CHERO-COLA / OBBAGY BROTHERS BOTTLING COMPANY
The next bottling company that I have found was located on 112 Center Street (street number has changed location), near the rail road tracks diagonal of the Passenger railroad station. This wasn’t a bottling plant in 1913; however, it was a non-operational plant in 1930, according to the Sanborn maps. I think that this may be the Obbagy Brothers bottling company, which bottled the Good Grape brand. Good Grape was a brand of grape drink that was created by Charles Little in the early 1920’s. This may very well tie in with another bottling company that I will be covering on this page, and that is the Double Cola Bottling Company of Falls Mills, VA. This connection is the fact that Charles Little is the creator of Double Cola in 1935.
It is possible that the Obbacy Brothers company moved from Pocahontas to Falls mills in the late 1920’s which might explain why they weren’t there in 1923 and were not in operation in 1930. The Good Grape bottle is a deco bottle which were popular in the 1920’s after Coca Cola introduced the Hobble Skirt bottle in 1915. The date looks to be 1927, and this would place it three years before the Sanborn map people got there in 1930.
According to a 1920's photo of Pocahontas the short building is sitting on the former location of this bottling company. In the photo there is a Chero-Cola sign on the side of the building and on the railing that was on the second floor balcony. This with the sanborn information confirms my theory.
6oz Chero-Cola Soda Water bottle
An ad for the Chero-Cola Bottling Company of Pocahontas, VA from April 14, 1925, advertising Chero-Cola, Orange Crush, and Grape Melo (which was bottled in the Soda Water bottle above with the flavor noted on the cap.)
6oz Orange Crush bottle
An ad for Orange Crush from September 6, 1925.
6oz Straight Side bottle from the Chero-Cola Bottling Company of Pocahontas, VA. This bottle was most likely used for a flavor line, or other brands that didn't have dedicated deco bottles.
An ad for the Chero-Cola Bottling Company and the Little Hungry Restaurant, both of what were owned by the Obbagy Brothers, from May 16, 1926.
Good Grape deco bottle dated 1927
