If you want a peek at Harrisburg’s past, look at the bottles that were sold there.

That’s what local historian Richard K. Hartman does in a new book, “Antique Bottles of Harrisburg, PA: A Window on the Past.”

The book, available at the Historical Society of Dauphin County , examines the variety of bottles — beer, liquor, wine, mineral water, soda, medicine and dairy — that were sold in Harrisburg from about 1850 to 1950.

But Hartman doesn’t just cover the bottles themselves. He also writes about the people and the small businesses behind them.

“The bottles and their contents wove themselves into the fabric of everyday life in Harrisburg,” Hartman writes. “Some of the medications people used, drinks they relaxed with, or provided to their families for food or health purposes are revea

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