Rail City Relics

06/28/2025

Billings Mandrake Bitters, originally produced in 1887 by the Fredrick Dutcher Drug Co. here in Saint Albans, Vermont. Granted i dont know where the billings recipe came from, I do know the Dutcher Drug Co. Would makes deals to sell other Druggiest products in there stores amoug there own products. I have seen a Billings Mandrakes bitter outta NY too. This bottle is a machine made example from around the turn off the century. Bitters speaking broadly back then was a cure all of a multiple stomach ailments. Helping ease the pain from rot gut from overindulging, in spirits to helping with stomach pain from rancid meat, to constipation amoug others these were, all very real and prevalent, back then. With no standardization in alcohol products or refrigeration to keep meat from spoiling.

-RCR

09/04/2024

Mostly Vermont bottles besides a few Massachusetts, a Rhode Island, and one Maine. Along with two filler type bottles with no markings.

09/04/2024

Check out RailCityRelics802’s post.

07/28/2024

07/08/2024

Smith's Green Mountain renovator was once an East Georgia, Vt product but these bottles are from the Saint Albans, Vt era. The Green Mountain Renovator was very popular cure/ fix all type products. I only find newspaper advertisements from 1876 to about 1903 even tho I know this product is older then that.

07/05/2024

Daniel Dutcher part of the well established Dutcher Dynasty. He operated the "City Drug Store" here in Saint Albans, VT at 9 lake street just under the American house witch is the building on the northern side on lake and main. I've found advertisements from the 1870s to the early 1900s.

05/31/2024

I thoroughly enjoy these old timey real photo postcards. It's just such a real moment captured that you can almost feel.

05/31/2024

Great view across Lake champlain.

03/11/2024

I was able to aquire this original photo of Frank Charron's Furniture and piano moving Co. This piece of Saint Albans,Vt history dates to about 1910. I'm not for sure but I'd imagine the man holding the horse is Mr Charron and his son in the carriage. The earliest Mention of Mr. Charron is 1906 in the local newspaper, it mention he being on the committee to help with city improvements. I do also remember reading in an old newspaper of an incident of his son falling off the family businesses, horse-drawn carriage and breaking multiple ribs. I also included a few articles about Mr. Charron's purchase of his " Big Auto Truck" that gose 18 whole miles an hour. I also remember reading an article about him. Taking orphan children on a car ride back in the early Days of automobiles.

02/06/2024

Here is a good period account what happened in the 1891 Saint Albans Vermont fire. This was taken from a California newspaper 📰

02/06/2024

Longtime fixture of main street Saint Albans, Vt. R. BRAINERDS DRUG STORE. Everything shared in this post dates from 1870 to turn of the century.