THE BLUEFIELD COCA-COLA BOTTLING COMPANY

The Bluefield Coca Cola bottling company started out as H. B. Shelton and Co. sometime before 1893 at 17 McColloch Ave, with Harvey B. Shelton and George S. Stradler listed.(1) By 1904 it is listed in the city directory as the Hygeia Distilled Water Company at the same location.(1) Between 1904 and 1910 the company has changed its name to the Bluefield Bottling Co. located at 15-17 McCulloch Avenue and has Edgar W. Akers as manager.(1) Akers is listed as manager until at least 1915.(1) On November 23, 1915 the Bluefield Daily Telegraph announced that work had started on the new bottling plant for the Bluefield Bottling Company.(4) The blurb goes on to note that the old two story frame structure that the company had been occupying on McCulloch Avenue since its inception was torn down to make way for a new three story fire proof building, which still stands today.(4) In the National Association of Creditmen's January 1916 issue there is a listing for a new member of the association in the form of H. Milnor Mitchell, formerly of the Crystal Bottling & Cider Company of Graham, VA.(3) The listing also notes his being over The Keystone Bottling Company of Bluefield, West Virginia.(3) This is the only mention of the Bluefield Bottling Company being called the Keystone Bottling Company that I have found so far.

The Keystone Bottling Company, whose principal office was located in Keystone, West Virginia, was incorporated on February 2, 1907.(4) The stockholders of the company was C. S. Angel of North Fork W. VA, C. C. Hale of Keystone, VA, C. W. Elliot of North fork, W. VA, W. E. Stuart of Keystone, W. VA, and T. W. Zink of Keystone, W. VA.(4) This company was a group of bottlers with branches in Keystone, W. VA(4), Welch, W. VA(2), North Fork, W. VA(2), and finally Bluefield, W. VA(3). The main product of this bottling group was Coca-Cola, and this may have been the period that Bluefield Bottling Company picked up the brand, as 1923 was the first mention of it in the city directories.(1) This bottling group identified its bottles not by using a town name on them, except in certain cases, but by using the initials K. B. Co. which is usually located on the bottom of the bottles including their Coca-Cola Bottles. It wouldn’t be too long before the main offices of the company would be moved to Northfork, WV, and on April 23, 1930 they would change the name of the corporation to the Northfork Coca-Cola Bottling Company.

In 1919 Charles M. Perdue is listed as manager of the Bluefield Bottling Company. The company moves from McColloch Ave. to 1217-1221 Bluefield Ave between 1921 and 1922.(1) The company is now operating with C. S. Angel as president, W. E. Stewart as Vice President, H. Milnor Mitchell as Treasurer, and J. H. Bowman as Secretary.(1) Polk's City Directory notes that they are bottling Coca-Cola, Cherry Blossom, and Southern Breeze Ginger Ale. In 1923 W. M. Mays is listed as manager of the company, with Waverly T. Jackson taking over the reins by 1925.(1) Between 1923 and 1925 they change their name to The Bluefield Coca Cola bottling company. In 1926 they introduce a new chocolate drink named Mil-Coa. Jackson Continues as manager until between 1927 and 1932 when J. J. Huddleston takes over as President, with Thomas B. Hoilman as Secretary, and H. Milnor Mitchell as Treasurer.(1)

In 1935 the company has started distributing Budweiser beer. By 1934 H. Milnor Mitchell is listed as general manager a position he will keep until 1955 when W. Otis Bivins took over the position after Mitchell’s death. The main offices for the Northfork Coca-Cola Company were moved to Bluefield WV in 1958, and the equipment of the Rock Mineral Springs Company would be moved there around the same time. James G. Connor takes over the position during the 1960’s and is responsible for buying out the Dr. Pepper Bottling Company of Bluefield, VA in the summer of 1968, Connor requests earlier retirement in 1970 due to health reasons, with Thomas B. Hoilman taking over. Bluefield Coca-Cola Bottling Company will continue to operate at the Bluefield Avenue location until around 1977.(1)

The original McColloch Ave. location for the Bluefield Bottling Company, and it still stands today; however, not in it's original 1893 form of course.

