Kenova Bottling Works

1914—1925(?)

S.B. Nash was the owner of Kenova Bottling Works, at least as of 1914 (“Kenova Bottling”, 1914). The setup had its own laboratory for flavor testing and at this time produced a drink called “Tango.” From the article, their products shipped as far as Bluefield. The company was sold in late 1915 (“Notice Of”, 1915) but still certainly existed afterwards, as the manager of the firm, H.W. Ellis, announced they had closed a contract to sell Grape Smash in 1916 (“Making Grape,” 1916). Interestingly, Kenova Bottling Works doesn’t appear in Dun & Bradstreet records, though the owner’s name, S.B. Nash, appears as a bottler during its span.

The 1921-1922 Biennial Report of the West Virginia Bureau of Labor lists Kenova Bottling Works as extant and still owned by H.W. Ellis, having been in business since 1917 (Montgomery, 1922). We know that it was around earlier than this, however. The 1923 Beverage Blue Book lists “Williams & Evans” as the owners (H.S. Rich & Co., 1923), and the 1925 bottler directories list “Bockway & Silling” as the new owners (H.S. Rich & Co., 1925; Expositions Co. of America, 1925). The 1930 Beverage Blue Book only lists “Ellis Bottling Works” in Kenova, which I presume to be something different due to the change in ownership prior to this business opening.