Vintage, Retro Soda Bottles
They just don't make them like this anymore. Although they are heavy and fragile to transport, they are a more environmentally friendly option than the plastic soda bottles of today. And they just look so much cooler!!
Buried in a box in the side garage were a pile of empty soda bottles of various brands. I find the bygone days of regional soda, before Pepsi and Coke took over everything, fascinating. I grabbed a few of some of these more interesting looking bottles, most of brands I had never heard of, and found a way to use them as vintage decor in my office. Most of these are from the 1950s. It was fun to do a little retro soda research. We do love our soda pop!
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| Pile of 60+ year old empty soda bottles |
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| Vintage Soda Bottle Decor in My Office |
Howel's Root Beer
Bottle is Circa late 1940s
The origins of Howel's Beverage Company out of Chicago, IL started with the sale of an orange-julep syrup (this would eventually become Orange Crush). Mr. Howel then also started selling and bottling root beer. Although very hard to find out exactly what happened to Howel's Root Beer, it appears that it was no longer available starting some time in the 1950's, with the formula potentially being sold to A&W. It was not uncommon for the larger soda companies to gobble up the smaller, local brands and then either use the formulas as their own or just discontinue them altogether, thus eliminating competition.
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| Howel's Root Beer Bottle |
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| Howel's Beverage Co., Madison, WI |
Nehi
Bottle pre-1955
Nehi Bottling Company in Madison, WI was located at 2600 University Ave. If you plug that address into Google Maps it just brings you to a spot on University Avenue, at the intersection of Grande Avenue. Not sure if the building is still there but if you go to the Wisconsin Historical Society website, you can see a great photo of the trucks parked in front of the building back in 1945.
In 1955, the company changed names from Nehi to Royal Crown due to the popularity of their Royal Crown cola. So I can at least narrow the age of this bottle to pre-1955.
I love the grooves on this bottle and how solid and heavy the glass feels.
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| Nehi Soda Bottle |
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| Nehi Bottling Co., Madison, WI |
Circle A Brand Beverages
Bottle Circa 1950
Bottled by the Dr. Pepper Bottling Company in Waukega, IL. The Circle A Bottling Company purchased the formula for Dr. Pepper - which was invented by a pharmacist in Waco, TX in 1885.
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| Circle A Brand Soda Bottle |
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| Dr. Pepper Bottling Co., Waukegan, IL |
76 - Lemon Lime Soda Bottle
Bottle Circa 1954
Bottled by the American 76 Company in Chicago. They are listed as selling sodas and flavored extracts starting in 1939.
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| Drink Ice Cold 76 |
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| Lemon Lime Flavored Soda |
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| Get in the Spirit |
Sky High Beverages
Circa Late 1940s
Sky High Beverages was a flavored soda company (orange, grape, ginger ale, etc.) that was founded by Sidney Siege in Milwaukee, WI in 1932. It operated until 1952. It's unclear what happened to the soft drink company after 1952. It appears to have just dissolved. It's a really cool looking bottle with the
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| Sky High Beverages, Milwaukee, WI |
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| Diamond Bottling Works, Milwaukee, WI |
Tru Ade
This bottle is likely circa 1950
Started in 1938 in Los Angeles, CA, Tru Ade was a non-carbonated soft drink that contained orange juice concentrate, which meant it had to be pasteurized. Eventually, a grape flavor was introduced.
A non-carbonated, pasteurized beverage. The headquarters eventually moved to Elgin, IL and then Chicago in the 1940s
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| Tru Ade Not Carbonated Vacuum Sealed Pasteurized Beverage |
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| Tru Ade Beverage Bottle |
A fun post. I think Nehi is the only one I remember and possibly Howel's Root Beer. Our Grandpa Urban used to take us over to the Tavern frequently and treat us to either a candy bar or a bottle of "pop". What sweet memories!
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