This particular object is 6-1/4″ long, and 1-1/4″ at its widest point. It can be characterized as a rusting piece of shaped metal with protrusions, encased in a molded plastic handle and capped with red clear plastic, which resembles a mid century tail lamp. The stem of the metal piece can be seen through the red end.

It reads, “PRESTON LODGE; Hotel – Bar – Restaurant; Tel. RE 3-9050; Bloomingburg, N.Y.” and has stylish red arrows and diamonds at each end that wrap around the cylindrical portion of it.
The Backside reads “PAT. PEND.,” expressing that this is a proprietary design, not yet approved as an innovative contraption, but in the process. There is no indication of who may have applied for such patent or who the manufacturer might have been, or where it originated.

The telephone number included dates this item to be from or beyond 1955, as the telephone exchange created that year would have similar combinations of letters and numbers, indicating, the regional exchange, switchboard, and finally, the line. This object might be something of an advertising material, in the same way we have pens, key chains, and small functional trinkets now, or it may be something the bar ordered in order to keep numerous on hand from a promotional company. I have determined the handle material to be Bakelite by the weighted balance of the item, and the promotional nature of the item. Bakelite is one of the first synthetic plastics (heated phenol and formaldehyde) made that could be molded, manufactured cheaply, and was often used for pool ball sets, as well as telephones due to its durability and weight. I imagine due to age that this material was molded around the metal as it does not spin, move, or otherwise seem loosened by wear. I believe it to have been manufactured somewhere between 1955 and 1965, determined by said materials, longevity of print (solvent based), and anecdotal stories about the place in the printing. The rust on the useful metal end suggests it has been used for many years, exposed to liquids, or prolonged humidity. The red plastic is an end to simply cap it off, as you can see the bare metal of the stem, which would otherwise make it obnoxious or painful to maneuver the tool.

This would principally be used by a bar owner, bar tender (or some thieving patron who’d taken it home), to open bottles, cans, or to pry things apart. The protrusions on both sides are indices that it could be used a number of ways. The topside, used with the writing facing inward toward the body, would be used to latch onto the rim of a can to puncture a top with the pointed tip. The backside would be used for, and have for more leverage for a bottle with a cap, and would be used print facing out, so as not to puncture the cap. It is in good enough shape to still use it as a tool, or opener, but would most likely contaminate anything coming in contact with the piercing tip (front side) with the byproducts of the oxidation of metal.

This is the last known object related to the Preston Lodge (in time and physical being) and is a precious object that still serves its function, often. I cannot find any information online indicating that it ever existed, so I will fill in some unconfirmed knowledge that I understand as truth. This particular bar (and inn) closed about 1965, as the owner was known to be far too generous to her patrons and was quite honestly, going broke. This information is a tale that has circulated in my family for three generations, for which there is no known account of outside of those who had patronized the establishment, worked there, owned it, or grown up on the premises. The item now resides in my home, nestled in a stretched coca-cola bottle, for ease of use. It is also friendly reminder of my great grandmother, who not only owned a bar called “Preston Lodge” into the mid-1960’s, but a woman who had started a bar and restaurant in St. Petersburg, Florida during prohibition. In 1952, she returned to New York after the death of her husband, to continue her love and  skills as a proprietor of such an establishment. It is where my grandmother grew up, it is where my (19 year old) great uncle’s collation was held after his funeral, it is where my grandmother met my grandfather, and the first place my mother had visited after she had been born.

I chose this particular item, perhaps in line with the many, many things I have to represent my great grandmother, as a driven, yet practical person. I don’t necessarily identify many retro/heirloom bar items I’ve received over the years as special, as I use hand-blown green glass swizzle sticks for coffee, and continuously break them. This one is not only a useful tool, but a useful reminder that it is always possible to start over and continue your passions, regardless of roadblocks and gender. I think her and I align in that way, and that makes it so valuable. I have other, less rusty bottle openers, but this is the one that I find myself using continually, regardless of its handicaps.