National Bottle Museum
Encyclopedia
The National Bottle Museum is located on Milton Avenue (NY 50
/67
) in downtown Ballston Spa
, New York, United States. Established in 1978, it has a collection of around 2,000 antique bottles, most made prior to industrialization of the process in 1903. It has moved from its original location, a historic house
which it restored
, after a legal dispute with its founding organization.
In 1996 it received a charter from the state Board of Regents. The museum also exhibits the tools of early bottle making, and hosts demonstrations of the technique.
of antique bottle collector groups all over the country, pooled their resources to create the museum.
The idea had come from Bernard Puckhaber, a German immigrant
and the longtime Ballston Spa village clerk. The village had been an early center for bottle manufacture because of the naturally carbonated
mineral water
from its nearby springs, which also attracted tourists who bathed in the waters and gave the future village its name. Water from Ballston Spa was shipped all over the world. A factory in nearby Greenfield
employed hundreds of workers and glassblowers
during its years of peak production during the mid-19th century.
The museum's original home was the historic
Verbeck House
, also in Ballston Spa. The federation bought the house from the descendants of its original owner, and renovated it for use as a museum. Later they moved to the current location.
The new location, a three-story storefront in downtown Ballston Spa, allowed the museum to take advantage of its proximity to the only two of Ballston Spa's original springs still flowing. The former Sans Souci hotel, on one of the springs, is across the street, and the Old Iron Springs, which flow year-round, is nearby.
A 1901 house nearby has also been used as a demonstration glassworks in the past, complete with an electric furnace, but the museum has had to stop using it because of the high electric bills. It is currently looking for a grant
that would allow it to resume using it.
Six years later, in 1992, the museum left the Verbeck House when a dispute between the museum management and the Federation, which had changed its name to the Federation of Historic Bottle Clubs, ended up in court. The National Bottle Museum Society, which had been formed to operate the museum, insisted it owned the bottles as well. In June a judge ruled that the federation could evict
the society from the premises. A year later the society found the present site, and moved in. Later that year a settlement
allowed the museum to keep the collection in Ballston Spa.
In 2006 the museum was featured in an episode of the Travel Channel
's Cash & Treasures. Later that year the village sought another state grant to allow the museum to renovate its third floor into an artists' dormitory. In February 2007 it was named Organization of the Month by the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council.
In 1986 Jan Rutland, a garage sale
enthusiast, visited the museum. She began volunteering after attending one of the museum's seminar
s. Rutland was eventually appointed the museum's president. Rutland died in 2010, leading to an immediate cutback in museum hours.
of 2,000 bottles, some on loan from bottle clubs all over the U.S. and Canada, are on the shelves. They were used for holding everything from milk and fruit to bitters
and soda
. The oldest in the collection are a set of black bottles, made in Europe and said to have been used for rum
or gin
.
Other exhibits show the tools of bottle making, and a miniature model of a glass oven. The second story has been used as an art gallery
, with exhibits of not only original glass art created by local artists, but paintings dealing with everything from local subjects to the Holocaust. Rutland has defended the art gallery, saying "we are a history museum and (both) the bottles and this exhibit represents history and art and technology. So it's all worth seeing and preserving." There is also a research library
, with an antique pharmaceutical counter, with records dating to 1904.
A building near the museum has been equipped with glassblowing
facilities for demonstrations and classes. Larry Rutland, the late president's husband, teaches classes in flameworking and lampworking, the art of shaping glass in a flame. Classes in making art glass marbles are also available by appointment.
Every year, in June, the museum sponsors a 160-table bottle show and auction
at the City Center in nearby Saratoga Springs
. It is open to the public, and collectors from all over the U.S. and Canada attend.
New York State Route 50
New York State Route 50 is a state highway in the Capital District of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 5 in Scotia...
/67
New York State Route 67
New York State Route 67 is an east–west state highway in eastern New York in the United States. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 5 in the town of St. Johnsville...
) in downtown Ballston Spa
Ballston Spa, New York
Ballston Spa is a village in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 5,556 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Saratoga County. The village is named after Rev. Eliphalet Ball, a Congregationalist clergyman and an early settler. The village lies on the border of two...
, New York, United States. Established in 1978, it has a collection of around 2,000 antique bottles, most made prior to industrialization of the process in 1903. It has moved from its original location, a historic house
Historic house
A historic house can be a stately home, the birthplace of a famous person, or a house with an interesting history or architecture.- Background :...
which it restored
Building restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
, after a legal dispute with its founding organization.
In 1996 it received a charter from the state Board of Regents. The museum also exhibits the tools of early bottle making, and hosts demonstrations of the technique.
History
In 1978 the Federation of Historic Bottle Clubs, an umbrella organizationUmbrella organization
An umbrella organization is an association of institutions, who work together formally to coordinate activities or pool resources. In business, political, or other environments, one group, the umbrella organization, provides resources and often an identity to the smaller organizations...
of antique bottle collector groups all over the country, pooled their resources to create the museum.
The idea had come from Bernard Puckhaber, a German immigrant
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
and the longtime Ballston Spa village clerk. The village had been an early center for bottle manufacture because of the naturally carbonated
Carbonation
Carbonation is the process of dissolving carbon dioxide in water. The process usually involves carbon dioxide under high pressure. When the pressure is reduced, the carbon dioxide is released from the solution as small bubbles, which cause the solution to "fizz." This effect is seen in carbonated...
mineral water
Mineral water
Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value, generally obtained from a naturally occurring mineral spring or source. Dissolved substances in the water may include various salts and sulfur compounds...
from its nearby springs, which also attracted tourists who bathed in the waters and gave the future village its name. Water from Ballston Spa was shipped all over the world. A factory in nearby Greenfield
Greenfield, New York
Greenfield is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 7,362 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Greenfield, New Hampshire.The Town of Greenfield is an interior town...
employed hundreds of workers and glassblowers
Glassblowing
Glassblowing is a glassforming technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble, or parison, with the aid of a blowpipe, or blow tube...
during its years of peak production during the mid-19th century.
