family
I love old military sites, like forts, and from one to another, they are so many differences. In Casper, Wyoming, where I live, Fort Caspar is a typical Old West fort as you would expect of the days of wagon trains and Indian rampages, but when you look at a fort back east and especially along coastal waters, where it would be necessary to protect our borders, they are much more military looking. Fort Gaines, located the eastern tip of Dauphin Island, off the Gulf coast of Alabama, is a very different looking fort, as my mind pictures forts anyway. Fort Gaines’ well-preserved ramparts, which have guarded the entrance to Mobile Bay for more than 150 years, look very much like they did when they were first built there. The structure is considered one of the nation’s best-preserved Civil War era masonry forts. However, it is also under threat from erosion, as is common of very old structures. The present Fort Gaines was initially designed in 1818 as the identical twin to Fort Morgan, which stands across Mobile Bay, to defend the new territory of Alabama. It was named for General Edmund Pendleton Gaines, a hero of the War of 1812. However, when Congress cancelled funding in 1821, work on the fort was suspended. Years later, when more funding became available 1846, the original design was scrapped, and when construction began in 1857 a new pentagonal-shaped design took its place. The objective of the fortress was to guard the seaward approaches to Mobile Bay and the eastern entrance of the Mississippi Sound.
Dauphin Island was used for centuries by the Native Americans, who went there to fish, hunt, and gather oysters and other shellfish that grew in abundance in Mobile Bay. To this day, evidence of their presence can 
still be seen at Shell Mound Park on the Island’s north shore. The island was also visited by Italian explorer Americus Vespucius, who is said to have visited in 1497. In addition, the Spanish discovered the island, which they named Isle de Labe (Island of the Ridge) from the large sand dunes that extend along its southern shores. The French took possession in 1699 the French and renamed it the Isle de Massacre, because they found so many skeletons scattered on the beach that they thought a massacre had taken place there. The French established a settlement on the island that was raided by pirates in 1711, but survived.
Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the French Governor, built a fort there that’s he called Fort Torabigbee and changed the name of the island to Dauphin Island after a member of French royalty, “Dauphine” about 1712. From 1763 to 1783, the English held this Island, and in 1783 it went back to Spain. Finally, after years of dispute as to ownership, in 1812, Dauphin Island was taken by the United States during the War of 1812 because it was said the Spanish sympathized with the English. The earliest American fortification built here was in 1812, and that area has belonged to the United States since that time.
Before the fort was fully completed, the Alabama state militia seized it on January 5, 1861, because they were anticipating the state seceding from the Union. That did occur on January 11, 1861. Following the secession, Confederate engineers completed the fort over the next several years. During the Civil War, the fort played an vital role in the Battle of Mobile Bay, and it was within sight of its walls that Union Admiral David G Farragut issued his immortal command, “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!” After Farragut and his ships forced their way into the bay, Union soldiers laid siege to Fort Gaines, which surrendered on August 8, 1864. After the Union forces took possession of the fort, it was used to plan and stage the final attack on Mobile, Alabama.
Following the Civil War, the fort was repaired by engineers, but the post stood empty for years. Between 1901 
and 1904, two modern gun batteries were built. These housed six guns that complemented the modernizations at nearby Fort Morgan. Other than the basic preservation repairs, Fort Gaines was not further improvements. Fort Gaines, like its sister complex, Fort Morgan and other forts, was no longer needed for harbor defense, as its guns were outmatched by those on foreign battleships. When World War I ended the War Department sold Fort Gaines to the state of Alabama, however it was reactivated briefly during World War II and then returned to the state once again. The state opened Fort Gaines as a state park in 1955. Fort Gaines is currently under the management of the Dauphin Island Park and Beach Board.
When we think of the Gold Rush years, most of us think of California, but in reality, not every big strike was in California. One of the greatest gold rushes of North America occurred in the Pike’s Peak area. Known as the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush, it was also called the Colorado Gold Rush. The Pike’s Peak Gold Rush a boom in gold prospecting and mining in the Pike’s Peak area of what was then the western Kansas Territory and southwestern Nebraska Territory of the United States. Now it is located in Colorado, of course. The rush began in July 1858 and lasted until just about the time of the creation of the Colorado Territory on February 28, 1861. The rush brought an estimated 100,000 gold seekers, called the Fifty-Niners to the Pike’s Peak area. It was part of one of the greatest gold rushes in North American history.
