Pre-1846 Bottle Glass

Very dark green or "black" glass as it was known was preferred for bottles containing carbonated beverages or for bottles being shipped a long distance. It was believed to be stronger than other glass. It could have been made in the US in the 19th century, but more likely in Europe.

The odds of finding colourless glass decrease the further back you go. During the exploration and fur trade eras in BC, you are unlikely to find purely colourless glass from a pre-1846 context. Leaded crystal was clear and made early on, but clear glass before the 20th century was expensive and used for fancy wares or decorative arts. In BC you are more likely to find brown to green bottles from the early 19th century

Brown glass is often found in archaeological contexts. Brown is common for pre-1846, but the red brown amber of modern beer bottles is less likely during that time period.

Mould seams on bottles do not indicate post-1846. Bottles were blown into moulds at least as early as Roman times, but for the British Columbia context moulding in open and shut moulds (that produce mould seams) was common during the 1700s (Jones and Sullivan 1989:24). The Ricketts mould was being used at least by 1821 (Jones and Sullivan 1989:30).

Jones, Olive and Catherine Sullivan

1989     The Parks Canada Glass Glossary for the description of containers, tableware, flat glass, and closures. Studies in Archaeology Architecture and History. National Historic Parks and Sites, Canada Parks Service, Environment Canada. https://sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/GlassGlossary.pdf