This will date me, but I remember using battery jars in undergraduate
chemistry laboratories in the early 1950's.  I think it was in a Physical
Chemistry lab and I suspect if you call the chem. dept. at your nearest
university and ask for a physical chemist who is very senior, that person
can tell you more about battery jars and their history.  If I had to venture
a guess, the battery jar might have been used in recharging batteries in the
gas station.  I don't know when they were first used, but four different
models of rectangular battery jars were pictured in my reprint of the
1903-1904 Illinois Glass Co. catalog.  These were offered in flint or green
glass and came in several sizes, all a little smaller than the one you
described.  The largest was about 11 cm by 11 cm at the base.  However, they
stated that "We make a large number of special and private shapes and are
prepared to make any practicable shape and size desired."  The battery jars
in the catalog were sold by the gross.  All this suggests that by 1903,
battery jars were well known and in common use.

Allen Vegotsky
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-----Original Message-----
From: Michael LaRonge <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Monday, March 11, 2002 1:48 PM
Subject: battery jars


>Greetings All,
>
>I am currently looking at a group of artifacts from a ca. 1930's gas
>station that was closed down when the Badger Ammunition Plant was
>created here in Wisconsin.  I have pieces of a large rectangular
>battery jar, not the battery oil bottle, but the jar itself.  The base
>of the jar measures 16 x 14 cm., I have no idea how tall the jar was.
>I am wondering when they came into use and when the fell out of use
>(if ever).  Also any ideas on what they would have been using it for
>at a gas station would be appreciated.
>
>Thanks in Advance,
>
>Michael LaRonge
>Wisconsin Historical Society
>Museum Archaeology Program
>Coyier Lab
>331 Coyier Lane
>Madison, WI 53713
>(608)271-9097