The peak year for the gold rush was 1859, and so after that year, the miners were called Fifty-Niners. The miners often used the motto “Pike’s Peak or Bust!” Actually, the location of the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush was centered 85 miles north of Pike’s Peak, but because of the well-known mountain, and its visibility from a long way off, the name of the peak became the name of the rush. The Pike’s Peak Gold Rush, began about a decade after the California Gold Rush, and produced a dramatic, albeit temporary influx of migrants and immigrants into the Pike’s Peak Country of the Southern Rocky Mountains. When the rush ended many of them moved on to other placed in search o the next big rush. The prospectors provided the first major European-American population in the region. The rush brought with it a few mining camps such as Denver City and Boulder City that would actually develop into cities that still exist today. Many smaller camps such as Auraria and Saint Charles City were among those that were later absorbed by larger camps and towns. Still others, faded into ghost towns, but quite a few camps such as Central City, Black Hawk, Georgetown, and Idaho Springs survived.
The discovery of gold in the Pike’s Peak area wasn’t a surprise to everyone. In 1835, French trapper Eustace Carriere lost his party and ended up wandering through the mountains for many weeks. During those weeks he 
found many gold specimens which he later took back to New Mexico for examination. I suppose it was worth being lost, but while the specimens turned out to be “pure gold” he was unable to locate the area on an expedition he led to go back and look for it. He just couldn’t quite remember the location. Also, in 1849 and 1850, several parties of gold seekers bound for the California Gold Rush panned small amounts of gold from various streams in the South Platte River valley at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. They decided that they weren’t really impressed with the Rocky Mountain gold, so they moved on to California, possibly cheating themselves out of a great find, had the persevered.
When the California Gold Rush began to die out, many discouraged gold seekers started to return home. Still, they weren’t really wanting to go home empty-handed, and they has heard the rumors of gold in the Pike’s Peak area. So, they tried their luck again, and their hard work paid off. In the summer of 1857, a party of Spanish-speaking gold seekers from New Mexico worked a placer deposit along the South Platte River about 5 miles above Cherry Creek, now part of metropolitan Denver.
William Greeneberry “Green” Russell was a Georgian man who had worked in the California gold fields in the 1850s. He was married to a Cherokee woman, and through his connections to the tribe, he heard about an 1849 discovery of gold along the South Platte River. Much encouraged, he organized a party to prospect along the South Platte River. He set out with his two brothers and six companions in February 1858. They met up with Cherokee tribe members along the Arkansas River in present-day Oklahoma and continued westward along the Santa Fe Trail. Others joined the party along the way until their number reached 107 people.
When you have spent any time in Colorado, the names of the places where gold was found are very real to you. Places like Cherry Creek, Denver, Confluence Park in Denver, Englewood, and a number of others stand out to you. The group finally found a small amount of 20 troy ounces in the Englewood area. Their excitement grew…
and so the boom began. The first decade of the boom was largely concentrated along the South Platte River at the base of the Rocky Mountains, in the canyon of Clear Creek in the mountains west of Golden City, at Breckenridge and in South Park at Como, Fairplay, and Alma. The towns of Denver City, Golden City, and Boulder City were substantial towns that served the mines in 1860. It was the rapid population growth of the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush that led to the creation of the Colorado Territory in 1861. Unfortunately, the rush, like all gold rushes, faded and while Colorado is still a fairly large population area, it isn’t what it might have been had the gold rush continued.
While my husband, Bob and I were in the Black Hills last week, we were having breakfast at the Hill City Cafe, when we overheard a waitress telling another table the story of how the Hill City High School came to have Smokey Bear as their mascot and be renamed the Hill City Rangers. I had no idea that anyone used Smokey Bear as their mascot, nor did I know that no other school was allowed to do so. That caught my interest, so we listened to the story, and then I had to research it further to get the whole story. And quite a story it is.
It all started around noon on July 10, 1939, with one of the worst forest fires in the history of the Black Hills. It was located just ten miles northwest of Hill City, and that’s too close for any wildfire to be to a city. Overnight, the fire burned through six of those ten miles, jumped the Mystic Road, the C.B. and Q. Railway, and was headed directly for Hill City. These are areas my husband, Bob and I have hiked, and hearing about the fire raging through them really hits home for me. The C.B. and Q Railway (Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad) was later abandoned and became the Mickelson Trail, which I have hiked from end to end, twice!! Not in one trip, but over about 10 years, one section at a time. The whole area is a place I love, and to think of it burning…well, it tears at my heart.
