THE ELK REFLECTS

The Elk River Communities In Kanawha County Museum

The Elk River Communities in Kanawha County Museum is a great place to relive your Elk River and school memories. Pictured here is Darrell Settle’s varsity jacket-- Hoover’s first varsity jacket 1963-64.

The museum has two rooms packed with Elk River memorabilia. In the School and Elk River Business Room, you can see old school newspapers, yearbooks, photos, and athletic/majorette/cheerleader uniforms as well as an array of former business paraphernalia including business items and signs, old railroad photos when the students used to ride the train to school through the the tunnels at Blue Creek, one-room school houses, and more. Also, pictured here is the second room, the Military Room, which features donated military uniforms, medals, a field radio, photographs, and an assortment of reading materials.

The museum is located on the second floor of the Elkview Community Center at Elkview. Hours of operation are every Thursday from 10 AM to Noon or by appointment. Call Richard Bashlor at 304.965.6596 to schedule a tour if you are in town. He will also do group tours for school and family reunions. REMINDER: The museum still has Volumes 2 and 3 of the Elk River Communities books available for purchase! They feature our many communities, landmarks, stories, businesses, families and photos. It’s a great gift full of our Elk River heritage!

WHY ARE SOME BALL JARS BLUE?

Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Company (BBGMC was their logo) began in 1884 with five brothers (Edmund, Frank, George, Lucius & William).They bought the company in Buffalo, NY (originally a tin can company) with a loan of $200 from their uncle. Their earliest canning jar was the Buffalo jar (1885-1886) with their logo on it. They moved to Muncie, IN in 1887 to take advantage of natural gas. The blue jars were made from sand from the Hoosier side sand dune on Lake Michigan.

The Ball company said the iconic blue color was actually created by accident when the minerals in the sand mixed and formed the blue color. The Hoosier sand dune vanished by 1920 but the Ball brothers had saved enough sand to get through a decade. After the early 1930’s, canning jars were clear. Ball canning jars were made by steel molds in glass-container-making machinery. Each mold was hand engraved with lettering backwards which produced the raised lettering on each jar. Each jar had numbers on the bottom, 0-15. The number position on the mold was transferred on the glass-making machine and was usually 0-8 or 0-10. The higher numbers, 10-15, were used when the molds had to be replaced.

Moonshiner Rumors

One story about the #13 jar says that moonshiners used the jars to transport their moonshine. They were very superstitious, so they broke the jars with a #13 engraved on them. It was rumored that some homemakers were superstitious also and got rid of the #13 jars.

Another moonshiner's story said the Ball company made square canning jars so they could be packed tighter and more would fit together better when they transported their moonshine. Ball company did make square jars in the 1920’s but the reason was unknown unless it was easier to pack and ship.

Still another story was that Ball company made jars that looked like half gallon jars, but they only held 56 ounces instead of normal 64 ounces. It was rumored that the moonshiners could short their customers but collect the regular price. Their customers never knew any difference. Ball did make this size jar. According to the Minnestrisa Museum, there is absolutely no evidence that the Ball company ever produced special jars for the moonshiners.

SO IS THE #13 JAR UNLUCKY OR LUCKY?

While doing her research on Ball jars, Laura spoke with at least a dozen local gardeners/canners (ages ranging from mid-50s to 92-years old). She reported mixed reviews on the blue Ball jars. “Some people said the #13 jars are rare in certain areas. Some say that antique dealers have said they are rare in order to drive the prices up. Most people said that homemakers in that time period would not have destroyed perfectly good jars that they needed for canning. She added, “Even though some people thought #13 was rare and was worth more than the other numbered jars, most didn’t know why and actually many didn’t know anything about the numbers etched on the jars.”

Laura also asked local gardeners/canners if they actually canned their produce in blue jars. Some people thought that the blue color kept light out and helped food last longer. Some said they had canned in their blue jars if they were short on jars, but most said they didn’t because it made the food look unappealing.

Laura also checked online and on eBay for #13 blue jars. Prices ranged from $8.50 to $100. She said, “In our area I personally haven’t found many #13 jars at flea markets or thrift shops. We have 50+ blue jars but only 2 of them are #13 quarts. We are not superstitious as my husband and I are both born on the 13th day of the month and we were married on July 13th. My husband’s aunt even brought us a half gallon #13 jar early for our upcoming 40th anniversary this July.”

Preserving Dill

Laura said she was getting her dill ready to freeze. You can pick the dill sprigs, wash them in cool water, pat dry, and place them in freezer bags (don’t forget to date and label your bags). She explained that you can chop the dill and freeze in small freezer containers, also. She likes to freeze and use the dill sprigs in her pickle recipes.

Some people like to hang their dill to dry. “Choose a moderately warm area where there is a good air flow,” said Laura. “Once dry you can crumble it over a bowl to catch it all and store in a container for up to 6 months to a year (same shelf life for frozen dill).

Laura explained, “Dill is an herb from the celery family and it is best-picked after the morning dew has evaporated. It is an annual but it reseeds itself! Allow some of the dill to go to seed and the seeds will drop into the soil and you won’t have to buy any next year.” She explained, “You want it to go to seed at the end of the season. Once it goes to seed, it dies, so you cut the seed heads off if you want it to grow. If you don’t want to save dill weed, then let it go to seed.

Stakes For Support

You may also want to think about adding some stakes or tomato cages to support your tomato plants. Laura said,” Frank just staked our tomatoes, putting two plants to one stake.” He sawed out 7 ft. stakes and sharpened them to go into the ground easier. You can also purchase stakes or tomato cages at your co-op or hardware store. She suggests tying the tomato plants to the stakes as they grow for extra support. You can use heavy strings such as bail strings or old rags torn into pieces.