Canning and Bottling: American Bottles and Cans

In the United States commercial bottling operations did not commence until the arrival of experienced English canners. The first was William Underwood, an English pickler, who landed in New Orleans in 1817 and decided to trek across the country on foot. Two years later he arrived in Boston, where he launched the firm later known as the William Underwood Company. Underwood canned luxury goods and ships’ provisions, including oysters, lobsters, fish, meats, soups, fruits, and a few vegetables. By 1821 he was shipping plums, quinces, currants, barberries, cranberries, pickles, ketchup, sauces, jellies, and jams packed in glass to South America. During the next thirty years many small bottling factories were launched from Maryland to Maine, but the three major canning areas were Baltimore, New York, and Portland, Maine.