Coca Cola of Bluefield, WV as it stands today

Straight Side Coca-Cola “Block Letter” bottle dated 1913 with K. B. Co. embossed on the bottom. The rule of thumb in Coca Cola bottle collecting is that if a straight side bottle doesn’t have the Coca Cola script then it wasn’t used to bottle Coca Cola itself, but was used to bottle a flavor line. Most of these block letter bottles have Coca Cola Bottling Company or some other variation; however, they usually don’t have the Coca-Cola name by itself, and they never have Trademark Registered below the block letter name. That makes this one a bit of a mystery, maybe the Keystone Bottling Company got cheap and ordered these bottles ignoring the general rule.

Straight Side Coca-Cola bottle dated 1916 with K. B. Co. embossed on the bottom which may have been used at the Bluefield Coca-Cola Bottling Company.

"Nov. 16, 1915" Coca-Cola bottle with K. B. Co. embossed on the bottom dated 1921, which may have been used at the Bluefield Coca-Cola Bottling Company.

The bottom of the bottle.

6 1/2oz "C. C. Soda" Soda Water bottle from the Bluefield Coca-Cola Bottling Company, with K. B. Co. embossed on the bottom, dated 1923

The bottom of the bottle.

1925 advertisement from the City Directory

A paper label bottle dated 1922 with K. B. Co. embossed on the bottom which may have been used at the Bluefield Coca-Cola Bottling Company. This bottle was possibly used to bottle Ginger Ale.

Ad announcing the introduction of Nu-Grape to Bluefield, WVA

6oz Nu-Grape bottle dated 1926. Though there isn't any mention of a bottling company name on the bottle, my research has backed up my original speculation that this brand was indeed bottled by the Bluefield Coca-Cola Bottling Company during the Keystone Bottling era.

July 20, 1926 ad announcing that the Bluefield Coca-Cola Bottling Company had stopped using the City water supply, and had drilled a well to supply their bottling line. This is the only ad that I have found that directly named the Bluefield Coca-Cola Bottling Company as the home of the aforementioned Nu-Grape Bottling Company of Bluefield, WVA

6oz Bluefield Bottling Company deco bottle dated 1927

According to an August 6, 1926 blurb from the Graham news section of the Bluefield Daily Telegraph a "local bottler" was offering a new drink called Mil-Coa (which was a Milk Chocolate Drink Bottles) and it was doing well.(4) Unfortunately it was never made clear which "local bottler" was bottling Mil-Coa; however, now I have found information that it was in fact being bottled by the Bluefield Bottling Company of Bluefield, WVA.(4)

9oz Bluefield Bottling Company deco bottle dated 1927

The bottom of the bottle.

September 23, 1936 ad for Rock Cliff Ginger Ale which was distributed by the Bluefield Bottling Company. Rock Mineral Springs Company was part of the Northfork Coca-Cola Bottling group.

6oz "Nov. 16, 1915" Coca-Cola bottle with Bluefield W. VA embossed on the bottom dated 1930. This bottle would be used after the Bluefield Bottling Company was sold.

The bottom of the bottle.

6oz "Dec. 25, 1923" or "Christmas Coke" dated 1934

The bottom of the bottle.

Coca Cola of Bluefield advert from the 1939 Bluefield Telegraph half century of Bluefield, WV special edition. It claims that the Coca-Cola Bottling Company had been serving the area for thirty five years which would put it around 1904. Since the city directory indicated in the would have been published around 1903 it is possible that they are referring to the change of hands from the Hygeia Distilled Water Company, to the Bluefield Bottling company and placing the time of this exchange as 1904.

6oz Pat. D-105529 coca cola bottle dated 1950.

The bottom of the bottle.

Coca Cola of Bluefield WVA tall crate dated 1947

6oz "Tradmark registered in patent office" Coca Cola bottle dated 1957

The bottom of the bottle.

Coca Cola of Bluefield advert from 1950

16 oz "Coke / Coca-Cola" acl bottle dated 1973

The bottom of the bottle.

6 1/2 oz "Coke / Coca-Cola" acl bottle dated 1975

The bottom of the bottle.

In 1970 Bluefield Coca Cola bottling company is bottling Dr. Pepper following the disappearance of Dr. Pepper from Bluefield, VA. The very next year in 1971 they pick up Canada Dry which they bottle till around 1975. They would drop Dr. Pepper in 1976 just before they disappear from their location on Bluefield Ave. The above bottle is from this period; however, there is no name on the bottle but it is on the cap.

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