John Shearer: Chattanooga’s Strong Connection To Coca-Cola Bottling Over 125 Years, Part 1

  • Friday, October 18, 2024
  • John Shearer

One of Coca-Cola’s historic ads has been that drinking a Coke is the pause that refreshes.

As Coca-Cola bottling in Chattanooga reaches the landmark anniversary of 125 years this year, it can be said that the drink has certainly refreshed and stimulated the Scenic City collectively as well. That has been true not only for those who enjoy the drink, but also in more longer lasting and impactful ways like economic impact.

That has included several Chattanooga families enjoying personal financial returns. Also, such philanthropic beneficiaries over the years as the Tennessee Aquarium, the Honors Course, Baylor School, and the Hunter Museum of American Art were aided or started through these families and descendants who made money in the bottling operation.

And such Coca-Cola-Bottling-rooted foundations as Lyndhurst and Benwood have continued to aid the city through many other gifts and grants of varying kinds.

Chattanooga has also been shaped architecturally by this drink that historically had its own uniquely shaped bottle. This has been in the form of the large and eye-catching early 20th century homes built and initially lived in by these original Coca-Cola bottling families in places like Riverview.

And several of these Chattanooga-related families were also involved as bottlers in different areas of the country, and financial success spread like the sometimes-overflowing fizz experienced by people getting ready to take a sip.

In short, the story of Coca-Cola bottling is a long and somewhat complex weave of multi-layered involvement, often by friends and relatives of the original investors. And it has uniquely and historically operated with input from two independent sides – the bottlers and syrup manufacturers/corporate decision makers.

But a look at just a few aspects of its long journey over the last 125 years to becoming a shining example of the American dream shows an almost simple start. In 1886, Dr. John Pemberton had seen his Coca-Cola drink sold in the Jacob’s Pharmacy in downtown Atlanta as a tasty beverage with some additional health and mental benefits when consumed in moderation. Asa Candler later bought Dr. Pemberton’s share in the product and had a productive business going mostly among the drug stores in the Atlanta area.

Chattanooga’s connection to the drink started a few years later, but it would probably be the single most important chapter in the company’s long history. One Chattanooga Times article from 1941 tells an interesting story of the city’s initial business relationship with the drink through a somewhat forgotten person – Sam Erwin.

Mr. Erwin, who in 1941 was the Hamilton County clerk and master, recalled to Times reporter Fred Hixson that a little over four decades earlier a popular place for some ambitious young businessmen and lawyers to enjoy meals was the Williams boarding house. Located at Pine and Fifth streets and run by Hettie and Lottie Williams, it was said to serve good food, and the conversation there was maybe even better.

Among those who ate there regularly besides Mr. Erwin were Benjamin F. Thomas and Joseph Whitehead, among several others. As Mr. Erwin related, Mr. Thomas would come in every few days with a scheme to get rich, and his ideas would often result in more laughs than interested inquiries.

But one time he came in with the idea to bottle a drink called Coca-Cola. He had been in Cuba during the Spanish-American War and had seen a bottled drink there sold at outdoor sporting events. He also knew Mr. Erwin was a cousin of Mr. Candler, and he asked him if he could set up a meeting to talk over his idea.

Mr. Erwin was able to set up the meeting, and Mr. Candler agreed to their bottling idea, although he apparently approved of the plan about as much as some other people did to Mr. Thomas’ other ideas tossed about at the Williams House. Records say he thought the market for Coca-Cola was in the pharmacy soda fountains, but he did sell them the bottling rights throughout most of the United States reportedly for $1. One exception was in Mississippi, where confectioner Joseph Biedenharn had already put the drink in bottles to sell in rural areas around Vicksburg in a looser agreement with Mr. Candler.

The Biedenharn business has claimed to be the first bottler, while the Chattanoogans claimed to be the first franchised bottlers. And it was the latter’s work that carried the drink around the United States and eventually the world.

But first, the Chattanoogans needed to find some capital to get started. Mr. Whitehead and Mr. Thomas agreed that about $7,500 in 1899 money was needed to get production on a bottling operation going, with the two willing to pay $2,500 apiece. $7,500 in 1899 is apparently the equivalent of spending nearly $300,000 today, according to one site.

The two strongly wanted Mr. Erwin involved, with friend Mr. Whitehead willing to wait some time on his decision. But Mr. Erwin for some reason did not want to invest. As he said apparently with a smile 40 years later, he might have been a lot richer had he become involved. But investments in new ventures have always been gambles.

After it was obvious Mr. Erwin would not get involved, they were able to find a third person to be a key investor – John Thomas “J.T.” Lupton. He, of course, would become quite wealthy through his investment and would build in Riverview the large and palatial Lyndhurst mansion, which, unlike Coca-Cola, is no longer around.

They would soon get others involved as well, as the operation went all around the country. Others included the James and Summerfield Johnston and Frank Harrison families, among numerous others.

Unfortunately, Mr. Whitehead died in 1906, with his wife, Lettie Pate Whitehead, becoming sort of a pioneering businesswoman in later being a key person in helping run his businesses. Benjamin Thomas also did not get to enjoy the fruits of his efforts long, as he died in 1914. Nephew George Thomas Hunter would run Mr. Thomas’ interests.

Another twist in the story is that the Chattanooga bottling company would uniquely not have its main headquarters in the Scenic City after its first few years. After J.F. Johnston took over ownership of that company from Benjamin Thomas, it was leased beginning in 1924 to Crawford Johnson, who had moved from Chattanooga a few years earlier to operate the Birmingham bottling company. R.E. Ferrell was to be a vice president, and the Chattanooga plant was to be run with direction from the Birmingham office.

A highlight of the Chattanooga Coca-Cola bottling operations’ history here includes the construction of the bottling plant by Broad and Second streets in a still-standing building now occupied by Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and other retail operations. It was constructed on the razed site of the old Chattanooga Brewery and was completed and occupied in early 1931. That was at the height of the Great Depression, but Chattanoogans could enjoy one small liquid pleasure somewhat inexpensively.

According to old articles and records, that somewhat unique building was designed by noted Birmingham architect David Oliver “D.H.” Whilldin, with William Crutchfield of Chattanooga serving as associate architect. Mark Wilson’s company was the contractor.

Mr. Whilldin designed a number of other buildings in Birmingham, including Phillips High School, the Dr Pepper syrup plant, the Thomas Jefferson Hotel/Tower, and the original horseshoe-shaped Legion Field. He also designed several in Tuscaloosa and Gadsden, including Tuscaloosa High School.

The Dr Pepper building in an old photograph appears to be of slightly different architecture from the Chattanooga plant, although they both draw a viewer’s eyes to the corner of each structure rather than the center of the front side.

The Birmingham headquarters that oversaw the Broad Street plant and the replacement one opened on Amnicola Highway in 1970 developed into what is now Coca-Cola Bottling United, with production plants and distribution centers throughout several Southeastern states.

Among the other local connections not related to the Chattanooga operations, the Frank Harrison family operates Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated based in Charlotte, N.C., with Frank Harrison III heading that operation. His grandfather, Frank Harrison Sr., had also built a nice home in Riverview on Minnekahda Road later resided in by the Gordon Street and Senator Bob Corker families.

From an idea that was questionable in 1899, Coca-Cola and its additional products in a changing beverage market are still obviously very prevalent in the business world today. It is quite a story of a beverage, the eventual worldwide success of which began 125 years ago with a talk over some food at a Chattanooga boarding house!

And Chattanoogans have never paused in being a visible part of this success story – not even while stopping to sip on a Coke!

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Jcshearer2@comcast.net

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