Charles Town
Jefferson County
Charlestown Bottling Works
1915—1930s
The first mention of any Charles Town Bottling Works I can locate is a 1900 ad for them, with the owner being Charles Schulte (Charles Town Bottling Works, 1900). It was located at the corner of West and Liberty Streets at this time. I don’t believe this was the Charles Town Bottling Works we know about through bottle evidence, as there are no examples this early known from it. It also does not appear in the Dun & Bradstreet issues in 1900. It can always be the case that no examples exist or that none have been located, however.
The 1915 Dun & Bradstreet directs the reader to Jesse E. Moore beneath Charles Town Bottling Works, indicating that he was the proprietor. This is also the first year it appears in general. The 1925 Beverage Blue Book places G.F. Conklyn as the proprietor of this bottling firm, and around this time Dun & Bradstreet stops listing Charles Town Bottling Works, instead listing Conklyn as a bottler. For this reason, I am listing Conklyn bottles here instead of separately. The 1930 Beverage Blue Book lists Charles Town Bottling Works as being located at 310 East Washington Street.
I am unfortunately unsure as to when this bottler closed, though I presume it to be another victim of the Great Depression.
A King-Cola from Charlestown Bottling Works. ABM, aqua green.
A Conklyn from Charlestown Bottling Works, named after the proprietor.
Coca-Cola Bottling Works — R.J. Shine
1908(?)—1928
As embossed on the bottle, the proprietor of this company was R.J. Shine, who also owned plants in Martinsburg and Lynchburg. I am fortunate to have the late Tim McGuire’s West Virginia Straight Sided Coca-Cola Bottles (2008, out of print) book to work from for R.J. Shine, as he received a letter from his grandson in 2008 reading:
“Hello Tim,
My son Patrick tells me you would like to know a little about my grandfather, the Coke bottler, R.J Shine. His proper name is Robert Joseph Shine and he was born in Natural Bridge, Virginia in 1871. He died in Richmond, Virginia in 1959, age 88. I knew him in his later years when I was young. His father, John Alfred Shine was an Irish immigrant and confederate veteran. His mother, Elizabeth Tyree was half Irish and half American Indian. He married Marie Magri in 1905 and they were married for 54 years. They had five children: Robert Jr., John, Paul (my father), Marie and Frank. When Marie died, he bent over her coffin in the funeral home and said, "I'll be with you soon." Ten days later he was dead. There was nothing wrong with him physically, everyone said he simply died of a broken heart and I believe it. I don't know when he got into the Coke bottling business, but he sold it for one million dollars in 1928, invested the proceeds in bank stock, and lost it all in the crash of 1929. Subsequent to Coke, he bottled Berkeley Club Ginger Ale in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. I'm not sure when he sold that business. In 1933 he moved to Richmond, Virginia and bought the Broadrock Springs and bottled spring water. He lived at this location until he moved in with his daughter in 1958. I hope this information is of some interest.
Sincerely,
Michael Shine”
R.J. Shine was among the incorporators of the Lynchburg, VA. Coca-Cola Bottling Works in 1908 (“Charter Granted,” 1908) and the 1915 Dun & Bradstreet notes that the Coca-Cola Bottling Works in Charles Town was a branch of Hagerstown, Maryland at this point in time.
The letter above notes that R.J. Shine sold his Coca-Cola bottling business in 1928, but the 1923, 1925, and 1930 Beverage Blue Books and the 1925 Bottlers and Beverage Manufacturers Universal Encyclopedia cite R.C. McDonnell as the owner. It is entirely possible this was a mistake, as this particular periodical made plenty, though I wouldn’t entirely discount the possibility Shine sold it earlier.
A BIMAL, aqua blue straight sided Coca-Cola from Charles-Town. R.J. Shine was the proprietor, embossed on the heel. Front.
A BIMAL, aqua blue straight sided Coca-Cola from Charles-Town. R.J. Shine was the proprietor, embossed on the heel. Reverse.
References
The Beverage Journal. (1923). The beverage blue book and catalog. H.S. Rich & Co.
The Beverage Journal. (1925). The beverage blue book and catalog. H.S. Rich & Co.
The Beverage Journal. (1930). The beverage blue book and catalog. H.S. Rich & Co.
Charles Town Bottling Works. (1900, May 1). Carbonized sodas of all flavors [advertisement]. Spirit of Jefferson, 1.
Charter granted. (1908, June 21). The News and Advance, 6.
Expositions Company of America. (1925). Bottlers and beverage manufacturers universal encyclopedia.