BRISTOL CHERO-COLA BOTTLING COMPANY 1916-1920/ TWIN CITY CHERO-COLA BOTTLING COMPANY 1922-1925
Bristol Chero-Cola Company, Inc. was first incorporated on May 18, 1916 with John N. Gunnels as President/ Treasurer, W. H. Treadwell as Vice-President/ Manager, and Zach Nabers as Secretary, all of these gentlemen come from Birmingham, Alabama.(2) The company was located on the corner of State & Scranton (now Commonwealth Avenue) Streets. On September 12, 1916 the company changed their name to the Bristol Chero-Cola Bottling Company Inc.(2) Aside from Chero-Cola the company appears to have been bottling Orange Crush in 1919. Their charter was dissolved by the State Corporation Commission on January 9, 1920.(5) W. H. Treadwell would go on to become Proprietor of the Chero-Cola Bottling Company of Johnson City in 1921.(3)
The Twin City Bottling Company was incorporated on August 19, 1922.(5) Apparently the name was quickly changed, because the Twin City Chero Cola Bottling Company was reported as incorporated by the Manufacturer’s Record in their August 31, 1922.(4) The officers were Tate L. Keith, of Kingsport, Tenn., as President, W. S. Pierce as Vice President, and Thomas J. May, of Bristol, as Secretary.(1) T. L. Keith was the president of the Kingsport Bottling and Candy Company that bottled Chero-Cola, and had changed its name to the Kingsport Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company by 1919, which is odd that he would be president of two competing cola brands in two relatively close cities. The company was located at 517 Sycamore Street.(1) In the 1923-24 city directory they are located at "Washington Corner Goodson" which is odd as Washington never crosses Goodson so there couldn't be a corner.(1) The company is listed in the 1925 edition of the Beverage Blue book (6); however, they aren’t listed in the 1927 edition of the Bristol City Directory.(1)
Part of the Bristol Chero-Cola Bottling Company plant at the corner of State & Scranton Streets in the late teens.
The location of the Bristol Chero-Cola Bottling Company 1916-1920
An advertisement for National Chero-Cola Day from April 1917
The location of the Twin City Chero-Cola Bottling Company 517 Sycamore Street, of course Sycamore Street has been replaced by a park in this area of town.
An advertisement for Chero-Cola from 1919
6 1/2oz Chero-cola bottle (flint glass)
An advertisement for Orange Crush being bottled by the Chero-Cola Bottling Company from May 18, 1919
6 1/2oz Chero-cola bottle (aqua glass) dated 1920
A rubbing of a Twin City Bottling Company slug plate bottle.
6 1/2oz Chero-cola bottle with Bristol, Tenn. instead of Bristol Tenn.-VA.
Advertising from 1921 for the Chero-Cola Bottling Company with a new phone number
6oz Chero-Cola Soda Water bottle
An advertisement for The Chero-Cola "Twist" style bottle, which was introduced in the early 1920's, from June 15, 1924. The question is does a "twist" style Chero-Cola with Bristol, VA embossed on it exist?
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(1) Hill's Bristol VA-Tenn City Directory
(2) "Annual Report of the Secretary of the Commonwealth to the Governor and General Assembly of Virginia"
(3) Commercial Johnson City, Tenn. City Directory
(4) Manufacturer’s Record
(5) Annual Report of the State Corporation Commission of Virginia
(6) Beverage Blue book
All ads are from the Bristol Herald Courier microfilms 1917, 1919, and 1921.