The Owens Bottle Company Trademark “O” in a square from around 1929.

WILLIAMS – As I walked through the forest today, I came across a bottle. I sometimes pick up trash to clean the forest, but this time I grabbed this one for some reason. A little Internet research revealed that the Owens Bottle Machine Company was founded in 1903. It was chanced to Owens Bottle Company in 1919.

One side of the bottle is marked in metric.

One side of the bottle is marked in English standard.

The “3xxxii” mark on the bottle.

One source claims that Owens started using the “O” inside a square around 1911, but the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office data shows that “Owens claimed first use was actually in the year 1919.”

The Owen Bottle Machine Company was the brain child of Michael J. Owens who worked for New England Glass Company. At the time, bottles were made by glass blowers. He invented a machine to create bottles and formed the Owens Bottle Machine Company in 1903. The company changed its name to Owens Bottle Company in 1919. The company is credited with the growth of the soda and beer industries.

It makes a good addition to the W.H. Hutchinson and Sons Bottlers Suppliers flask I got several years ago.

Although this is not exactly “ancient history,” this is what Archaeology is all about. Finding things and researching to find out how it fits in history. It is also a good lead-in to let you know that March is Archaeology Month in Arizona. The Coconino and Kaibab Forests have tours and lectures planned for all of next month.

A word of caution, however. If you find something really ancient, such as pottery or petroglyphs, do not disturb them. These type of objects are best reported to the forest service. These things are best researched in the area they are found.

The old bottle sets well with my W.H. Hutchinson and Sons Bottlers Suppliers flask I found years ago in some junk.