C T Hurlburt stands for Charles T Hurlburt. The company, established in 1852 and always located in Manhattan, was primarily engaged in the preparation of homoeopathic remedies. The company was also known as the American Homoeopathic Pharmacy.
Charles Hurlburt was the sole proprietor until 1893 when he formed a partnership with his son. The partnership was announced in the Society and News section of the 1893 issue of the “North American Journal of Homoeopathy”as follows:
We notice that the old established house of C T Hurlburt, the American Homoeopathic Pharmacy, which has been under his sole management since 1852 has been changed to a partnership under the firm name of C T Hurlburt & Co. The firm consists of Mr C T Hurlburt and his son, Mr Chas F Hurlburt, who has a long experience in homoeopathic pharmacy under his father’s direction and who is now associated with him as a partner.
The business was active until approximately 1915 occupying several locations over it’s life span. The original location was 437 Broome Street and later, in 1868, the business moved to 898 Broadway between 18th and 19th Street. This February 16, 1877 advertisement in the (Brooklyn) Times Union indicated that they also maintained a presence in Brooklyn (Eastern District) as well.
Prior to 1880 they moved to East 19th Street. Here they were first listed at 15 East 19th Street in 1880/81 and by 1886 were listed at 3 East 19th Street where they remained until 1901. Between the mid 1880’s and early 1900’s the business also maintained a 125th Street location. 52, 59,61 and 108 W 125th Street were all listed during this period.
An article in an 1896 issue of the Phamaceutical Era described the business and it’s products during this period:
This firm also known as the American Homoeopathic Pharmacy is one of the oldest houses engaged in preparing alcoholic tinctures of green plants and other supplies used by the Homoeopathic School of Medicine. They are the proprietors of a number of special preparations well known to the general drug trade as “Hurlburts” which have secured a large sale through their own merits, curative qualities and the established reputation and long experience of the manufacturers. These medicines are the result of scientific skill and medical knowledge. One of the oldest and most celebrated is their remedy for Croup coughs and Bronchial troubles, called Hurlburt’s Trachial Drops, prepared both in syrup and tablets – a remedy unqualified for the household in providing safety against that dread of mothers – the croup. Hurlburt’s Rubini Camphor Pills for Colds, Grippe and Dirreha were originated by this firm as the most convenient and desirable way of taking an efficient yet pleasant dose of camphor. They have many imitators, but to secure the genuine buyers should see that the label bears the trademark of the firm. Circulars and prices of these and other valuable remedies can be obtained by addressing Messrs Hurlburt and Co. who offer the trade very advantageous terms.
An advertisement printed in the October 2, 1892 issue of the New York Sun referenced the Tracheal Drops and Rubini Camphor Pills as well as several other products.
In 1902 the business was listed at 575 Madison Avenue and by 1906 they were at 7 Barclay, where they stayed until 1911. The 7 Barclay Street address is now located in the current footprint of the Woolworth Building in lower Manhattan. The site for the building was acquired in 1911 necessitating Hurlburt’s move to 45 Lafayette Street where they were listed from 1912 to 1914.
In 1915 C. T. Hurlburt was no longer included in the directories, but now Hurlburt’s Pharmacal Co was listed with an address of 366 West 11th Street and Theo Stemmler as President. I’m not sure whether this is a continuation of the original company or not.
One of their oldest and certainly most well known product was called Hurlburt’s Tracheal Drops. Sold throughout most of the company’s existence, it dated back to the early 1860’s as evidenced by this November 9, 1863 advertisement published in the New York Times.
Though, according to the 1909 Ohio Bulletin On Proprietary Medicines, it contained one sixth of a gram of codeine to the fluid ounce, it was marketed heavily to mothers of small children. This advertisement appeared in several 1893 issues of a publication called “Babyhood – The Mother’s Nursery Guide.”
It read:
Mothers will find Hurlburt’s Tracheal Drops a perfect safeguard for infants from the dread disease Croup, in all its forms. A invaluable household remedy for Croup, Whooping Cough and all Bronchial Irritation. In use for over 30 years. The genuine has name blown in the bottle.
The bottle I found is a small (1-2 ounce), square medicine bottle with a tooled finish. It’s embossed: C T Hurlburt & Co., so it was made after the partnership with Charles was formed in 1893. The maker’s mark TCW & Co is embossed on the base of the bottle indicating it was made by the T C Wheaton Glass Co. According to various Internet web sites, this specific mark was used between 1888 and 1901. This dates the bottle between 1893 and 1901 and ties it to the E 19th Street location.
The embossing does NOT include the words “Hurlburt’s Tracheal Drops.”