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Bottle Houses (page 1)

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Peck's Bottle House
Tonopah, NV

William F. Peck's Bottle House is believed to be the earliest example of the Bottle House phenomenon. Built in 1902, it was torn down in the early 1980s. It was sturdy and square, and made with 10,000 beer bottles. A few odd, square-shaped bottles appeared near the doorway. These were from Jhostetters’ Stomach Bitters which was 90% alcohol and 10% opium.

Short of building materials, early mining camp settlers made their shelters out of whatever they could get their hands on, including discarded bottles. Saloons were among the first commercial structures in the camps so there were plenty of liquor bottles on hand. There was another house in Tonopah built entirely of coal oil cans and another made from barrels (1, 2). For more about Nevada's old bottle houses, see this website.

Calico Bottle House
Calico Ghost Town
Yermo, CA
 Knott's Bottle House
Knott's Berry Farm
Buena Park, CA

Nothing is known of the Calico House's origins. It might have been created in Calico or brought there from another ghost town, possibly even Nevada. But it is also possible that this is a modern reproduction. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Walter Knott (of Knott's Berry Farm amusement park fame) bought the ghost town of Calico in 1951 and restored it from old photos. Therefore, Calico is a mix of original buildings and replicas built on remaining foundations. In 1966, Knott donated the town to San Bernardino County.

Knott's Berry Farm has a simulated ghost town and a Bottle House made from over three thousand whiskey bottles (another account says over five thousand bottles). It is used as the "Indian Trader" store today. Knott visited the Rhyolite Bottle House in the early 1950s and took pictures which were used in building this miniature replica.

For more about the Knott’s and Calico connection, see these websites: 1 and 2.

Bottle House
Washington Court, OH
The Washington Court Bottle House was made with 9,963 bottles of all sizes and colors. The builder collected bottles and to preserve his collection he had them built into this house. This was an attraction at Meyer’s Modern Tourist Court (most likely built later). There is no info available about this place so I assume it has been destroyed.

Bottle House
Oriental, NC
This Bottle House was built in 1951 by William Branch Hodges. It is made entirely of beer bottles and was used as a storage shed behind his house.

Bottle House Gift Shop
Alexandria, LA

The Alexandria Bottle House Gift Shop was built by Drew Bridges who used bottles from his drugstore next door. Friends also contributed wine bottles to include in its construction. There were about 3,000 bottles used with railroad ties serving as beams. Today, the building is in someone's backyard. So I'm not sure if the building was moved or if the neighborhood grew up around it. [photos second and third rows thanks LaDonna Bernard]

Bottle House
Wimberley, TX

The Wimberley Bottle House was created in the early 1960s as part of Pioneer Town, a simulated Old West town/tourist attraction. The House was made with more than 9,000 soda bottles and wood. It was modeled after the Bottle House at Knott's Berry Farm. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3.

Bottle House
Kaleva, MI

The Kaleva Bottle House built by John Makinen in the 1940s with over 60,000 bottles. Most of the bottles came from Makinen's factory, the Northwestern Bottling Works. He completed the house in 1941, but died before his family moved into it. In 1980, the building was purchased by the Kaleva Historical Society, which renovated it to house the Kaleva Historical Museum. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Bottle House
Flowood, MS

The Flowood Bottle House appears to have been used as a storage shed rather than a house. It doesn't seem to be in use for anything now. Does anyone know anything about this place? For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

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