Cheerwine from Asheville, NC

[SODAPOPBOB]

Asheville Beverage Company is listed in the 'page turner' directory, but not on the page from the university library

Michael Good observation. Both of these attachments are from the 1952 manufacturers directory. Perhaps there is a clue connected to the address on 402 Southside Ave.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

P.S. My guess it that the 1952 North Carolina manufacturers directory is inaccurate and they just carried the information over from 1951. I'm thinking the 1952 phone directory was up-to-date at the time and accurate. ???

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

I just received this ... and plan to contact the Buncombe county library as he suggest. Mr. Brown,

I searched the directory under the headings you provided, as well as Cheerwine directly, the Caroline Beverage Corporation and headings like "soda fountain supplies," etc. Within the scope of my search in this directory, I was unable to locate Cheerwine proper. I've also checked the 1951 and 1953 city directories, without success.

Perhaps as a next step, you might consider contacting the NC Collection at the Buncombe County Library. They may hold more locally specific materials that are relevant to your search!

Best wishes,
Matt Karkutt

Research & Instructional Services Department
Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
CB# 3948, Wilson Library
Chapel Hill, NC USA 27514-8890


North Carolina Collection Rare Book Collection Southern Historical Collection Southern Folklife Collection University Archives

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

P.S. I searched "Green Spot Beverages" until I was blue in the face but did not find a single reference connecting the company to Asheville.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

I sent this message to the Buncombe county library ...
Good Morning:

I was given this contact address by a staff member at the Wilson Library/NCU in the hope you could assist me with the following.

I am seeking information from ...

1. North Carolina Collection
2. Asheville, North Carolina ~ Buncombe County


I am a collector/researcher of soda pop memorabilia and specifically interested in anything related to a Cheerwine Bottling Company ~ Asheville, North Carolina.

Possible references might be listed under ...

1. Cheerwine Bottler ~ Asheville
2. Cheerwine Beverages ~ Asheville
3. Cheerwine Carbonated Beverages Bottler ~ Asheville
4. Cheerwine Distributor ~ Asheville
5. Etc.

To help narrow down the search, I am specifically interested in references from 1952, but would welcome any reference from the 1950s.

I'm not sure how the company might be listed but would appreciate if you could check and send me anything (Tax Records, Etc.) related to the Cheerwine Bottling Company located in Asheville in the 1950s. There might even be a reference for Cheerwine listed under another bottling company such as Orange Crush, etc.

Please contact me if you have any questions or need clarification on my search request. Attachments are welcomed.

Thank you in advance for your assistance - it is very much appreciated.

Bob Brown
California

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

A Buncombe County Library staff member sent me this link, but my initial search did not produce any results. Perhaps others can give it a try. The staff member said it might contain some of the information we are looking for. http://registerofdeeds.buncombecounty.org/external/LandRecords/protected/v4/SrchName.aspx

 

[morbious_fod]

P.S. I searched "Green Spot Beverages" until I was blue in the face but did not find a single reference connecting the company to Asheville.

Soda, it you notice Green Spot Beverages were distributed by Smokey Mountain Distributors, it isn't a company name in itself. You will also notice that there is a listing for a Nehi Bottling Company as well as a Royal Crown Bottling Company both at the same address. There is some doubling up to show where some sodas were being produced rather than new company names.

As for the Dr. Pepper having Sun Crest and 2-Way listed, totally called it. That being said I did end up calling the Frostie Bottling Company wrong, at 407 Southside it shares the same address as the Vess Cola bottling company, so Asheville Beverage wasn't producing that. Asheville Beverage Company appears to have closed between the time that the company directory was published and this city directory. Note that the city directory in question was a monthly, or quarterly one, published for June 1952.

 

[morbious_fod]

With this attention to detail pertaining to what each of them bottled, there is no mention of Cheerwine, and Asheville Beverage is gone. If Orange Crush were bottling it one would think that it would be noted. Not definite proof, but I would love to find more of this type of city directory when Asheville Beverage was still in business to see if there is a notation of what they were bottling, a March 1952 perhaps.

 

[morbious_fod]

A quick bit of research satisfied my suspicions about Smoky Mountain Distributors being a beer distributor. They were distributing Schlitz in Asheville. http://books.google.com/b...ibuting%22&f=false

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Long story short ...

I am temporarily discontinuing my searches for a Cheerwine bottler and/or distributor located in Asheville proper and will be focusing on the following ...

I posted this article earlier but I did not crop or emphasize the part about territories, which I would like to draw your attention to now. Notice in the article where it says that Mr. Nanny had "13 trucks in four counties of his territory." Also be reminded that Mr. Nanny was an Orange Crush bottler who also handled Cheerwine.

I realize this particular bottler's territory did not include Asheville or Buncombe County, but it does suggest to me that bottlers outside of Asheville might have had territories as well and that one of them might have distributed Cheerwine in Asheville. I'm thinking it's also possible that an outside bottler might have had special bottles produced for a particular town and that this might explain the Cheerwine bottle embossed with Asheville, N.C.

It might even be that a nearby Cheerwine Bottling plant produced the bottle and distributed it in their Asheville territory.

Especially notice my numerous uses of the words "might have." But I think it's a possibility worth looking into.

The Gastonia Gazette ~ Gastonia, N.C. ~ October 17, 1950