By noon on July 11, 1939, the fire was within three miles of town. That was when the wind changed and carried the fire further North and East. Still, Hill City and other towns were not safe, winds shift all the time, and the fire had to be stopped. The weather that year had been hot and very dry, unlike this year, plus a high wind repeatedly “crowned” the fire. The firefighters were in constant danger. They had already called in all of the Civilian Conservation Corps boys in the area, who had been immediately put on the fire, and now the forest rangers called for more help. You know that the situation is desperate, when they call for untrained volunteers. Shockingly, one of the first crews to respond was a group of 25 schoolboys from Hill City. These were high school kids…kids!! The crew of 25 included the entire basketball squad, one eighth grader, and several boys 
who had recently attended or graduated from the Hill City High School. Their foreman was Charles Hare, President of the Board of Education. This whole story of bravery and selflessness brings tears to my eyes and puts a lump in my throat.
The inferno raged throughout July 11th and into July 12th and utilized over four thousand firefighters, laboring together to bring the fire under control. The fire often isolated the crews, who went without food and water for a number of hours. Heat, smoke, and the danger of being trapped hampered the firefighters, but the blaze was brought under control on July 12th. The people of Hill City had spent many anxious hours watching the smoke and direction of the fire. Many had packed their belongings and were ready to move, but the order to abandon the town was never given. The schoolboys crew from Hill City was at the fire every day. The US Forest Service was so grateful to them that they were later recognized by officials as one of the best crews!! The McVey Fire burned over 20,000 acres.
To get back to the story the waitress was so proudly telling, “The name ‘Rangers’ was given to them in honor of their good record. Because of the work of these schoolboys back in 1939, Hill City Schools became the ONLY school district in the United States to have the privilege of using ‘Smokey Bear’ as its mascot. The school colors are Green and Gold which also represent the National Forest Service Theme, and Hill City is the ONLY school with the honorable privilege of having their graduation ceremonies held at Mount Rushmore. The staff, students and teams representing Hill City Schools hope to continue the traditions of the splendid group of men that our boys so ably assisted, The United States Forest Rangers.” It’s a proud tradition to own, and an awesome goal to 
reach for. I’m sure they will be able to achieve their goal, and as an annual “tourist” in the area, who loves the Black Hills, I want to thank all the brave firefighters in the Black Hills-Hill City area…past, present, and future (one of which was my niece, Lindsay Moore, for a summer) for all their hard work keeping the area safe, and mostly for their bravery.
Every year, around the time of my husband, Bob Schulenberg’s birthday and also around the 4th of July, Bob and I take our annual hiking trip to the Black Hills. We aren’t always there on Bob’s birthday, which is six days after the 4th of July, and so doesn’t always fall conveniently in the same week. Nevertheless, we celebrate his birthday too, with time together as a couple, doing one of the activities we both have loved to do for years…hiking. It hasn’t always been easy for either of us to hike some of the more difficult trails, and one year, Bob’s back was so out of place, that even the easiest of trails was more than he could handle. That was a rough year. We went to the Black Hills and spent a lot of time in a motel room.
This year was one of the good years…at least in how Bob felt. 
We weren’t hiking any of the real difficult trails, especially our favorite…Harney Peak (now Black Elk Peak), but we hiked every day, even though it was cold this year and rained almost every day. This has just been a strange summer, and one I haven’t exactly enjoyed to this point, but since the temperatures are moving up, so are the prospects of summertime fun. Now, getting Bob to take time off to from the work he does from home…that’s not so easy.
Bob is a mechanic, and when he retired, he really didn’t intend to “retire” exactly. He just didn’t want to go to work and be on someone else’s schedule. He loves being a mechanic, but he wants to work on the jobs he wants to, on his schedule, and from his own garage. He likes the idea of just going out there whenever he wants to, and taking a 
break whenever he wants to. Don’t get me wrong, Bob will take most jobs, provided he has the time and ability to do the job. Also, he will pretty much work a job until it is done, unless it is one that is obviously going to take several days. Still, he just likes being in control of his days, weeks, and life in general. And he is so much happier these days. He feels better, even though some days his back hurts from being bent over a car. And he is able to take some time and just go for an evening walk with me…which I like very much. The life of a semi-retired, self-employed mechanic suits him to a “t” so I’m happy. Today is Bob’s 69th birthday. Wow!! It doesn’t seem he is 69 at all. Happy birthday Bob!! Have a great day!! We all love you very much…but especially me!!!
