< Previous“And surrounding the Medallion of his Excellency Doctor Franklin, the following words. – Where Liberty dwells, there is my Country.”7The patriotic figures and symbols depicted on Dyott’s flasks were often the subject of toasts at dinner parties held by political and fraternal organizations. The Enquirer of Richmond, Virginia, reported on a dinner given on July 4, 1826: The Anniversary of Independence was celebrated here with patriotic and rational animation… the Company then withdrew to a Spring in the vicinity of the Town, where a barbecue had been preparing, and at 3 o’clock sat down to a very sumptuous repast… After the cloth was removed the following toasts were drank: The memory of George Washington the father of his country—the hero of liberty—the friend of mankind… General Lafayette: the only surviving Major General of the Revolutionary army… Benjamin Franklin: “Where liberty dwells, there is my country.”8 (Left) Newspaper advertisement offering a variety of glass from Kensington Glass Works, dated January 7, 1826, from Athens Gazette, Tennessee. Image courtesy of Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center, Museum of American Glass, Millville, New Jersey. (Center) Death certificate for Thomas W. Dyott. Courtesy of City of Philadelphia Department of Records.(Right) Detail from Manual Labor Banking House $10 bank note (see pages 22 and 23) featuring engraved images of Dr. Thomas W. Dyott and Benjamin Franklin. Author’s private collection, AECOM scan, 2012. View the 3-D interactive Franklin FlaskScan the QR CodeOr visit: http://diggingi95.com/virtual-gallery/franklin-flask/River Chronicles | Vol 2 | 2017 | 31It seems probable that the detailed accounts of these dinners published in the newspapers and often reprinted elsewhere inspired the mottos that appeared on several of the figured flasks.Dyott displayed more than a passing interest in Benjamin Franklin. In 1836, Dyott once again selected an image of Franklin to appear with his own likeness on the bank notes created for his Manual Labor Banking House. The engraving of Dyott was based on John Neagle’s oil painting, apparently commissioned around the same time. The image of Franklin was engraved from an earlier 1757 portrait by British artist David Martin.9 This representation of Franklin depicts him in a contemplative pose, with well-styled hair and wearing glasses. One final connection can be established between these two men. Period newspapers reveal that Benjamin Franklin maintained his larger-than-life celebrity status in the 1860s. The Evening Post of New York reprinted the following account of “Franklin’s Birthday in Philadelphia”:Yesterday being the anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Franklin, the Franklin Market Company celebrated the morning by placing in a niche in front of their market-house, on Tenth Street, above Chestnut, a colossal statue of the philosopher, cut from pictou stone. It weighs about six tons… The raising of the statue was witnessed by a large number of persons. During the time that the work was being performed the bells of St. Stephen’s Church rang out a merry peal. A formal inauguration of the statue took place later in the day.10 In 1861, the day was marked by additional observations, as noted in this brief announcement from the Cleveland Daily Leader: “Benjamin Franklin—The coming festival of the Printer’s will celebrate the one hundred and fifty-fifth anniversary of Franklin’s birthday…”11It was in 1861 that January 17 became a date shared by the two men immortalized on this flask—Benjamin Franklin was born on this date in 1706, and Thomas W. Dyott died of “old age” on this day.12 Dyott’s death certificate confirms that he was 84 years old, the same age as Benjamin Franklin when he died on April 17, 1790. We may never know if these connections are just a coincidence or Dyott’s final marketing strategy. Employees of Dyottville Glass Works, dated December 4, 1869. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center, Museum of American Glass, Millville, New Jersey.1878 Hexamer map showing the location of archaeological excavations at the Dyottville Glass Works (outlined in blue) and a bird’s-eye view of the factory complex (bottom right). Dyottville Glass Works, 1878, Hexamer General Surveys, vol. 13, plates 1243–1244. Map Collection, Free Library of Philadelphia.“One of the greatest cur iosities of this country.”iosities of this country.” – The Mechanic magazine, April 1834 DYOTTVILLE GLASS WORKS SITEArchaeological Excavations at theGeorge Cress and Douglas MooneyRiver Chronicles | Vol 2 | 2017 | 35Prior to archaeological excavation at the Dyottville site, the area consisted of a paved road surface along the east edge of Dyott Street. The machine removal of the existing roadbed exposed underlying Belgian block, railway, and concrete base, along with 2–4 feet of fill directly overlying the glassworks. Instead of destroying the glassworks foundations, the twentieth-century road surface preserved them.36 | Vol 2 | 2017 | River ChroniclesThe Dyottville Glass Works building that is the focus of the archaeological excavation changed dramatically since its inception as the Kensington Glass Works in 1816. The structure appears to have undergone at least four building episodes: one for the calico printing work dyehouse and three involving the glassworks (1816 to the mid-nineteenth century, the mid-nineteenth century to circa 1880, and circa 1880 to 1902). All of the buildings were constructed on fill placed onto the mud flats of Gunner’s Run.As the excavation proceeded, progressively earlier foundations and structures were exposed.All AECOM project photographs, 2011Many of the excavated foundations can be directly related to historical maps and photographs of the glass factory, such as this photograph dating to 1898. The excavation exposed foundations of three sets of annealing ovens (nos. 1, 3, and 5), a doorway opening, and an entranceway (no. 4)—along with a probable access tunnel leading to a single furnace (no. 2). All of these features are from the last building phase. Photograph courtesy of PhillyHistory.org, a project of the Philadelphia Department of Records.The shape of the foundations indicates that Dyottville used kiln-type annealing or “tempering” ovens. The newly made hot glass objects were placed in an oven and allowed to gradually cool from about 850 degrees Fahrenheit to room temperature. If glass is not annealed, it will easily crack or shatter. The ovens varied in size, ranging from 18 × 28 feet to 24 × 32 feet. The inconsistent sizes are related to the fact that the ovens were rebuilt and modified from earlier ovens, with some of the earlier foundations incorporated into the later structures. A foundation from an earlier phase of the glassworks is clearly visible inside the oven foundation in the foreground.21345Late-19th-century annealing ovensLate-19th-century annealing ovensEntrancewaySection of earlier oven wallLate-19th-century furnace accessLate-19th-century annealing ovens21345River Chronicles | Vol 2 | 2017 | 39AECOM project photograph, 2011.Next >