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Bottle Vitals
| Date | Color | Shape | Size (Height x Diameter) | Value* | |
| Rex C Merritt Drug Store | 1906 | Clear | Rectangular | 3.75" x 1.5" x 0.875" | $20.00 |
Bottle Views (click to enlarge):
| Front | Back | Side | Side | Bottom |
 |  |  |  |  |
| Rex C Merritt Drug Store Constantine, Mich | (measuring scale) | (measuring scale) |
This bottle advertises the Rex C Merritt Drug Store, in Constantine, Michigan. You would think with such specific details, it would be simple to find. It was not. But, persistence and some luck paid off.
The Merritt Drug Store was founded by Rex Charles Merritt, in Constantine, Michigan around 1900. Mr Merritt was born in 1877, one of three sons of Charles Merritt. He went to Parsons Business College in 1899 (click to enlarge)
He then served as a desk clerk and later bookkeeper at the American House.
It isn't clear when those dropped and his drug store started, but it was between 1900 and 1906. The only advertising I could find for his store was all from 1906, and all in a local Constantine newspaper. Click any of the ads to enlarge.
He got married in 1905, so was probably super busy that year. (His wife then won a diamond ring in a. subscription contest held by the Herald and Telegraph in Kalamazoo contest four years later, in 1909.).
Constantine was a bustling town back in the day (click to enlarge):
It's still around today, remaining a small town of about 2500 people. It even still has some of the historic storefronts, though Merritt's Drug Store is long gone.
I found one source that said the business was sold in 1907, but it did not specify to whom, and I couldn't find an independent verification of the sale, so I'm not certain of that. But I do know that by 1909, Mr Merritt had turned his attention to other things. He was granted a patent for a washing machine improvement in 1909. Here are the pages of the patent if you're curious (click to enlarge):
It is unknown what this little bottle contained, though it was most likely a cough syrup or cold remedy. It was liquid, as evidenced by the dosage gauges on the sides (on in CC's, the other presumably just a quantity).
Here's the before and after. Just soap and water, brushes, and a scraper. Whatever that little bit of stuff is down in the corner is, it's really stuck. For now, I'm just leaving it as is.
* Value is based on sold eBay listings as of the date of posting and varies with condition.