While life hasn’t always been easy for my aunt, Jeanette Byer, who is the widow of my uncle, Larry Byer (my mother’s brother). She worked hard all her life, helping to take care of their large piece of land and house in the country between Casper and Glenrock, Wyoming. They had a number of outbuildings and lots of trees. The land belongs to her children, Larry Byer and Tina Grosvenor now, because with Uncle Larry in Heaven, Aunt Jeanette has moved into an apartment in Casper. It’s just easier for her now, because her eyesight is failing, with Macular Degeneration, so to be on sch a big place with so much care needed would be too hard for her…and she is older now, so she couldn’t do the upkeep anyway. That is a job for younger people.
Nevertheless, while things in her life changing, Aunt Jeanette is still a person of smiles and sweetness. You have to tell her who you are when you see her, not because she doesn’t remember people, but because she can’t see them…even right in front of her. Nevertheless, the last time I saw her, I had a nice little visit with her…even though it was at the funeral of her son-in-law, Glen Grosvenor. We didn’t talk long, but it was good to know that she was still doing well, and still smiling. She has such a positive attitude, even in the face of adversity.
Aunt Jeanette liked doing crafts, and at one time she had a little ceramic shop on their place, so that the family could all gather around the ceramic design work and enjoy not only the artistic time together, but also just the time together itself. Many cute decorations were made in that little shop, and many great conversations too. She doesn’t do ceramics anymore, of course, but Aunt Jeanette always enjoys a little visit and time with family. 
She now has grandchildren, and quite great grandchildren to entertain these days, although she may not get to see them as often as she would like. At least some of them live in Florida. Nevertheless, there are many way to keep in tough these days, including phone, facetime, skype, and a number of others. I don’t know how well Aunt Jeanette can handle these things, but I’m sure there are those who can help. Today is Aunt Jeanette’s 87th birthday. Happy birthday Aunt Jeanette!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My brother-in-law, Chris Hadlock loves to take his family camping in the Big Horn Mountains. They try to make it an annual family event. They enjoy the camping, fishing, 4-wheeling, and probably the biggest thing…resting!! When they go, they usually have everyone’s dogs with them, and Chris built a rack for the 4-wheeler, so that their dog, Liberty can go with them. It can’t be fun for the dogs to sit around camp alone while everyone is out on the trails. Earlier this year, Chris and my sister, Allyn Hadlock bought a new trailer, and while this was their second camping trip with it, they are still figuring things out, which is common with a new unit. Mostly its figuring out the stuff they need and don’t need. When they go camping, they want to be completely “off the grid” where there is no phone service and no email, text, or 
any other distractions. The main thing they want is to have all the kids with them, so it is a real family affair. There is just something about having all your kids together with you and nobody has any place they have to be. Everyone can really relax and enjoy the time together. They love it so much that they are planning several more, short trips around the state and maybe even over to the Black Hills.
A while back, Chris and Allyn bought his parents place after his mom, Ramona Hadlock passed away in 2018. His dad, passed away in 1995. The place needed some big repairs, because the mobile home they had lived in was really old. So, they tore it down and built a really nice house in its place. Since then, they have continued to do repairs and improvements on the property. This year’s heavy rains necessitated the repair of the bridge that spans the creek they must cross to get into the house. The heavy rains narrowed the dirt bridge, so it was a necessary repair. They borrowed a backhoe from our brother-in-law, Mike Reed to do much of the heavy work. There will also be other improvements around the property, like fixing some fencing and finishing some of the road work.
Chris has helped his parents with improvements on the property for years, so really, this is a continuation of the same things he has been doing for years. The place is a big property, so mowing is a big job, and it is best done on a riding lawnmower. Thankfully, they have one of those, because it would be a days-long job on foot. Little did Chris know, all those years ago, that the improvements he was making for his parents would someday be his to his own benefit. Still, even if it had not been to his benefit, he would have gone out and helped his parents, because that is the kind of guy he is. Today is Chris’ birthday. Happy birthday Chris!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
Every year that my sister-in-law has been in Heaven seems more and more impossible to me. Marlyce Schulenberg left us on August 13, 1989, meaning that she has been in Heaven for 34 years now. Marlyce was 39 years old when she went home. I still miss my sweet sister-in-law every day. She brought so much joy into our lives, because while she was developmentally disabled, she had such a great capacity for giving and for bringing happiness to or lives. Marlyce was fairly high functioning, in that while she was unable to live on her own, due to her mental age, she was well able to do things like knitting and baking, and it gave her such great pleasure to see the faces of those people to whom she bestowed her gifts.