The museum's original home was the historic
Historic house
A historic house can be a stately home, the birthplace of a famous person, or a house with an interesting history or architecture.- Background :...
Verbeck House
Verbeck House
The Verbeck House is located on Church Street just south of downtown Ballston Spa, New York, United States. It is a frame house built in the late 19th century....
, also in Ballston Spa. The federation bought the house from the descendants of its original owner, and renovated it for use as a museum. Later they moved to the current location.
The new location, a three-story storefront in downtown Ballston Spa, allowed the museum to take advantage of its proximity to the only two of Ballston Spa's original springs still flowing. The former Sans Souci hotel, on one of the springs, is across the street, and the Old Iron Springs, which flow year-round, is nearby.
A 1901 house nearby has also been used as a demonstration glassworks in the past, complete with an electric furnace, but the museum has had to stop using it because of the high electric bills. It is currently looking for a grant
Grant (money)
Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...
that would allow it to resume using it.
Six years later, in 1992, the museum left the Verbeck House when a dispute between the museum management and the Federation, which had changed its name to the Federation of Historic Bottle Clubs, ended up in court. The National Bottle Museum Society, which had been formed to operate the museum, insisted it owned the bottles as well. In June a judge ruled that the federation could evict
Eviction
How you doing???? Eviction is the removal of a tenant from rental property by the landlord. Depending on the laws of the jurisdiction, eviction may also be known as unlawful detainer, summary possession, summary dispossess, forcible detainer, ejectment, and repossession, among other terms...
the society from the premises. A year later the society found the present site, and moved in. Later that year a settlement
Settlement (law)
In law, a settlement is a resolution between disputing parties about a legal case, reached either before or after court action begins. The term "settlement" also has other meanings in the context of law.-Basis:...
allowed the museum to keep the collection in Ballston Spa.
In 2006 the museum was featured in an episode of the Travel Channel
Travel Channel
The Travel Channel is a satellite and cable television channel that is headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, US. It features documentaries and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the United States and throughout the world. Programming has included shows in African animal safaris,...
's Cash & Treasures. Later that year the village sought another state grant to allow the museum to renovate its third floor into an artists' dormitory. In February 2007 it was named Organization of the Month by the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council.
In 1986 Jan Rutland, a garage sale
Garage sale
A garage sale, also known as a yard sale, rummage sale, tag sale, lawn sale, attic sale, moving sale, or junk sale, is an informal, irregularly scheduled event for the sale of used goods by private individuals, in which "block sales" are allowed, so that sellers are not required to obtain business...
enthusiast, visited the museum. She began volunteering after attending one of the museum's seminar
Seminar
Seminar is, generally, a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some particular subject, in which everyone present is...
s. Rutland was eventually appointed the museum's president. Rutland died in 2010, leading to an immediate cutback in museum hours.
Facilities and programs
The bottle museum is currently housed primarily in the three-story building. Its collectionCollection (museum)
A museum is distinguished by a collection of often unique objects that forms the core of its activities for exhibitions, education, research, etc. This differentiates it from an archive or library, where the contents may be more paper-based, replaceable and less exhibition oriented...
of 2,000 bottles, some on loan from bottle clubs all over the U.S. and Canada, are on the shelves. They were used for holding everything from milk and fruit to bitters
Bitters
A bitters is an alcoholic beverage that is flavored with herbal essences and has a bitter or bittersweet flavor. There are numerous brands of bitters that were formerly marketed as patent medicines but are now considered to be digestifs, rather than medicines...
and soda
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
. The oldest in the collection are a set of black bottles, made in Europe and said to have been used for rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
or gin
Gin
Gin is a spirit which derives its predominant flavour from juniper berries . Although several different styles of gin have existed since its origins, it is broadly differentiated into two basic legal categories...
.
Other exhibits show the tools of bottle making, and a miniature model of a glass oven. The second story has been used as an art gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
, with exhibits of not only original glass art created by local artists, but paintings dealing with everything from local subjects to the Holocaust. Rutland has defended the art gallery, saying "we are a history museum and (both) the bottles and this exhibit represents history and art and technology. So it's all worth seeing and preserving." There is also a research library
Research library
A research library is a library which contains an in-depth collection of material on one or several subjects . A research library will generally include primary sources as well as secondary sources...
, with an antique pharmaceutical counter, with records dating to 1904.
A building near the museum has been equipped with glassblowing
Glassblowing
Glassblowing is a glassforming technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble, or parison, with the aid of a blowpipe, or blow tube...
facilities for demonstrations and classes. Larry Rutland, the late president's husband, teaches classes in flameworking and lampworking, the art of shaping glass in a flame. Classes in making art glass marbles are also available by appointment.
Every year, in June, the museum sponsors a 160-table bottle show and auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
at the City Center in nearby Saratoga Springs
Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, also known as simply Saratoga, is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 26,586 at the 2010 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area. While the word "Saratoga" is known to be a corruption of a Native American name, ...
. It is open to the public, and collectors from all over the U.S. and Canada attend.