A Haven’s Tonic Bitters I recently picked up from an Arkansas collector

07 October 2017

Here is an email and bottle images below from fellow bitters collector and friend Gary Beatty down central Florida way. I’m a bit suspicious that this label was applied later to this bottle. The top image is an exact replication of Gary’s label found in my collection. Anybody have any thoughts?

Ferd, here is the HAVEN’S TONIC BITTERS I recently picked up from an Arkansas collector. He purchased it at a flea market 25 years ago. He listed it as Stoddard Glass? I don’t think so? I believe either Lancaster or Lockport? But in the end who knows. I chose those two glass house possibilities because of the color. It of course is green. It is 9 inches tall by 3 ¼ inches across the base which has a open pontil. As you can see the label is original. It is reported that Norm Heckler sold one in the same shape and open pontil but in amber in the 1990s. The dealer did not know where it was from. I noticed at the bottom of the label the address was “Willie & Cross Street.” I thought there can’t be two addresses like that so I Googled it and it came up Lowell, Mass. There was a druggist named H. L. Haven and he had a Haven’s Cough Syrup also.

Hope you will share this with the fellows on Facebook. I call it forest green? PS, I’ll bet John Wolf the Cure collector from Ohio doesn’t have this one. I would appreciate your perspective on it.

Best Regards, Gary Beatty

A labeled Haven’s Tonic Bitters – Gary Beatty collection

Haven’s Tonic Bitters base pontil – Gary Beatty collection

Gary is certainly right with his detective work. The intersection of Willie and Cross Street is in Lowell, Massachusetts and there was a druggist named Herbert L. Haven at this location. He also had a “ Haven’s Cough Syrup” that is pictured below. That label looks a little suspicious too.

The Haven’s is only listed as H 71.5 L… Haven’s Tonic Bitters in Bitters Bottles.

Haven’s Cough Syrup – H. L. Haven Druggist.Lowell, Mass.

Here is a directory listing for Herbert L. Haven.

Herbert L. Haven, Apothecaries, Willie, cor. Cross – 1884 Lowell, Mass City Directory

Select Listings:

1878: Herbert L. Haven, Clerk, Willie, 213 Central – Lowell, Mass City Directory

1880: Herbert L. Haven, Clerc, Willie, 63 Bridge, rooms 190 Merrimac – Lowell, Mass City Directory

1883: Herbert L. Haven, Apothecary, Willie, cor. Cross, bds. 58 – Lowell, Mass City Directory

1884-85: Herbert L. Haven, Apothecaries, Willie, cor. Cross – Lowell, Mass City Directory