A few months ago we heard from Al Polinsky. His wife’s father was a part owner in Harvilla & Sons Beverages, in Minersville, Pa. Along with soda like birch beer, they also bottled seltzer (popular among the local Jewish community). The family not only made seltzer but they were members of the volunteer fire station, which is still active today, in the town of Seltzer, PA: the Seltzer Hose Company.
As he and his wife Trish cleaned out some old items from the factory, he asked if we might be interested in a single-siphon filling machine The machine was last used in the late 50’s. This HEAVY machine lowers with a foot peddle to allow for an upside-down siphon to be placed in the safety cage and have its nozzle opened so it could receive a fresh batch of seltzer. Meanwhile, a second item is the protective gear worn by the bottler to protect the face in case of siphon bottle explosion.
Here is a short video from the delivery today of what is now the FIRST items accessioned into the care of the Brooklyn Seltzer Museum, along with some photos.
