ORANGE CRUSH BOTTLING COMPANY

The Orange Crush Bottling Company of Johnson City, TN is started by the partnership of Albert L. Gibson and John W. Moulton between in 1929(2) at 256 West Main Street.(1) They moved to their last location at 112 West Jobe between 1935 and 1937.(1) West Jobe is today known as State of Franklin, and the Orange Crush building is now a parking lot for the down town section of Johnson City. Aside from bottling soda the Orange Crush Bottling Company also distributed beer in the Johnson City area starting around 1941. (1) The City Directories list some of these and also mention some of the soda brands bottled, I will list what is mentioned below and the years they are associated with the company.

1941 they are distributing Balantine's, Falls City, Hudenpohl beer and the soda brands mentioned are Old Colony (flavor line) and Orange Crush of course.(1) 1944 they are distributing the same beers, but they add Chevy Ale, and Millers High Life. They are bottling Buffalo Rock (ginger ale), Dr. Sweet’s (Root Beer), Old Colony (flavor line), and of course Orange Crush.(1) 1947-48 they are distributing the same beer and bottling the same brands of soda, but add Lime Cola.(1) During my search for the past owner of my Johnson City Cheerwine bottle I found that at some point the Orange Crush bottling company picked up the Cheerwine franchise between the time that Double Cola ceased operations and Tri-City picked up the franchise. Having contacted the Cheerwine company themselves for information I was told that their oldest employee remembered that the Orange Crush Bottling Company was bottling the brand, I would have been skeptical except that he mentioned that they distributed a beer called Hudenpohl, which of course they did during the early half of the 1950's.

I'm still not sure when Tri-City took over the franchise; however, I have never seen a Tri-City ad with the embossed bottle pictured as this bottle was phased out during the 1950's. There isn't any notation of 1960 there is only mention of them bottling Grapette, Orange Crush, and Old Colony.(1) The odd thing is that Rice's Bottling Company was bottling Grapette during the 1940's, now it is being produced by the Orange Crush bottling Company. 1962 only Grapette and Orange Crush is mentioned.(1) Between 1968 and 1972 the company is no longer mentioned in the city directories at all.(1)

This was what the parking lot below looked like back in the 1940's. If you look real close at the side of the building you will see what appears to be a painted on Orange Crush painted wall ad.

This parking lot was once home to the Orange Crush Bottling Company from the mid 1930's until between 1968 and 1972.

6oz Squat Orange Crush bottle from the 1930's

6oz Orange Crush bottle from the late 1930's

12oz Old Colony bottle dated 1938

6oz ACL amber Orange Crush bottle dated 1939

Orange Crush ad from June 24, 1941

10oz Old Colony bottle dated 1942

6oz ACL amber Orange Crush bottle dated 1943

7oz Orange Crush bottle dated 1946

7oz Orange Crush bottle dated 1947

6 1/2oz Buffalo Rock bottle dated 1948. There isn't a town name on this bottle, I am just using it to show what a bottle of this era would look like. It is possible that it was used by the company as I found it in a neighboring town.

Two Old Colony bottles the left is dated 1948 while the other is dated 1966

An Orange Crush Bottling Company receipt with Old Colony, Dr. Swett's Root Beer, and Cheerwine listed on it.

The ad on the left is from 1941 while the beer one is from 1950.

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