RHS Presentation March 14th- Ellen Marlatt, 19th Century Choices In Rochester: A Look At Medicine Bottles

Thursday, March 14, 7 PM

Rochester Historical Society Museum on Hanson Street

Ellen Marlatt presents Nineteenth-Century Medicinal Choices in Rochester: A Look at Medicine Bottles from the Wentworth Homestead Site at Strafford Square.

In preparation for road improvements in the Strafford Square area (the intersection of North Main, Washington, and Walnut Streets) Independent Archaeological Consulting conducted an archaeological excavation at the Ezekiel and Elisabeth Wentworth Homestead at 2-4 Walnut Street in 2015. They recovered more than 7,000 artifacts including domestic glass and ceramics discarded in the cellar of the carriage house/barn behind the house. These artifacts date from 1870 to the 1920s and are associated with the extended Dorman, Kimball and Allen families who lived in the house during that time.

Their research then focused on the 44 medicine bottles they found. They tried to answer such questions as: What medicines were available? What was their cost, use and purpose? Where did people get them? Were any of the medicines used at 2-4 Walnut Street outlawed by the 1906 Food and Drug Act?

This PowerPoint presentation showcases the results and discusses medical and health strategies available to consumers in late 19th- and early 20th-century Rochester.

Admission is free and all are welcome to attend.



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