The Coca-Cola Trail E-Book

Larry Jorgensen

• Herausgeber: Modern History Press
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Seitenzahl: 204

Beschreibung

The Coca-Cola Trail is a journey for anyone interested in discovering the history and growth of the world's most recognized product. The trail will take readers to the places in America that tell the story - places where you can see, touch, and remember. Whether a serious Coca-Cola memorabilia collector, a person interested in American business history, or simply a fan--The Coca-Cola Trail provides a fresh new look at a trusted old friend. 30 chapters cover each bottling plant location in meticulous detail, including unique and ghost billboard signage.
So, what is a Coca-Cola Bottler? Well, from a legal standpoint, it's a franchisee of the Coca-Cola company, who has been granted the right to bottle and sell Coca-Cola in an exclusive territory. This franchise or contract has been amended and otherwise changed somewhat over the years to add many additional brands, but in the beginning, it was granted for the sole purpose of bottling and distributing Coca-Cola throughout the bottler's territory.
In the early years, it was bottled one bottle at a time, placed in wooden cases, and hauled to the customer in horse or mule-drawn wagons. The bottling plants were crude and the task was difficult but by acquiring these franchises, these entrepreneurs had unknowingly won the lottery. They had settled on investing in a product that would change the world. A fabulous beverage with a delicious, unique taste profile that provided a refreshing boost to the drinker. Even in today's world, with thousands of brands of both non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, Coca-Cola remains at the top in providing that unique taste and special experience in a beverage. You combine this great product with brilliant advertising and marketing from The Coca-Cola Company and "voila" you have a brand and company and a bottling and distribution system that has been so successful that books upon books have been written about it for over 100 years. That is unique in itself.
"If you like history of any type, you must read this book. Part history, part travel guide but always interesting, and when you've finished you'll be a master of some particular trivia questions.The Coca-Cola Trail is chockfull of very interesting - every page brings a new delight of some lesser-known areas of the US. A wonderful book that I highly recommend to all history buffs."
-- Linda Thompson, host of The Authors Show
"I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Coke memorabilia and also to anyone who is interested in learning a different portion of the history of the South. Of course, Coke extended past the southern states, even in the beginning, with one of the earliest bottling plants being located in Leadville, Colorado. If you grew up drinking Coke, this is somewhat like a trip down memory lane as well; filled with pictures of old places and people who were active in the first years of Coke."
-- S. Byrd, Atlanta, GA
"Coca-Cola is an international sensation, and Larry Jorgensen of Lafayette, Louisiana, has written a book documenting the many places in the United States showcasing Coke history or attractions unique to Coca-Cola. Jorgensen spent two years researching this book, which is also filled with historic photos and recent shots of places and people."
-- Louisiana Book News
From Modern History Press

Leseprobe

The Coca-Cola Trail: People and Places in the History of Coca-Cola.

Copyright © 2017, 2024 by Larry Jorgensen. All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-0-692-84430-4

Published by

 

Modern History Press

[email protected]

5145 Pontiac Trail

Tollfree 888-761-6268

Ann Arbor, MI 48105

FAX [phone]

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means, including mechanical, electrical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher.

Contact publisher for discount on bulk purchases for sales promotions, fund-raising, or educational use.

The name Coca-Cola™, its logo, and the word Coke™ are all registered trademarks of the Coca-Cola Company.

Foreword

The Coca-Cola Trail

So, what is a Coca-Cola Bottler? Well, from a legal standpoint, it’s a franchisee of the Coca-Cola company, who has been granted the right to bottle and sell Coca-Cola in an exclusive territory. This franchise or contract has been amended and otherwise changed somewhat over the years to add many additional brands, but in the beginning, it was granted for the sole purpose of bottling and distributing Coca-Cola throughout the bottler’s territory.