Marlyce, being a part of a large family of six children, was faced with the teasing of her siblings. They weren’t cruel, they just all picked on each other, and some handled it a little better than others. Marlyce kind of liked some of the teasing, especially about supposed boyfriends, which she may or may not have had at the time. She would grin and maybe even blush a little, but other types of teasing just made her mad. And her siblings, Debbie Cook, Bob Schulenberg, Jennifer Parmely, Brenda Schulenberg, and Ron Schulenberg knew just which type of teasing was which…much to the irritation of their parents, Walt and Joann Schulenberg, who would shut it down when they had had enough. You have to understand too, that Marlyce was the oldest, so all this teasing was going on among children, and if you have had siblings, you probably know all about teasing. Nevertheless, the siblings all loved Marlyce very much. I joined the family when Marlyce was 25 years old, and I really never took part in the teasing, so I got to be the loved sister-in-law. It’s not that I was against teasing, but rather that she was always so sweet to me that I didn’t have the heart to tease her…even in fun.
Mom and Dad always worried about what would happen to Marlyce when they were gone. She couldn’t live 
alone, and I’m sure they wondered if the siblings would take care of her. Of course, we would have. It was just understood, but it would have been a lifestyle change for the sibling she lived with. In the end, of course, it didn’t matter, because she went home before Mom and Dad did. I don’t think any of us were thinking about that the day she left, we just knew that everything had changed, and we would always miss her very much. Marlyce would have been 73 years old today. Happy birthday in Heaven, Marlyce. We love and miss you very much.
Hitler never had feeling of any kind toward mankind of any nationality, race, gender, or religion, even though there were those he hated more than others…specifically, Jews, Gypsies, Blacks, and anyone not blond haired and blue eyed. Nevertheless, Hitler had long ago decided that anyone was disposable, except him. He didn’t tell other people about that, of course. On July 8, 1941, the German army invaded Pskov, a city located 180 miles from Leningrad, Russia. General Franz Halder, the chief of the German army general staff recorded Hitler’s plans for Moscow and Leningrad in his diary, and it wasn’t good. Hitler planned “To dispose fully of their population, which otherwise we shall have to feed during the winter.” Basically, he considered them all to be “useless eaters” and planned to kill them. Then, he planned to turn Moscow into a lake. 
The Germans first launched a massive invasion of the Soviet Union, called Operation Barbarossa, on June 22, using over 3 million men. Since the Soviet army was unsuspecting and unprepared, the Germans were very successful in their attack. By July 8th, the Germans had captured more than 280,000 Soviet soldiers and almost 2,600 tanks had been destroyed. With the Germans already a couple of hundred miles inside Soviet territory, Stalin was in a state of panic. He began executing any of his generals who had failed to stop the advancing attack. That was likely a big mistake, because he was basically defeating himself from the inside.
As chief of staff, Halder had been keeping a diary of Hitler’s day-to-day decision-making process. His documentation of Hitler’s processes showed the flaws that Hitler had. I don’t know if that was his plan or if he had wanted to emulate Hitler, but as became emboldened by his successes in Russia, Halder recorded that the “Fuhrer is firmly determined to level Moscow and Leningrad to the ground.” It was Halder’s opinion that Hitler 
had underestimated the Russian army’s numbers and the bitter infighting between factions within the military about strategy. Halder and several others thought they should head straight to Moscow, as taking the capital would bring down the entire country. Nevertheless, Hitler was the leader, and as such, he wanted to meet up with Field Marshal Wilhelm Leeb’s army group, which was making its way toward Leningrad. The biggest mistake Hitler made was the fact that Winter was coming, and the Russians were much more used to the Soviet Winter’s frigid temperatures than the Germans…an advantage that would eventually catch up to the Germans. The advantage of such conditions would give the Russians the victory over the Germans in this battle.
My grandniece, Taylor Masterson is growing up so fast. I can’t believe that this is her 16th birthday already. I remember when she was born, and how excited everyone was that she managed to July 7, 2007 (07-07-07) date, without any help. That was the way her natural delivery went. Now 16 years later, she is learning to drive and looking for a job…in fact, she has an interview at Wendy’s. They emailed her 10 minutes after she put in the application, saying they wanted to interview her. Very exciting.
