BRISTOL PEPSI-COLA BOTTLING COMPANY

The Bristol Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company starts with one man by the name of Dock D. Parks, whose initials are on the bottom of both Bristol, VA and Appalachia, VA Pepsi bottles. Dock Parks moved to Bristol, VA from Mountain Airy, NC in March 1916 after he acquired the franchise to bottle Pepsi-Cola there.(2) A January 1917 article in the Bristol Herald Courier entitled "Record of One Year" confirms that the bottling company appeared in the first half of 1916, and as of the publishing of the article held $5,000 in capital, and employed 6 to 10 persons.(1) The bottling company was located on the Northwest corner of the intersection of Commonwealth and State Street.(2) The Bristol City Directory for 1917-18 lists the company at this location, confirms Dock D. Parks as proprietor, and also lists the bottlers for the company Samuel C. Arnold, and Paul Quisenberry.(3) The company only lasted two years at the most as Parks was having to continuously borrow money to keep the plant operational. When J. M. Huneycutt came to him with the proposition to combine their resources into his existing operation in Appalachia, VA, Parks having newer equipment along with a larger government sugar ration, he jumped at the chance. Dock Parks moved all of his newer bottling equipment out of the building in Bristol, and shipped it to Appalachia, VA in March of 1918.(2)

Dock D. Parks

6 1/2 oz Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company bottle

Pepsi-Cola bottle cap "blue version" from Bristol, VA

1917 advertising for the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Bristol

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