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RUMFORD CHEMICIAL WORKS: AND IT'S BOTTLES An American born Benjamin Thompson of Woburn, Mass. Would escape form " political complications " in 1753 by moving to England. He would join the English army until 1784 and then enter the service of the Elector of Bavaria. For the next fourteen years Benjamin was investigating ways of supplying nutritious foods for the state at the lowest costs possible. For his contributions he was Knighted " Count Rumford ". In 1797 to 1800 he helped develop plans for the Royal Institute of London. Sometime after 1800 he founded the Rumford Professorship of Chemistry at Harvard University. Here is where professor Eben N. Horsford served as Rumford Professor from 1847 to 1863. Eben Horsford met George F. Wilson in 1854. Together they would start the Rumford Chemical Works which they established in 1856. They would incorporate the company in 1859. Horsford was in charge of producing chemicals and Wilson was the business manager. Eventually Wilson would become the sole owner of the Rumford Chemical Works. Horsfords Acid Phosphate was the company's most popular product. This tonic was patented on March 10 1868. This product continued being produced into the 1940s. You would use one teaspoon of product and mix it with a glass of water and add some sugar to make a drink that resembles a lemon lime refreshment. This tonic was used for the treatment for mental and nervous exhaustion. In the beginning the bottles were made of clear glass. But it was found that the content would become calcified when stored for a long periods of time. The company would change from clear glass bottles to colored glass bottles to hide this occurrence. They choose the color teal blue in a unique eight sided shape bottle. The rarer colors of these bottles come in deep olive, green and aqua. By the 1900s the teal blue bottlse were eliminated out and the machine made bottles were produced in a light green and a brilliant green color. Eventfully the embossing disappeared and the company went to paper labels only. The W on the embossed bottles stands for George F. Wilson. Below are some ads from this company.   Below are photos of some of these bottles. The product was named after the inventor Eben N. Horsford. Horsford Acid Phosphate.  .. .This bottle is 6 inches
tall.... This bottle is 7 1/2 inches
tall...This bottle is 4 inches tall and contain
their yeast Powder. Other products this company is known for are Rumford's Baking Powder, Horsfords Bread Prepartion, Horsfords Cream Tartar, Wilsons Fertillizers, Horsford Anti-Chlorine and Rumford's Phosa. This was a beverage in two flavors fruit and ginger. These bottles were unembossed with just registered on the heel . Below are some trade cards.   .From the
1890s. Below is a 1885 almanac. References: www.rumfordcenter.com/history www.ephist.org www.littlehodybottleclub.org |
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