Blackstone Valley Historical Society

Date: March 20, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Expert in Antique Bottle Collecting to be Speaker
at April 24th Blackstone Valley Historical Society Meeting

LINCOLN - Charles Blanchette, a collector who specializes in half pint historical flasks and Rhode Island pontilled medicines and patent medicines, will be the guest speaker at a special Tuesday evening meeting of the Blackstone Valley Historical Society.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 24 in North Gate, the Society's headquarters, located at 1873 Old Louisquisset Pike (Route 246). The presentation is free and the public is welcome to attend.

Blanchette is a collector of antique American bottles, flasks and salt-glazed stoneware. He has an extensive collection of Rhode Island bottles, especially Dr. Flint's Quaker Bitters. As part of his presentation, Blanchette will bring about 80 slides of Rhode Island bottles and will bring multiple examples of early New England bottles and go-withs. Go-withs are glass insulators used on telegraph lines. Blanchette also has an interest in salt glazed stoneware from Coventry, Greene, Summit or Washington, Rhode Island.

Bottles are the third most popular collectible after stamps and coins. Bottles, because of their glass. color, manufacturing method, design, artistic motifs, and labels are a historical record of early America, its bounty, beauty, history, politics and culture. Since bottles and glass remain unchanged in 18th and 19th Century trash pits, one can learn a lot about early American glass manufacturing by studying the direct and inferred information they provide about the period. Labels provide an even clearer picture of the culture of the period and a glimpse into our past.

Blanchette is a member and former president and show chairman of the Little Rhody Bottle Club. He holds a masters degree in history education and has served as an adjunct professor of Geography at Providence College. When not collecting bottles, he is a member of the Rhode Island Militia, Elisha Dyer Camp No. 7 Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and participates as a re-enactor and member of Battery B, RI Light Artillery. Using his bachelor's degree in journalism, Blanchette has authored the book, "The Transformation of Centreville: French-Canadians in the Pawtuxet Valley" published by the American-French Geneaological Society.

Members of the Blackstone Valley Historical Society are interested in the history and antiquities of the northern Rhode Island communities of Pawtucket, Central Falls, Lincoln, Cumberland, North Smithfield and Woonsocket. New members are welcome.