COCA-COLA BOTTLING COMPANY OF VANSANT, VA

In Buchanan County, VA, on the road to Grundy, VA, there is a small community known as Vansant, VA. Sitting near the intersection of Big Prater creek and the Levisa River, is a grey building that was the Coca Cola Bottling Company of Vansant, VA. The company started out as the Buchanan Bottling Company, Inc. of Vansant, Virginia around 1949.(1) It changed its name to the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Vansant within the same year.(2) This company was a branch plant of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Norton, VA.(3) Upon the death of F. B. Kline, the owner of both the Norton and Vansant plants, in 1970 the stock was willed to William P. Armistead, and William C. Kline, who created the Lonesome Pine Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Norton, VA.(3) This also led to changes to the Vansant plant. Maureen McClanahan, a former employee of the company, tells me that the plant had ceased bottling operations by 1972. In fact her husband, who also worked there, was tasked with tearing out the bottling equipment. So far I have found three different brands that were bottled at this plant at one time, Lonesome Pine Beverages (flavor line), Coca-Cola, and Life (a 7-UP type drink). Today the plant is used for the distribution of Coca-Cola in the area.





Coca Cola of Vansant as it stands today






From the collection of Christopher A. Weide, photo by Christopher A. Weide
11oz Lonesome Pine Beverages bottle dated 1953






From the collection of Frank Anderson, photo by Joseph Lee III
Older Lonesome Pine bottle caps





6oz Coca Cola "in patent office" bottle dated 1953

The bottom of the 1953 bottle





6 1/2 oz Coca Cola "in patent office" bottle dated 1958

The bottom of the 1958 bottle






7oz Sparkling Life bottle dated 1964






10oz Green Lonesome Pine Beverages bottle dated 1964





10 oz Coca Cola "in patent office" bottle dated 1964

The bottom of the 1964 bottle






10oz Lonesome Pine Beverages bottle dated 1965





10 oz Coca Cola "in patent office" bottle no date

The bottom of the bottle






10oz Lonesome Pine Beverages bottle dated 1970
A six pack of Lonesome Pine bottles in their carton

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Biblography:

(1) List of Corporations Organized or Doing Business in Virginia by Virginia. Dept. of Taxation 1949

(2) The Commonwealth Volume 16 published by the Virginia State Chamber of Commerce 1949

(3) The Kingsport Times January 29, 1970