While not much is known about Eagle, it is one of only two pictorial crown-top bottles from Michigan City (the other being Star Bottling Works).
Isaac Bloom was the proprietor. According to the 1910 U.S. Census, he was born in 1869 in Russia and immigrated to the United States in 1901. He was married to Bessie and they had six children. His occupation in the census is listed as a junk dish peddler, meaning a traveling seller of second-hand household goods.
Bloom appears to have ventured into the soda business for only a short time. His later life is uncertain; no 1920 census record for him has been found, and it remains unknown where he went, what he did after operating the Eagle Bottling Works, or when he died. More research is needed to fill in these gaps.
The business was located at 223 W. Michigan Street. No known photographs of the building exist, and only one advertisement has been located so far, appearing in a 1913 newspaper (shown below).
1913 – Bloom Isaac, (Eagle Bottling Co., 223 W. Michigan.) r 502 E Michigan (Bessie)
1916-1918 – Eagle Bottling Works, Isaac Bloom, proprietor, 223-1/2 W. Michigan.
Bottle Type: Approx. 8oz., machine-made crown top.
Embossing: EAGLE BOTTLING CO. / MICHIGAN CITY, IND.
Glass Maker: Unknown. The only marking is an “E” embossed on the base, which most likely stands for “Eagle.”
Other Marks: The numbers “14 1” are embossed on the heel. The meaning of the 1 is unclear, but the 14 likely represents a 1914 date code.
Notes:
Photo Credit: Indiana Bottle Collectors
