Name/Title
C. C. Habenicht Soda Water BottleEntry/Object ID
2009.14.2Description
Aqua Hutchinson-style blob applied top glass bottle. It is embossed on the front with a label that reads, "C.C. Habenicht Columbia S.C." The bottom of the bottle is embossed "2."Context
Around the time he married Margaret Sophie Seegers (1858-1948) in 1876, Christopher Cord Habenicht (1848-1898) joined his father-in-law, John C. Seegers (1830-1912), in business. An ice manufacturer, beer brewer, and liquor dealer, Seegers operated a saloon and wholesale and retail beverage store at 164-166 Richardson Street (1633-1635 Main Street). Succeeding his father-in-law in business around 1880, Habenicht continued operation of the Richardson Street saloon and store. Additionally, Habenicht operated a beer, soda water, and mineral water bottling facility and ice factory on the northeast corner of Taylor and Assembly streets.
This bottle was produced at Habenicht's bottling facility sometime between 1880 and his death in 1898. Likely used for soda water given its size, the bottle once featured a Hutchinson-type closure that allowed users to push or pull a metal wire to open or seal it with a rubber gasket. Beverages in Habenicht's saloon would have been chilled on ice and consumed on the spot, with satisfied customers returning the glass bottle to get back the two-cent premium they paid on their five-cent soda—indicated by the number "2" embossed on the bottom of the bottle.Made/Created
Manufacturer
C. C. Habenicht Bottling WorksDate made
circa 1880 - 1898Place
City
Columbia, South CarolinaInscription/Signature/Marks
Type
InscriptionLocation
FrontTranscription
C.C. Habenicht Columbia S.C.Material/Technique
ImprintType
InscriptionLocation
BottomTranscription
2Material/Technique
ImprintDimensions
Height
6-3/4 inDiameter
2-1/4 in