This is an original 19th-century aqua glass bottle embossed with "SKILTON FOOTE & CO / BUNKER HILL PICKLES" along with a detailed image of the Bunker Hill Monument in Boston, Massachusetts.
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Hand-blown with a tooled lip
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Bold embossing with historic design
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Dates to circa 1870s-1880s
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Measures approx. 5.5" T
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Very faint, uniform ghosting throughout
Small, original, white-pot-stone in the upper right shoulder with some radiations (attesting to its age and crudeness of manufacturing back then)
Ships carefully packed and boxed.
Skilton, Foote & Co. and Bunker Hill Pickles – Company History & Products
Skilton, Foote & Co. was a 19th-century Boston-based preserved foods company best known for their popular Bunker Hill Pickles, named after the famous Revolutionary War battle and monument in Charlestown, Massachusetts. The company operated during a time when food preservation was undergoing rapid industrial transformation, and it capitalized on the growing demand for reliable, shelf-stable goods.
The business was founded in the mid-1800s, with records showing the firm active in Boston directories by the 1860s–1870s. It was likely a partnership between Francis Skilton, a known Boston merchant, and an associate with the surname Foote. While specific biographical records on Foote are scarce, the firm’s branding and prominence suggest they were successful entrepreneurs in the emerging American food industry.
The company used thick, aqua glass bottles embossed with patriotic imagery—most notably the Bunker Hill Monument, which appears prominently on surviving examples. This branding strategy evoked local pride and national heritage, appealing to both Boston-area buyers and wider markets in the Northeast.
Types of Pickles Produced
Although detailed records of their full product line are rare, based on regional preservation practices and common 19th-century pickle varieties, Skilton, Foote & Co. likely produced:
Sour Pickles – cucumbers fermented in salt brine, the most common 19th-century variety.
Sweet Pickles – cucumbers preserved with sugar and vinegar, often flavored with cinnamon or cloves.
Dill Pickles – seasoned with dill, garlic, and spices, though less common in America until later.
Mixed Pickles (Chow-Chow) – a blend of vegetables like cucumbers, cauliflower, onions, and peppers, pickled together and spiced.
Gherkins – small pickled cucumbers, often packed whole.
Mustard Pickles – vegetables in a tangy mustard-based sauce, a New England favorite.
Given the company’s Boston roots and the era's preservation techniques, it is likely that they made heavy use of natural fermentation, vinegar brines, and possibly sugar-cured vegetables, depending on the market.
Legacy and Historical Value
Bunker Hill Pickles bottles are now prized by collectors for their bold embossed designs and patriotic theme. They represent a time when American food companies were just beginning to build national brands using distinct packaging. The bottles themselves are hand-blown, pre-dating automatic bottle-making machines, and reflect the craftsmanship and marketing savvy of mid-19th-century Boston merchants.
Though Skilton, Foote & Co. eventually faded from commercial directories—likely by the 1880s or 1890s—their bottles remain as artifacts of early American entrepreneurship, New England food heritage, and the country's growing appetite for preserved goods in the post-Civil War industrial era.
Ships carefully packed and boxed.