HOLSTON BOTTLING COMPANY, INC.

The Holston Bottling Company, Inc. was incorporated on October 17, 1906 with George D. Peters as President, of Bristol, Tennessee, B. B. Burns as Vice President, and P. A. Goodwyn as Secretary, both of Bristol, VA.(1) This company was a subsidiary of the Peters-Goodwyn Ice Company of Bristol, VA. The bottling plant was housed in an addition which was shoe horned at an angle in order to fit in an unused corner between the existing building and the road giving it a rather unusual looking shape.

According to the ads they were placing in their advertising war against both Rush Bottling Works, and Dixie Coca-Cola Bottling Works, thoughout 1907, they were bottling Koca-Nola "The Dopeless Cola", Hires Root Beer, Dr. Pepper "The King of Beverages", Holston Ginger Ale, and Holston Table Water in quarts.(4) They were also bottling their line of Holston Purity Soda flavors including Lemon Sour, Cream Soda, Strawberry, Vanilla, Lemon, Raspberry, Chocolate, Peach, Orange, Birch Beer, and Sarsaparilla.(4)

Of course it would have been Koca-Nola that drew the attention of the local Coca-Cola bottler, Dixie Coca-Coca Bottling Works as the parent company for the brand was actively out to eliminate any brand that infringed in anyway on their trademark, including the use of the now generic term cola. Koca-Nola's claim to be "The Dopeless Cola" was also a slap in their face due to the accusations of the time that Coca-Cola contained Cocaine. Of course their bottling another potential competitor to their brand, Dr. Pepper, didn't help matters in the least. The Bristol Herald Courier during summer 1907 was full of ads of these three bottlers slinging mud at each other. Suggestions of unsanitary bottling conditions, rebuttals of those claims, and bad mouthing imitators was the name of the game.

As winter approaches things seem to have died down; however, in early 1908 Dixie Coca-Cola Bottling Company eliminates Holston Bottling Company as competition by buying them out.(2) They don't seem to have bought out everything as Goodwyn, who had just purchased out his partner Peters, and changed the name of the ice company to the Goodwyn Coal & Ice Company, places an ad in the American Bottler magazine to sell his Twitchell No. 2 President Carbonator and Gasometer. He states, "Reason for selling-have discontinued business."(3) One would have thought Dixie purchased everything, but apparently they didn't.

The building of the Goodwyn Ice & Coal Company after Holston Bottling Company, but you can see the addition which was built for the bottling plant to the right of the photograph. It’s the part of the building with the A roof which parallels the Piedmont Street, the one without a sign.

This is the lot that the above building once sat on, but taken from a different angle.

The April 3, 1907 ad announcing the introduction of Dr. Pepper to Bristol, VA.

Two bottles from Holston Bottling Company of Bristol, VA

The April 6, 1907 ad for Koca-Nola "The Dopeless Cola".

Spout from a Holston Bottling Company seltzer bottle.

An June 16, 1907 ad listing all of the brands and flavors that Holston Bottling Company produced.

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