Taylor is such a beautiful soul. She loves “her” people so deeply. She has a very caring nature, and she tries to make sure everyone around her is happy and comfortable…sometimes sacrificing her own comfort. It hard to be the kind of person who is always taking care of others and never taking care of themselves. Her mom, Dustie Masterson hopes that one day soon, Taylor will learn to take care of herself in the same way she takes care of everyone else. Dustie tells me that she has never known someone with such a pure loving heart, and truly, anyone who 
knows Taylor can attest to that loving heart. She is a blessing form God to all of us who have been blessed enough to know her. One thing you don’t always see, unless you know her well, is Taylor’s funny side. Nevertheless, if she is in a mood, she will tell the best, cheesiest “dad” jokes ever!!
Taylor, her sister, Rae (Raelynn), and Dustie have started doing diamond art together most nights, since Dustie transferred stores (Walgreen’s, where she works). Dustie tells me that it has been amazing for her to get the opportunity to spend that hour or so with her girls…to just hang out and chill. Even Taylor’s brother, Matt will come upstairs and chat with them while they work on their art. It is something they all enjoy, because it’s been a while since they were really able to just spend time together doing something enjoyable. I didn’t know what diamond art was, so I had to look it up. Diamond Art is a hobby where you stick diamond jewels onto a pattern to look like a mosaic. Sometimes called diamond art painting (although there is no paint involved). The pictures are really pretty, and 
they add a bit of sparkle to the room.
Taylor is learning to cook and is meticulous about doing things right. She was learning to dice vegetables, and she was careful to do it right. She didn’t chop them up and then have to go back and fix it, she diced them the first time. There are many things that Taylor would not tell you about herself, because she is not the type of person to “blow her own horn.” She is a quiet person when she is around people she doesn’t know well, but then when she gets to know you, her true self comes out. It’s when you get to know Taylor’s true self that you are truly blessed, because she is a wonderful girl. Today is Taylor’s 16th birthday. Happy Sweet 16 Taylor!! have a great day!! we love you!!
Most people know that wine gets better with age, but I wonder if there is a limit to that statement. Some wines, I’m told wine can be aged for 10 to 20 years, but there really is a limit. In a Roman tomb in Germany in 1867, a bottle of wine was found that is believed to date back to 325 – 350 CE. The oldest bottle of wine ever found. Those who found it, named it Speyer, for the city of Speyer, near where the bottle was found. The bottle was discovered during an excavation of a 4th-century AD Roman nobleman’s tomb. The tomb contained two sarcophagi, one holding the body of a man and one a woman. It was a very unique bottle, with dolphin-shaped handles, and it is sealed with wax and olive oil. I’m sure that was the hope that by so preserving the wine, that it would be able to be used later, but then it was found in a tomb, so I’m not sure of the actual purpose. There were several other bottles found with the Speyer bottle, but they were all empty or broken.
Of course, given the age of the bottles, no one will ever drink the contents. It would not be safe, so the exact contents remain unknown. Nevertheless, archaeologists believe the liquid inside was made from grapes planted in the region. The Speyer wine bottle (Römerwein in German) is a sealed bottle that is will not been opened to check the contents. Even without verification, it is considered the world’s oldest known bottle of wine. Since the discovery of the bottle, it has been exhibited at the Wine Museum section of the Historical Museum of the Palatinate in Speyer. The “Römerwein” is housed in the museum’s Tower Room. It is a 51 US fluid ounce glass bottle with amphora-like “shoulders” that are yellow green in color and with dolphin-shaped handles.
It is thought that the man in the tomb was a Roman legionary, and the wine was a provision for his journey to 
Heaven. People had some strange customs back then, and some may still have. Of the six glass bottles in the woman’s sarcophagus and the ten vessels in the man’s sarcophagus, only one still contained a liquid. There is a clear liquid in the bottom third, and a mixture similar to rosin above. While it has reportedly lost its ethanol content, analysis is consistent with at least part of the liquid having been wine, although I’m not sure how they made that analysis without opening the bottle. The wine was infused with a mixture of herbs, but the preservation of the wine is attributed to the large amount of thick olive oil. Since I’m not a scientist, I’m not sure how that would work, but apparently it did, as it was added to the bottle to seal the wine off from air, along with a hot wax seal. The use of glass in the bottle is unusual, however, as typically Roman glass was too fragile to be dependable over time.
Scientists have considered opening the bottle to further analyze the contents, but as of 2023 the bottle has remained unopened, mostly because of concerns about how the liquid would react when exposed to air. The museum’s curator, Ludger Tekampe has stated he has seen no changes in the bottle in over 25 years, so whatever they are doing to preserve it is working. It seems to me that scientists would be remiss in their care of this bottle by opening it for no good reason. I think it should be left as is.
