While treasure hunting Saturday, I came across this curious 3 sided bottle embossed with Edwards` Banner Brand West Point Va. I purchased it without doing any research. The first thing I did was consult a friend who is a bottle expert to confirm the age and type of bottle.
So knowing it was from 1900-1910 and a pickle bottle, I set out to research the company.
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I found absolutely nothing in any West Point Virginia history or West Point Historical Society site about Edwards Pickles. There was a huge fire there in 1903 that destroyed about 52 businesses. The only mention of a pickle factory was the later business by the name of Tidewater Pickle Company, but I knew it came about in the 1920`s and was not old enough.
Finally, Monday morning, I found an article in the Baltimore Sun dated Sept. 19, 1900 titled "West Point Va, A Live Town Situated at The Headwaters of The York River". The article was clearly promoting West Point as a prime location for business, residence and for recreation. It was a time when many businesses were opening and established businesses were opening branches there. There was the reference to the pickle company I was looking for, "while the B. W. Edwards Pickling Company opened this season and have already handled and brined over 2,000,000 cucumbers, and the season Is not yet over"
Now we know that the B. W. Edwards Pickling Company opened in 1900 in West Point. This is a rare lost piece of West Point Va history.
Transcript of the Sept. 19, 1900 Baltimore Sun article:
West Point, Va.
A Live Town Situated at Headwaters of York River
But Few Vacant Houses
Important Enterprises
in Operation and Other to Be Projected-Cornstalks To Be Used
Special Dispatch to The Baltimore Sun
West Point, Va.,
Sept. 17. This live town Is located in King William County, Va., Just at
the headwaters of the York river,' about 40 miles from the bay. The town being immediately
on salt water, with the finest drinking water from the celebrated artesian
wells, is very healthy. These wells can be had by any citizen for the sum of
$35, furnishing the best and purest drinking water. The town has about 2,000
Inhabitants and is constantly growing. Scarcely a vacant house can be found in
town at this time. There are several Important factories In operation and
building, while others are contemplating locating here on account of the many
natural advantages, such as line climate, cheap labor, deep water frontage,
fine rail and water facilities, good drinking water and free sites and other
good natural advantages. The oyster industry is very large and is constantly
growing. There are already five large packers and shippers here the Stansbury
Packing Company, the A. F. Smither Company. Dr. Geo. W. Richardson, Capt. J. Willie Marshall and Capt. J. L. Mulford.
These gentlemen work a large force and buy a quantity of oysters, besides what
they grow themselves. The York River Oyster is taking a stand with the best and
most celebrated of the country, and are shipped in large quantities South, West,
East and North. The Stansbury Company also handles in season a large quantity
of fresh fish, peas, peaches, berries and tomatoes. Their celebrated York River
brands of packed goods has taken a stand
at the top of tho market. The Ammonds Pickling Company, of Richmond, Va.,
opened a brining house here last season, where they handled many cucumbers.
This season they are handling many more, while the B. W. Edwards Pickling Company opened this season and have already
handled and brined over 2,000,000 cucumbers, and the season Is not yet over.
To Utilize Cornstalks
The Marsden Company, of Philadelphia, have located one of their factories at this place and are spending about $150,000 in buildings and machinery. They will begin operations about December 1, 1000, when they will buy all of the waste cornstalks, usually thrown away or burned by the farmer to get off his land. This company will manufacture many and various articles from the inner portion of the stalk, making a very fine feed of the outer portion. They will buy every cornstalk grown within five miles of our three rivers, giving the farmers a good price for an article they are glad to have removed from their lands. The Wheeler & Denmead Bros.' shipyard and marine railway Is located here, where any vessel can be repaired, from the scraping and repainting of Its bottom, to finishing the highest mast for the same. There are many stores of each kind here, and any goods wanted clothing, furniture, groceries, hardware, machinery, vehicles and farm Implements can be had as cheap as In the large cities. There is yet room for many other factories, such as furniture, shoes, glass, spokes, hubs, buggies, wagons, brooms, etc. The town and people will give free sites, free of taxation, etc.
A Good Farming Section
The surrounding country is a good farming section. King William County is noted for its fine wheat, grass, cattle, truck, fruit and vegetable lands. The farmlands are yet cheap and can be bought on reasonable terms. The town and country is reached daily by fine steamers from Baltimore, Md., Norfolk. Va., and three trains a day from Richmond, Va. There is no denying the fact that this region is an excellent one for sportsmen. The fields and marshes are every season alive with the cries of plover, graybacks, golden-plover, snipe, yellow-shanks, willet and doe birds, all fat and Juicy from feeding upon the richest food, obtained both from land and water. Later the succulent butterballs fall in hundreds beneath the aim of the marksmen. When cold weather has set in red-head, mallard and black ducks, springtails, blackheads, and gray-winged and blue-winged teal trail heron from the North In countless myriads and make the waters of the York, the Pamunkey and the Mattaponi their feeding-grounds for many weeks.
