Beer Bottle

Color: Aqua Height: 10" Diameter: 2½" at base Material: Glass Date: Ca. 1900

Many visitors who come to Fort McHenry are very interested in the life of the soldiers who served at this nationally significant military installation. Long after the attack on the Fort in 1814, soldiers lived in the Star Fort barracks and trained in the military service. The last active military garrison departed from the site on July 21, 1912.

Between 1978 -1980, a team of archeologists was contracted to investigate eight areas at Fort McHenry to see what information they could uncover about the life of the soldiers who served at this military installation. Bryan Aivazian, employed as an archeologist by the regional office of the National Park Service, was director of this ambitious project. A team of archeologists from Brown University also participated as a research partnership. One of the goals of this work was to compare the type of objects retrieved from sites used by Commanding Officers with objects retrieved from other areas used by the Enlisted Men.

This beer bottle was recovered from the well site (shown on the site base map) that was located at the southwest corner of the Parade Ground in the Star Fort. On a detailed 1834 map, the well is shown with a bombproof brick vault constructed over top of it, supported by concrete pillars 4.5 foot square. The well was 95 feet deep and yielded 18 gallons a minute. This was the primary source for the soldiers' drinking water until 1861. The well remained in use until about 1870. From that time until the 1978 investigation, the well site remained undisturbed. The abandoned pit became a popular disposal site for fort trash over the years - an archeological treasure trove!

The bottle was recovered at a depth of over 105" below the surface, in six large pieces. Carefully pieced together, the manufacturer's logo can be seen on the front of the bottle. The glass is a pale greenish color. The raised letters read, "Baltimore Monumental Brewing Company, Baltimore, MD" and appear in an oval circle. At the center of the oval circle is a raised image of the Battle Monument that was erected in Baltimore to commemorate those who defended the city of Baltimore in the War of 1812. The Monumental Brewing Company, formerly known as Monarch Brewing Company was owned by Frank Cahn. The plant was located in downtown Baltimore at 700 South Wolfe Street and in operation from 1900-1920. Numerous breweries in Baltimore in the early 19th century also featured city monuments as their company logo.*

References:
Kelley, William J.

Brewing In Maryland. Baltimore, Maryland: Kelly Publishing, 1965.

Catalog number: FOMC 10916, Accession number: FOMC 185.