This curious round bottom bottle was so designed that it would have to be stored on its side. It was excavated in 1966 from Fort Hays, in Ellis County, by Kansas Historical Society archeologists. Also called round bottom sodas or ballast bottles, this aqua bottle was made in a two-piece mold with what is called an oil finish. It is thought that this type of bottle was imported from Great Britain as ballast and then used in the United States. According to the Society for Historical Archaeology's Historic Glass website, laying a bottle on its side helped to ensure the cork stayed wet and the contents did not lose carbonation. Fort Hays was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and is a State Historic Site.