In the early years it was bottled one bottle at a time and placed in wooden cases and hauled to the customer in horse or mule drawn wagons. The bottling plants were crude and the task was difficult but by acquiring these franchises, these entrepreneurs had unknowingly won the lottery. They had settled on investing in a product that would change the world. A fabulous beverage with a delicious, unique taste profile that provided a refreshing boost to the drinker. Even in today’s world, with thousands of brands of both non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, Coca-Cola remains at the top in providing that unique taste and special experience in a beverage. You combine this great product with brilliant advertising and marketing from The Coca-Cola Company and “voila” you have a brand and company and a bottling and distribution system that has been so successful that books upon books have been written about it for over 100 years. That is unique in itself.

But the history and legacy goes deeper. Year after year, decade after decade, one generation of bottlers led to the next generation and then the next and, in the case of my family and a number of other families in the business, we are well into our 5th generation in this business. From the first bottling of Coca-Cola in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1894 until today, community support and leadership have been paramount. The relationships created between customers, consumers, suppliers, employees, management and ownership, and really everyone that has touched Coca-Cola, have evolved into a passion for this brand and its trademark like no other business in history.

Larry Jorgensen has captured the essence of the history and passion for this business through exhaustive interviews with the family members/owners and associates of these multi-generational enterprises. Many of these bottlers have museums of Coca-Cola memorabilia and historical information that most everyone will find to be a fun excursion to see and learn and enjoy. A history book and travel guide all rolled into one that will transport you back to another time and recall happy memories of days gone by.

March 22, 2017

RANDY MAYO

4th generation Coca-Cola Bottler

Introduction

The Coca-Cola Trail

During the first half of the 20th century, large and small towns throughout the United States received special recognition when they became the site for a Coca-Cola bottling plant. Additional pride came when the town's name was placed on the bottom of bottles from their plant.

By 1909 there were 400 community plants providing the exciting new Coca-Cola beverage for customers in their sales territories, which were granted to the plants by exclusive bottling agreements. The number of Coca-Cola plants increased to over 1200 by 1925, and most of them were local family owned businesses.

“The Coca-Cola Trail” traces the history of some of those plants, and of those pioneering entrepreneurs who saw what they believed to be an opportunity, and then took the risk to help create what would become one of the most recognized brand names in the world. Without their dedication and tireless efforts, it reasonable can be assumed the Coca-Cola empire may not have evolved as it did.

“The Coca-Cola Trail” is dedicated to those first bottlers, and in many cases, to the following generations of their families who today still continue to make the enjoyment of Coke products available to everyone.

As the demand for Coca-Cola grew, larger plants were needed in those communities, and often the new buildings became local landmarks. Everyone in town was familiar with the plant, and most had their own Coca-Cola memories. They often recall looking in a large glass window to watch the bottles being filled, or possibly enjoying a group tour of the plant. Also visible were the colorful trucks being loaded and heading out for daily deliveries. Others remember friends or relatives who worked in the plant. The special Coca-Cola promotional activities and community participation were common and appreciated.

However, by the 1960's the improvement in transportation and ease of distribution began to signal the end for small town bottlers. During the decades which followed the smaller plants were being closed, and bottling was being consolidated to larger more modern facilities. Some of the former plant buildings were utilized as warehouse and distribution facilities. Others would find a new purpose in the community, while some were simply torn down.

“The Coca-Cola Trail” visits some of the remaining Coca-Cola buildings to discover how they are being used today. The “Trail” also reveals the history of these facilities and the people who made them possible. The “Trail” begins in Vicksburg, Mississippi where Coca-Cola was first placed in a bottle to be sold. The “Trail” also visits museums and displays, famous old Coca-Cola signs, and other places of interest made possible by “the people of Coca-Cola”.

It was, and still is, the large and small Coca-Cola companies across our nation which continue the Coca-Cola legend with community involvement, creative advertising, and unique marketing and promotions. “It's the real thing”!

