Plumber digging on Amelia Island finds century-old glass bottles

A local plumber made a remarkable discover while digging at a work site.

Jimmy Thompson, with Dave Turner Plumbing, said he was working on an Amelia Island home that is being remodeled when he found seven bottles buried 4 feet underground.

“Most were broken but we dug through them till I found them,” Thompson said.

Some of the bottles had words on them, including “federal law forbids sale.”

Thompson looked up the names and numbers on the bottles and did some research.

He said they are Jim Beam bottles. A University of North Florida professor said they’re post-prohibition.

Thompson said two taller bottles are grape soda bottles from the early 1900s.

The smallest bottle is a Tom Collins soda bottle dated 1887.

“I got all the dirt and stuff out of it," Thompson said. "I couldn’t believe how clean they came."

He posted pictures to Facebook.

“It ended up getting 700 likes and comments and stuff like that," Thompson said. "I thought people would think I’m nerdy but apparently a lot of people like it."

Thompson said several museums have contacted him to see if they can put what he found on display.

He said he thinks it's a great idea.

“Just give back to the island, give back to residents of what was our history there,” he said.

Cox Media Group