99 BOTTLES OF 'BEER' ON THE WALL

   I have to admit that my husband has been taking on the worst jobs associated with this renovation.  Suited up and protected, he has been in the attic eaves extracting raccoon carcasses and 'associated debris' and in the dank basement and crawl spaces removing any and every thing he finds.

(Where's Wallace?)

To his credit, he has tackled each task with little complaining.  That would not be my M.O.  Just yesterday, while clearing the crawlspace off the basement in preparation to have it conditioned,  he unearthed DOZENS of empty old pint and half-pint glass bottles.

 So many, in fact he had to quit before reaching to the bottom of the stash.

We can only assume there was an inhabitant during the early 1900's (based on the type of bottle) who was hiding his/her habit of consumption.

   While prohibition  in the United States dates from 1920 to 1933, Richmond Virginia went dry in 1916. Virginia contained several cities which were reluctantly dry, most notably Alexandria, Richmond and Norfolk.
   So here's my hypothesis....The inhabitants of this Hawthorne house during prohibition liked their liquor.  So much so that the amount that flowed into this house required discreet disposal of the evidence.  Burial of the empties in the crawl space was logical.  It was also a fun find close to a hundred years later!
   Cheers!