The Coca-Cola Trail

Contents

1. Vicksburg, MS

2. Monroe, LA

3. Chattanooga, TN

4. Valdosta, GA

5. Root - The Bottle, The Bottler

6. Cornith, MS

7. Aliceville, AL

8. Unique Coca-Cola Signs

9. Paducah, KY

10. Placerville, CA

11. Mobile, AL

12. Fort Smith, AR

13. Grenada, MS

14. Rocky Mount, VA

15. Minden, LA

16. Cedartown, GA

17. Covington, TN

18. Philadelphia, MS

19. Morrilton, AR

20. Nashville, AR

21. Indianapolis, IN

22. Coca-Cola Ghost Signs

23. Griffin, GA

24. Monahans, TX

25. Columbia, MO

26. Charlottesville, VA

27. Ocala, FL

28. Hattiesburg, MS

29 Black Hills, SD

30. Along The Trail

Acknowledgements

The Coca-Cola Trail

This journey down “The Coca-Cola Trail” could not have been made without the support and assistance of many who wanted the story to be told!

Our appreciation is deep and sincere for those, in the chapters which follow, who took time to share their memories and history. But our appreciation is not limited to those dedicated bottlers, it also is for the researchers in historical organizations, museums and libraries, and for the Coca-Cola “fans” who also had stories to tell. The reader meets many of them along the”Trail”.

However, special recognition and thanks is extended to a Coca-Cola bottler in Texas, who generously shared his unique knowledge of Coca-Cola history, as well as his pride in a way of life for generations of his family. Our appreciation always to Randy Mayo, a direct Biedenharn family descendent, who can trace his roots back to that first bottle of Coca-Cola in Vicksburg.

To all those who contributed time and effort, you helped smooth the bumps in the “Coca-Cola Trail”.

Chapter 1

Vicksburg, MS

The Coca-Cola Trail starts in Vicksburg, Mississippi where in the summer of 1894 Joseph A. Biedenharn first put Coca-Cola in a bottle, and consequently started the world's first Coca-Cola bottling business.

Joseph was the son of a German emigrant, Herman Henry Biedenharn who arrived in Louisiana in 1852. After working in several Louisiana cities, Herman settled in Monroe, Louisiana where he met and married Joe's mother, Louisa Lundberg, who had emigrated from Denmark.

The Civil War took Herman Biedenharn to Vicksburg where his skill as a boot maker was pressed into service making and repairing boots and shoes for the Confederate soldiers. Louisa joined her husband in Vicksburg after the war, and Joseph Augustus Biedenharn, their first son, was born in 1866.

Joe's father continued his shoe and boot business, but the future Coca-Cola business would eventually become a reality because Herman also decided to open a confectionery store.

Herman's brother arrived from Germany to run the store, and at the age of 14 Joe dropped out of school to work full time with his uncle in the store. Joe became manager of the store when his uncle died in 1888. The first telephone in Vicksburg was installed in the Biedenharn business in 1889.

Joe added a soda fountain to the store, and in 1890 he and his father built a two story brick building at 218-220 Washington Street to house both the boot and shoe and the confectionery businesses. Joe's store had a long soda fountain where carbonated water drinks flavored with syrup were sold by the glass.

A difficult business situation resulted in Joe getting into the bottling business in 1891. He had received customer orders for 30 cases of soda water, and as he had in the past, went to the local bottling company to have his orders filled. However Joe's large order could not be done due to a heavy demand for soda created by the July 4th picnics being held that weekend.

That incident caused Joe to decide to begin bottling his own soda water. Second hand equipment was purchased in St. Louis and within 30 days he was in the business of bottling and distributing lemon, strawberry and sarsaparilla soda water.

A few years before the Vicksburg soda water incident, a pharmacist in Atlanta, John S. Pemberton had created the “secret formula” for Coca-Cola syrup. Pemberton had been injured in the civil war, and developed an addiction to morphine. He decided to invent a tonic to cure him of his habit. He created a “coca wine” made from coca leaves (the basis for cocaine) and kola nuts, a source of caffeine.

The syrup drink was offered for sale at drug store soda fountains, as Pemberton claimed it would cure several ailments. The first advertisement for Pemberton's Coca-Cola appeared in 1886.

In 1890 Coca-Cola traveling salesman Samuel Candler Dobbs persuaded Joe Biedenharn to buy a five gallon keg of syrup to serve as a new drink at his fountain. The salesman was the nephew of Asa Candler of Atlanta, who had recently purchased Coca-Cola from Pemberton for $2300. Samuel probably was Candler's first salesman.

