This Shrewsbury’s TomatoKetchup bottle was found in the former water area on the south side of the old Union Wharf. Only the base of the bottle remains intact with embossed lettering to identify its origin. It was likely purchased between 1883 – 1908 and discarded by 1903. This product was produced by E.C. Hazard and Company in New York City, a manufacturer known for their ‘fancy grocery’ goods. The tomatoes used for the ketchup were grown on an industrial scale in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, and was made in specialized vats lined with silver that prevented acid-metal interactions and fermentation. Beginning in 1883, Shrewsbury’s Tomatoketchup was one of the most profitable products at the dawn of the nineteenth century. However, the company suffered financially in the aftermath of the 1907 credit panic and it was declared bankrupt in 1916.
The second ketchup bottle found around the old Union Wharf was a T.A. Snider Preserve Company catsup bottle and was likely produced between 1884 – 1913 and discarded by ca. 1900. The T.A. Snider Preserve Company was founded in 1879 by Thomas A. Snider in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was renowned for its commercially prepared condiments, especially its catsup (ketchup). By 1909, the company was regarded as the world’s largest ketchup manufacturer, eventually merging with General Foods in 1943. It continued producing products under ‘The T.A. Snider Preserve Company’ brand until the name was acquired by Hunts Foods, Inc. in 1953.
Archaeological findings by Independent Archaeological Consulting, LLC (IAC).