City workers dig up artifacts that recall the University’s past

by Janel Burchett
Champaign city reporter

Champaign city workers have recently unearthed little pieces of our history during efforts to redevelop a creek that has quite a history of its own.

Boneyard project construction workers have recovered historical artifacts among the dirt and rocks in the giant hole between First and Second streets behind Garcia’s Pizza and Papa John’s Pizza.

While digging up the earth surrounding six 11-foot-wide underground pipes, workers found valuable surprises. Many old bottles, inkwells and other artifacts lined the sides of the hole amid the debris.

According to Louis Braghini, city representative for the project, artifacts are found all the time during a day’s work.

"Some days you might find one bottle, other days you might come across 100," Braghini said.

Residents who lived behind the creek and restaurant customers might have thrown the artifacts into the creek years ago, Braghini said.

Among the recovered objects were old milk bottles dated Jan. 11, 1914 and a multitude of old alcohol bottles, said Bill Deters, Champaign asphalt foreman.

Other discoveries included inkwells, glass pharmaceutical bottles, crocks of different sorts, hand-blown glass bottles and even a rare commemorative Coke bottle.

The Coke bottle, with a picture of Chief Illiniwek on one side and a football on the other, bears the label "C.C. Soda." It appears to be one of 2,000 manufactured specifically for the first Homecoming football game at Memorial Stadium on Nov. 3, 1923.

The artifact was made by the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Champaign, a factory that no longer exists. The site of the old bottling company is now Jillian’s, said Larry Dykes, construction worker and owner of the artifact.

In addition to finding the Coke bottle, Dykes said he also found a clay whiskey jug and other glass Coke bottles bearing the price of 5 cents.

"Those 5-cent bottles must be at least 35 or 40 years old because I remember them from when I was a little kid," Dykes said.

Dykes was offered $750 for the Coke bottle, but declined, opting to keep the piece of Illinois history at home. Braghini said the artifacts belong to whoever finds them. However, at the mayor’s request, these historical artifacts will be put on display in the city building sometime in February, said Braghini.