The Biedenharn soda fountain served a 10 ounce and a 12 ounce glass of Coca-Cola, your choice for a nickel. In addition the bakery made jelly rolls and pound cake. A half-pound slice of cake also sold for a nickel.

The popularity of the fountain drink grew in Vicksburg and larger syrup orders were being placed. Asa Candler then paid a visit to Joe in 1891, and convinced him to become a wholesale distributor for the syrup. Owners of soda fountains up and down the Mississippi River and the surrounding area were solicited and became repeat customers for the syrup. Candler made at least two more visits to Vicksburg. The Biedenharns would give him a tour by delivery wagon to visit other soda fountains in the area. At that time Vicksburg had about a dozen soda fountains and a population of 20,000 people.

The fountain syrup sales continued to grow even after the bottling began. By 1897 the Coca-Cola Company owed the Biedenharn Company over $500 in commissions for the syrup sales. At that time Candler was offering his distributors one share of stock in his Coca-Cola Company for every $100 he owed them. This would have given Biedenharn Candy Company five shares . There were only 500 shares outstanding, which meant the Biedenharns would have owned one- percent of the company. However Joe needed cash to finance the growing needs of his company, and declined the stock offer. It was later estimated that in 1990 one-percent of the Coca-Cola Company was valued at over $300 million.

In the meantime, the Coca-Cola fountain drink had become such a success that Joe concluded it would be just as popular with people living outside of Vicksburg if they could have access to it. Thus the decision to bottle the drink was easy, as Joe already had purchased the necessary bottling equipment.

“The world’s first Coca-Cola delivery man”. Andrew Butler making a delivery in 1896 in Vicksburg.

The Coca-Cola syrup would arrive in wooden barrels. When empty the barrels were sawed in half, with one half being used to wash bottles. The other half would become a cooler where bottled Coca-Cola was placed in ice for sale.

Twenty seven year old Joe Biedenharn did not realize that summer of 1894, the far-reaching future impact of what he was doing when he poured the Coca-Cola syrup and shot the carbonated water into that first bottle. Joe had six younger brothers, most of them already involved at that time in the various activities of the Biedenharn family business. William was 21 years old, followed by Harry age 17, Lawrence 15, Herman Henry 13, Ollie 11, and Albert 7 years old. That simple decision to bottle Coca-Cola was the beginning of the Biedenharn Coca-Cola family legacy for those brothers and generations to follow.

Those first cases of Coca-Cola sold for 75 cents. Joe sent two of his first cases of bottled Coca-Cola to Asa Candler in Atlanta, who wrote back that it was fine. Joe later remembered that Candler never returned the empty bottles. As the bottling sales grew, the Biedenharns used metal cases which held four dozen bottles for shipping. Wooden cases which held two dozen bottles were used for local delivery. Metal cases which held six dozen bottles were used for a short time, but were too heavy. A full case of four dozen bottles weighed about 100 pounds. The bottles were packed upside down in the cases so the Coca-Cola would be mixed, and it was mixed again when the bottles were removed and turned right side up.

The plant also continued to bottle their other flavored sodas. It was said that sometimes to get a dealer interested in buying Coca-Cola, a few free samples might be included in a flavored water order.

Joe took time away from the Vicksburg business in 1903 when he went to New Orleans to establish and operate the Biedenharn Burnette Candy Company. While he was gone brother Harry took over management in Vicksburg. However the New Orleans venture was not a success and three years later Joe returned to begin traveling and selling wholesale the products of the Vicksburg business, which included Coca-Cola, soda waters, candy, bakery and some wholesale groceries.

It was during this time the Biedenharn company increased its capabilities with the purchase of the equipment and inventory of the Hill City Bottling Works of Vicksburg. The owner, W. E. Beck had decided to go out of business.