Ideal place for Fishermen
For the fisherman who comes hither the greatest delights are in store. In the waters of the three rivers, which meet in front of the Terminal Hotel, are never failing schools of the rarest and gamest fish the snapper, with scales of burnished red; sheepshead, crafty and vicious in content with angler; Jumping mullets, shaped like trout, but with broader heads; low-finned trout, whose habitat is salt water- shad, rivaling in flavor and firmness of flesh their far-famed migratory fellows of the Delaware; pompano, excelling in sweetness their brethren of Mobile bay; spots, second only in the list of panfish and deriving their name from a brilliant disk behind their gills: chicken-halibut, placed in these waters some 15 years ago by the United States Fish Commissioner, and more popular than all, the rock and the croaker. The business men of the town have recently organized a business men's association and are making efforts to get other Industries located in the town by offering special Inducements. Mr. Ned Bland is president and E. Wilkinson, Jr., secretary. The schools of the town are good, a good -graded free school, with three teachers, while Prof. J. T. Walker. A. B., has a very fine academy for boys and young men, who are prepared for business or college. Mrs. W. R. Broadus has made a line reputation for her seminary for young ladies and girls, who are given the usual English branches, with the languages and music.
To Utilize Cornstalks
The Marsden Company, of Philadelphia, have located one of their factories at this place and are spending about $150,000 in buildings and machinery. They will begin operations about December 1, 1000, when they will buy all of the waste cornstalks, usually thrown away or burned by the farmer to get off his land. This company will manufacture many and various articles from the inner portion of the stalk, making a very fine feed of the outer portion. They will buy every cornstalk grown within five miles of our three rivers, giving the farmers a good price for an article they are glad to have removed from their lands. The Wheeler & Denmead Bros.' shipyard and marine railway Is located here, where any vessel can be repaired, from the scraping and repainting of Its bottom, to finishing the highest mast for the same. There are many stores of each kind here, and any goods wanted clothing, furniture, groceries, hardware, machinery, vehicles and farm Implements can be had as cheap as In the large cities. There is yet room for many other factories, such as furniture, shoes, glass, spokes, hubs, buggies, wagons, brooms, etc. The town and people will give free sites, free of taxation, etc.
A Good Farming Section
The surrounding country is a good farming section. King William County is noted for its fine wheat, grass, cattle, truck, fruit and vegetable lands. The farmlands are yet cheap and can be bought on reasonable terms. The town and country is reached daily by fine steamers from Baltimore, Md., Norfolk. Va., and three trains a day from Richmond, Va. There is no denying the fact that this region is an excellent one for sportsmen. The fields and marshes are every season alive with the cries of plover, graybacks, golden-plover, snipe, yellow-shanks, willet and doe birds, all fat and Juicy from feeding upon the richest food, obtained both from land and water. Later the succulent butterballs fall in hundreds beneath the aim of the marksmen. When cold weather has set in red-head, mallard and black ducks, springtails, blackheads, and gray-winged and blue-winged teal trail heron from the North In countless myriads and make the waters of the York, the Pamunkey and the Mattaponi their feeding-grounds for many weeks.
Ideal place for Fishermen
For the fisherman who comes hither the greatest delights are in store. In the waters of the three rivers, which meet in front of the Terminal Hotel, are never failing schools of the rarest and gamest fish the snapper, with scales of burnished red; sheepshead, crafty and vicious in content with angler; Jumping mullets, shaped like trout, but with broader heads; low-finned trout, whose habitat is salt water- shad, rivaling in flavor and firmness of flesh their far-famed migratory fellows of the Delaware; pompano, excelling in sweetness their brethren of Mobile bay; spots, second only in the list of panfish and deriving their name from a brilliant disk behind their gills: chicken-halibut, placed in these waters some 15 years ago by the United States Fish Commissioner, and more popular than all, the rock and the croaker. The business men of the town have recently organized a business men's association and are making efforts to get other Industries located in the town by offering special Inducements. Mr. Ned Bland is president and E. Wilkinson, Jr., secretary. The schools of the town are good, a good -graded free school, with three teachers, while Prof. J. T. Walker. A. B., has a very fine academy for boys and young men, who are prepared for business or college. Mrs. W. R. Broadus has made a line reputation for her seminary for young ladies and girls, who are given the usual English branches, with the languages and music.
While Brice William Edwards was engaged in the lumber business as early as 1897 in Baltimore, It seems he was instrumental in the building up of West Point Virginia from about 1900-1903. He was also involved in local politics. I found several articles in the Richmond Dispatch. Jan. 26, 1898, Arrivals Baltimore 25 Jan. 1898, Schooner Charles Linthicum, Colsten from Bermuda Hundred, lumber to Edwards & Asendorf. (Asendorff was his partner for a while). Feb. 12, 1901 Mr. Edwards authorized B.W. Hefferson and J. L. Munford to erect a wharf, dock or pier on their lots situated in the Town of West Point. 7 May 1901, Arrival, Baltimore, 6 May, Schooner Maggie, Simmons, from Sander`s Va., Lumber to Edwards & Asendorf. May 11, 1901, Mr. Simon Lichty, and listed as German Yiddish and a merchant living in West Point in 1900, removed his family to Portsmouth, where in partnership with Mr. B.W. Edwards, he is successfully engaged in business. Lichty is listed as a Jeweler in 1910 with his own store in Portsmouth. April 18, 1902, Edwards was running for Mayor against A. W. Eastwood. May 24, 1902 he lost the election to A.W. Eastwood. January 24, 1903 he suspends publication of "The State Republican" which he has been publishing for the last six moths. The town is in darkness because the electric plant is in want of fuel.
He must have moved to Baltimore after the 1903 fire in West Point and concentrated on his lumber business. His sons joined him in the lumber business and his business at death was listed as B.W. Edwards & Sons. He died of a heart attack Sept. 6, 1908. He was originally from Albemarle County Virginia.
7 Sept. 1908 Baltimore Sun
Also included his daughter`s U.S. Passport Application with photo of her and younger brother.
The Edwards` Banner Brand West Point Va bottle sold to a West Point Va collector.
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