Bluefield
Mercer County
Bluefield Bottling Co.
1893—1977
Bluefield Bottling Co. first appears in the 1907 Dun & Bradstreet issues (Mercantile Agency, Sep. 1907) as a branch of Keystone Bottling Company of Northfork. Into the 1910s, their plant was located at 15-17 McCulloch Avenue (“West Virginia,” 1915; R.L. Polk & Co., 1910). From 1910 to 1915, its manager was listed as E.W. Akers (R.L. Polk & Co., 1910; R.L. Polk & Co., 1915). In 1925, the company begins going by the name Bluefield Coca-Cola Bottling Co. and moved to 1217-1221 Bluefield Avenue (R.L. Polk & Co., 1925). The 1923, 1925, and 1930 Beverage Blue Books list H.M. Mitchell as the manager of the works, though he was the manager of all K.B.Co. concerns (see Northfork soda bottles page; Montgomery, 1920) including Northfork and Welch.
A Bluefield CC-Soda style Coca-Cola bottle w/ "K.B.Co." on the base. Front.
A Bluefield CC-Soda style Coca-Cola bottle w/ "K.B.Co." on the base. Base.
A Bluefield CC-Soda style Coca-Cola bottle w/o "K.B.Co." on the base. Front.
A Bluefield CC-Soda style Coca-Cola bottle w/o "K.B.Co." on the base. Base.
A 1923-patented hobbleskirt Coca-Cola from Bluefield. Front.
A 1923-patented hobbleskirt Coca-Cola from Bluefield. Base.
A "Pat-D" hobbleskirt Coca-Cola from Bluefield. Front.
A "Pat-D" hobbleskirt Coca-Cola from Bluefield. Base.
Bluefield Candy Co.
1915—1925
Bluefield Candy Company first appears in the 1915 Dun & Bradstreet listings as confectioners and bottlers (Mercantile Agency, 1915). Per Joseph T. Lee of Tazewell-Orange, this company is a continuation of Lemon-Kola Bottling Works, having the same officers and being located at the same site (Lee, n.d.). It last appears in the 1922 Dun & Bradstreet. However, the company placed an ad in 1925 selling its assets due to bankruptcy, so I am presuming this marked the official end of the company (Bluefield Crystal-Candy Co., 1925).
An aqua green, machine-made Bluefield Candy Company Lemon-Kola soda bottle.
Lemon-Kola Bottling Co.
1912—1915
According to the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Lemon-Kola Bottling Works began in Bluefield in 1912 (“Leaders in Action”, 1934). The company was located in the “Red Men’s” building on Bluefield Avenue (“West Virginia,” 1912), with the owners being J.G. Barrow and R.T. Peters. In 1913, it formally incorporated with the officers: T.L. Felts, president; R.T. Peters, vice-president; and J.G. Barrow, secretary and treasurer (“West Virginia,” 1913). T.L. Felts was a partner in the Baldwin-Felts Agency, the notorious mercenaries that waged war with the miners a decade following this during the Coal Wars.
The company ended up dissolving soon after in 1915 (“Notice of Dissolution”, 1915) and was succeeded by the Bluefield Candy Company, which also bottled Lemon-Kola. Just for kicks, pictured are both of the bottles known to exist so far. The left has been through four owners, the right through two.
A BIMAL, Lemon Kola Bottling Works soda bottle from Bluefield, West Virginia.
A circle slug, amethyst/colorless Lemon-Kola. BIMAL.
Gin-Gera Bottling Co. Inc.
1914—1916
A BIMAL, aqua blue Gin-Gera soda bottle from Bluefield. No bear embossed on the shoulder. Front.
A BIMAL, aqua blue Gin-Gera soda bottle from Bluefield. No bear embossed on the shoulder. Reverse.
A BIMAL, aqua blue Gin-Gera soda bottle from Bluefield. Bears embossed on the shoulder. Front.
A BIMAL, aqua blue Gin-Gera soda bottle from Bluefield. Bears embossed on the shoulder. Reverse.
Isaac Greenspon Manufacturing Co.
1912—1923
Isaac Greenspon was the proprietor of Bluefield Manufacturing Company in the 1912 Dun & Bradstreet, but also appears in the September edition under his own name as a manufacturer of soft drinks and candy. A 1916 article in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph incorrectly states that the company only existed since 1914 (“Isaac Greenspon”, 1916), though it provides other critical details, such as the location of the plant being 374 Bluefield Avenue and the fact that he bottled primarily ciders and fruit-flavored soft drinks.
Isaac Greenspon appears as a bottler in the 1923 Beverage Blue Book, though he does not appear in the 1925 edition, meaning his business ended in 1923 or 1924.
A machine-made, aqua green Isaac Greenspon Manufacturing Co. soda bottle from Bluefield. Star of David inside the slug plate.
H.B. Shelton & Co.
1893—1899
H.B. Shelton & Co. was a bottler in Bluefield in 1899 (Mercantile Agency, 1899), though in 1900 he switched to mens furnishings (Mercantile Agency, Sep. 1900). He does not appear as a bottler in contemporary gazetteer issues, but in at least 1890 he was a grocer (Mercantile Agency, 1890). Others assert that this company existed as early as 1893 (Lee, n.d.). While the sources used there are sound, I do not believe this company went on to be Bluefield Bottling Co., but rather the later company just occupied the building that H.B. Shelton & Co. used. I cannot find evidence of H.B. Shelton & Co. being sold to another bottler. In fact, there is over half a decade between the end of H.B. Shelton & Co. and the beginning of Bluefield Bottling Co. (Mercantile Agency, Sep. 1907).
H.B. Shelton & Co., Bluefield hutchinson-style soda bottle. Aqua blue, embossing in circle slug plate.
References
The beverage blue book for 1923, the standard directory buyers’ guide and reference volume for the beverage industry. (1923). Chicago, IL. H.S. Rich & Co.
The Beverage Journal. (1930). The beverage blue book and catalog. H.S. Rich & Co.
Bluefield Crystal-Candy Company. (1925, March 24). Notice of sale at public auction [advertisement]. Bluefield Daily Telegraph, 9.
Isaac Greenspon Mfg. Co. (1913, October 5). Bluefield Daily Telegraph, 21.
Leaders in action. (1934, April 11). Bluefield Daily Telegraph, 6.
Lee, J.T. III (n.d.). Bluefield Bottling Company. Tazewell-Orange. http://www.tazewell-orange.com/cokeblfd.html
Lee, J.T. III (n.d.). Lemon Kola Bottling Works/Bluefield Candy Company. Tazewell-Orange. http://www.tazewell-orange.com/lemoncola.html
Montgomery, S.B. (1918). Fourteenth biennial report of the bureau of labor of West Virginia. Tribune Printing Company.
Montgomery, S.B. (1920). Fifteenth biennial report of the bureau of labor of West Virginia. Tribune Printing Company.
Notice of dissolution. (1915, April 13). Bluefield Daily Telegraph, 2.
R.L. Polk & Co. (1893). Bluefield city directory.
R.L. Polk & Co. (1910). R.L. Polk & Co.’s Bluefield directory, 1910–1911.R.L. Polk & Co. (1911). R.L. Polk & Co.’s Bluefield directory, 1910–1911.
R.L. Polk & Co. (1915). R.L. Polk & Co.’s Bluefield directory, 1914–1915.
West Virginia (1912). American Carbonator and American Bottler, 32(9), pp. 59.
West Virginia (1913). American Carbonator and American Bottler, 33(8), pp. 62.
West Virginia (1915). American Carbonator and American Bottler, 35(12), pp. 56.