It is interesting to note that while Joe Biedenharn was the first to bottle Coca-Cola in 1894, he did not become a licensed Coca-Cola bottler until 1906. The rights to establish bottlers in the States had been sold in 1899 to Ben Thomas and Joseph Whitehead of Chattanooga. However, when Asa Candler of Atlanta granted those rights, he did not include portions of Mississippi where, he explained Coca-Cola already was being bottled. (See Chattanooga Chapter)

Whitehead acquired the rights to the southern half of the United States, after he and Thomas agreed to divide their business.

Whitehead died in 1906, and his close associate Charles Veazey Rainwater was designated secretary-treasurer of the parent bottler in Atlanta. Whitehead’s business partner John Lupton selected Rainwater for the position because he realized Rainwater had worked extensively with Whitehead to establish the Atlanta plant and sign bottling territory agreements.

One of Rainwater’s first projects was to convince Joe Biedenharn to sign the standard bottling agreements.

Rainwater, made several trips to Vicksburg to meet with Joe and discuss the issue of becoming a licensed bottler. Rainwater finally convinced Joe to sign a bottling contract by convincing him the contract would provide perpetuity for the business, along with advertising allowances and other privileges offered by the parent company.

Joe Biedenharn was first, but many around the world, would follow in his footsteps. Brother Albert once said, “it grew right from the grass roots, started by people with very little financial means.”

The Coca-Cola museum in Vicksburg, located in the original soda fountain building, features bottling equipment like that used in 1894. The display includes one of the original bottles which is embossed with the identification “Biedenharn Candy Company, Vicksburg, Miss”.

That first bottle was called the Hutchinson blob-top bottle because it was sealed with a rubber disk pushed into the bottle neck and held with a wire. The problem of cleaning the Hutchinson bottle was recalled by Albert Biedenharn during an interview before he died. He was seven years old when one of his jobs in the family business was to rinse the bottles. He explained it was not possible to sanitize the bottles because of the wire inside. You could not get a brush or anything inside the bottle, so if dirt was visible a metal shot would be added to the rinse water. Then he said, you would shake the bottle to cut the dirt loose.

It also was discovered that the rubber seal eventually affected the drink's flavor, especially during the warm summer months. In the early 1900's Joe switched to a straight sided bottle with a crown top. For the first few years the crowns (caps) were plain, and Coca-Cola probably was first to provide a printed crown. The new bottles also were embossed with Biedenharn Candy Company, and now included “Coca-Cola” in script style lettering at the bottom. Today's familiar Coca-Cola style bottle was approved for use by all bottlers in 1916.

The Hutchinson Stoppered Bottle. The first to contain Coca-Cola.

The beginning of the end for the Hutchinson bottle came in 1906 when the FDA was established by the federal government to investigate food safety. The bottle came under attack because the agency said the wire allowed contaminant to enter the drink. Within a few years the Hutchinson bottles were no longer in use.

The Vicksburg museum also has displays of old vending machines, Coca-Cola advertising and other memorabilia. The restored candy store features a soda fountain where visitors can purchase Coca-Cola drinks, soda floats and souvenirs. In addition a display in the rear of the museum recreates the original 20' x 30' area where Coca-Cola was first bottled. The finished product was then carried through the store and loaded onto wagons in the front.

Continued growth of the business required a move to a larger facility. From 1902 to 1914 the bottling and candy manufacturing were done in a building on Grove Street, just around the corner from the original Washington Street location.

The next move came in 1914 when the operation was moved down the hill to the corner of Levee and South Streets. Will Biedenharn ran the plant when the move was made. Brother Albert helped and during the summer months actually ran the plant. The plant workers were expected to produce 15 cases an hour, or 150 cases during a ten hour day. The plant was located close to the Mississippi River and sustained flooding in 1923, but continued at that site until 1938.

This is a recent photograph of the building on Grove Street, which housed the bottling works and candy manufacturing from about 1902 to 1914.

Biedenharn's last Vicksburg plant was built in 1938 and remained in operation at 2123 Washington Street until 1968. Brother Harry Biedenharn managed the Vicksburg bottling business from 1913 until his death in 1950.

The Last Coca-Cola plant in Vicksburg. Since being closed in 1966 has been used for local retail business. Coca-Cola cement cast identification remains.

