Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Box Marked Paxson & Rockefeller Company |
Object Name |
Container, Medicine |
Description |
Pink cardboard box marked Paxson & Rockefeller Co., Butte, Montana, prescription phone 4767; 4" x 1.5" x 1.5" |
Provenance |
Amil Herseim, who lived in the former J. A. Riedel house in Boulder, donated this item. Herseim Family were long time educators in Boulder. SUMMARY: An extensive collection of items from one pharmacy business in Boulder, circa 1884-1997. The collection includes hundreds of vintage medicine bottles/containers as well as equipment, tools and signs used in the pharmacy. The Boulder pharmacy was in operation from 1884 until 1997, under different owners/pharmacists and business names. A few items in the collection are imprinted with the pharmacy names, including Riedel and Aspengren. Boulder drug store ownership summary: 1884-1900—William Morris—Parchen-Morris Drug 1900-1928—John "Alfred" Riedel—Riedel Drug 1928-1953—Arthur Aspengren—Aspengren Drug 1953-1997—George Ammen—Ammen Drug Donors: Two donors gifted the pharmacy collection items to the museum, long-time Boulder residents. George and Cecelia Ammen donated about half of the collection. Ammen was the owner/pharmacist at Ammen Drug from 1953 until he closed the pharmacy in 1997. The rest of the collection was donated by Amil Herseim, who found the items in the basement of the "Old Riedel House" in Boulder. (Riedel was the owner/pharmacist from 1900-1928. Herseim lived in the home formerly owned by J. A. Riedel.) Ammen Donations: No gift agreement has been found. However, the donated items from George and Cecelia Ammen are individually identified on the old (2002) inventory list. According to Sherry Carlson and Ellen Rae Thiel, the Ammen family initially loaned the items to the museum, which were displayed in the Jefferson County Courthouse for many years (per Ammens’ request). These items were removed from the courthouse in the Fall of 2018 and moved to the museum. The Ammen donations comprise about half of the total collection. The provenance of these items is unknown, except the items with the pharmacy name imprinted on them. It is possible that they were all used at one time in the Boulder pharmacy. Ammen was the last pharmacist operating this particular pharmacy business in Boulder, closing it when he retired in 1997 when he was unable to find a buyer. Herseim Donations: No gift agreement has been found. However, both Sherry Carlson and Ellen Rae Thiel recall Herseim donating a multitude of pharmacy items which he said he found in the basement of the "Old Riedel House" in Boulder when he was living there. J. A. Riedel was the owner/pharmacist from 1900-1928. Since we were able to identify the specific items donated by Ammen, by the process of elimination, we determined that all other pharmacy items were donated by Herseim. Provenance More: A few items have the name of the pharmacy imprinted on them, clearly specifying that the item was from the pharmacy in Boulder. This particular pharmacy business was in continuous business from 1884 until 1997, taking the name of the owner/s. Ownership passed from one pharmacist to another (as noted in above ownership summary, per Guenther research). While the name of the pharmacy changed with the current owners, each new pharmacist purchased the pharmacy business from the previous owner/pharmacist. It is possible that some of the items in the pharmacy collection were originally used by the first pharmacist, William Morris, although this can’t be confirmed. MORE INFORMATION: See newspaper clippings, detailed biographical information for both donors, and the history of the Boulder pharmacy. (On file with the Boulder Pharmacy Documents). NOTES— George Ammen Biography & Boulder Drug Store Info: See Pharmacy Collection document files with newspaper clippings, summary, and photo for more information. Boulder Drug Store: The drug store in Boulder has a long history in the community. William Morris opened the first drug store in 1884. In 1895, a fight broke out in the store and in the scuffle, several fire extinguishers were broken, which "flowed over them to such an extent that it put out the fire of their wrath." (Nov 18, 1895, The Butte Miner). Morris sold the drug store in 1900. John "Alfred" Reidel: In 1900, John A. Reidel was the owner/manager of the drug store. Reidel married the daughter of A.C. Quaintence, a long-time Boulder resident. In 1903, Reidel was awarded the contract for providing medical assistance to the Jefferson County poor farm and county jail. Reidel sold the store in 1928. Arthur Aspengren: In 1928, Arthur Aspengren purchased the drug store in Boulder. He had been a pharmacy apprentice to Reidel for the previous three years. Aspengren sold the drug store in 1953 to George Ammen. Compiled by Jamie Guenther, 3/2019 |
Collection |
Boulder Pharmacy |
Caption |
Paxson & Rockefeller Company prescription container. |
People |
Aspengren, A. W. Herseim, Amil Riedel, J. A. |
Catalog Number |
2019.100.57 |
Year Range from |
1880 |
Year Range to |
1900 |
Date |
Circa 1880s |
Search Terms |
Business Drug store Pharmacy |
Subjects |
Boulder, MT Paxson & Rockefeller Company Prescription box |