identifiable object was a small dark amber glass fragment with an embossed letter that once belonged to a quart-sized william h. hutchinson ale bottle hand-blown by the william mccully company (pittsburgh, pa.) sometime during the 1860's.

the earliest unearthed objects date to the 1860's when the area was populated with one and two-story wood-frame cottages. the w.h. hutchinson bottles and fragments likely came from backyard privy pits that were disturbed when commercial buildings began replacing early residential cottages.

i quickly identified this glass fragment as belonging to a william h. hutchinson dark amber smooth base key hinge quart bottle hand-blown by the mcculley glass works, pittsburgh, pa.

the majority of the fragments and/or intact bottles recovered however, dated to the depression and perhaps beyond. in addition, a multitude of building components were scattered across the site suggesting that the last building to stand there was likely built from brick with the use of terra cotta ornament.

an 1886 sanborn map shows several wood-framed structures in and around the area, but further research is required to determine whether were commercial or residential (or both). three years after the insurance map was drawn up, the m. schultz company erected a building for their factory and showroom. the extant building featuring an (indiana) limestone facade retaining most of its richly detailed carved frieze panels, corbels, capitals and a richly colored mosaic tile entrance.

the william h. hutchinson carbonated cobalt blue soda bottles - including a paneled "mug base" (1875-1879) were likely from occupants of the wood-framed commercial buildings that landed there in the 1870's. a joliet limestone building (extant) just south of the dig site was thoroughly documented and salvaged by eric j. nordstrom in 2014. during excavation in the rear (the building was gutted) for the installation of concrete slabs, chinaware, bones, and other fragments were recorded.

several architectural artifacts were found from what was likely the last building standing there until its demolition. several "common" bricks were found (which is the case for nearly every dig site encountered around chicago) scattered across the site, but there was one unmarked brick that caught my attention for having a deep finger impression left by a brick manufacturing laborer before it was fired. i have only found two similar bricks before (e.g., pre-fire german school on union), so i figured i would document this one like i did the others. the finger impression provides a unique human element to an otherwise utilitarian object.

other objects left behind from the building's demolition include terrazo tile floor fragments, unornamented red slip glaze terra cotta bricks, and an unusual number of depression-era bottles, including brightly colored green glass burkhardt soda bottles. the fact that there were so many bottles and fragments from this time, coupled with the terrazzo floor fragments, left an impression that the building's first floor may have been home to a soda fountain or saloon (there were several liquor bottles found near the piles of green glass). further research is needed to provide a more accurate account of events tied to the history of this building site using the unearthed objects to ask the right questions in the hopes that it generates answers.