Bottling at Vicksburg, like at several other area towns, was moved to Monroe, Louisiana after the Biedenharns opened a modern new plant there in 1966. This type of consolidation of plants was becoming more common in the business, as modern transportation and highways made it more efficient to transport than to maintain small community bottling plants.

The original site in Vicksburg was repurchased by the Biedenharn family in 1979. Old photos were used to restore the building which when completed, was donated to the Vicksburg Foundation for Historical Preservation, which now is responsible for the museum's operation.

In 1969 Coca-Cola Company officials in Atlanta predicted the future demise of the returnable glass bottle, saying by the 1980's it would be a “thing of the past”. Consumers will want more beverages in cans and other convenient non-returnable containers.

Once again the Biedenharn family lead other Mississippi bottlers to create a way to meet the new challenges of canned beverages. Adding canning capabilities in each local bottling operation was not feasible.

Milton Biedenharn of Vicksburg was president of the Mississippi Council of Coca-Cola Bottlers. He supported the idea of creating a co-op of state bottlers, which would build and operate a single canning operation to provide all co-op members quality canned Coca-Cola products.

In 1971 the Gulf State Canners Corporation was formed by nine Mississippi bottlers, including Milton's brother Eric, also from Vicksburg. The brothers were sons of Harry Biedenharn.

Ultimately Clinton, Mississippi was selected as the site for the new plant, and Coca-Cola canning began there in 1973.

A series of colorful murals depicting Vicksburg's history, have been created on the city's river flood wall. The first mural, unveiled in 2000, depicts “the first bottling of Coca-Cola”. It was painted by mural artist Robert Dafford of Lafayette, Louisiana, who is one of America's prominent mural artists. He has painted over 300 scenes throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. The Biedenharn family provided the funds to make the mural possible. A family spokesman praised the mural as accurately “depicting the family's interaction in the business”.

Dafford also has painted Coca-Cola murals in New Orleans and Paducah, Ky.

To view the Vicksburg mural, it is just a short walk from the museum down to the river wall.

The Biedenharn brothers expanded their Vicksburg Coca-Cola enthusiasm to acquire or establish bottling plants in several southern and southwestern states, becoming one of the largest family Coca-Cola bottlers in the nation. But Vicksburg retains a rich Biedenharn heritage. In addition to the popular museum, more than 75 direct descendants still call the area home.

Another part of Biedenharn history was scheduled to become an attraction for Vicksburg visitors and residents in 2017. The Biedenharn family home, located just around the corner from the Bidenharn Candy Company Museum, had fallen into a state of disrepair and had been scheduled by the city for demolition, when it was discovered by a memorabilia collector and historian.

Dale Jennings envisioned a new life for the Biedenharn property when he purchased it in 2014. The purchase included the original family home of 3200 sq. ft. built in 1875 at 718 Grove Street. A 3600 sq. ft. addition was constructed in 1890. It was said the addition was built primarily for Henry Biedenharn's daughter Katie. Also in 1890, Henry and son Joe constructed a new two-story building on Washington Street to house both the boot and shoe business and the candy business. Joe was 24 years old at the time.

Behind the original home, but still on the Biedenharn property, is a two story structure built in 1900, which also was included in Jenning's plans. Jennings said the “life expectancy” of the buildings when he bought them was in months not years.

“They were ready to come down.” He explained what he is doing is best described as “building rehabilitation”, which captures the character and features of the original structure, but repurposes it for a new commercial use.

Large beams and other wood, as well as metal salvaged during the rehabilitation work, has been re-used in all of the floors, doors and windows. Of special significance is the original stairway and railing, which were saved and completely restored. The stairway in the original home leads to a second floor private two bedroom condo with modern living quarters. Included on the lower level will be a commercial restaurant kitchen.

A new central connection joins the two adjacent structures to house the “Mississippi Barbecue Company” featuring a restaurant, bar and entertainment area. An event area was planned for the upper level of the addition structure, along with a patio overlooking the nearby Yazoo River.