olney, Ill. coke soda water question

[Andrewt]

Is this a Gayola? or like a Magnolia? How rate is it? I've never seen one before. Thanks in advance! -Andy

 

[OsiaBoyce]

Gayola, no.

 

[Andrewt]

Osiaboyce, Thanks for the help! Anyone know more about this bottle?

 

[surfaceone]

Hey Andrew,

It looks like one of the flavor bottle styles to me. Here's, perhaps, more history than you bargained for:

"This written history was provided courtesy of the Hayes family.

A history of DuQuoin Coca-Cola Bottling Company must be primarily a chronicle of the life of one man - W. R. Hayes.

In 1865, two brothers, Tom and Ted Hayes, left England with Pennsylvania as their destination. They brought with them a knowledge of the bottling of carbonated beverages. A few years later they moved to Illinois, settled in DuQuoin, and started a soda water bottling business. Their first plant was located on South Hickory Street. Ted left DuQuoin a little later, and Tom took complete control of the business.

Tom Hayes married Mary Henke in 1873. They had three children, Catherine, William Richard, and Laura. Will Hayes, the man responsible for this business as we know it today, was born in 1877. Tom moved his family and the business to a house on the corner of Reed and Chestnut, converting half of the stable in the back of the house into a bottling plant. The small demand for soda water in those days necessitated Tom's working in the coal mines on the side. At the time of this tragedy, Catherine was nine, Will six, and Laura only one. Mary Hayes, their mother, was left with the task of making a living for her family. She continued the bottling business, doing most of the work herself while the children were still too young to be of much help. Her brother, William Henke, who had a grocery store in town, assisted by delivering the soda in his grocery wagon.

When Will was eleven years old, he decided he could help by delivering the soda water after school and on Saturdays. They had a two-wheeled cart made with a capacity of five cases, and thus Will assumed his first major role in the business. For the next four years, Will pushed his cart up and down Main and Division Streets, selling and delivering "Pop."

In 1892 (Will was 15), Mrs. Hayes had saved enough money for a four-wheeled wagon and a horse. They had also expanded the facilities by building a small two story brick addition on the front of the stable-bottling room. These improvements made business expansion possible, and soon they were selling soda water in such surrounding towns as DeSoto, Elkville, Tamaroa, Pinckneyville, DuBois, Ashley, and Christopher. Will graduated from high school in 1895, and turned all his attention to helping his mother in the business, bottling, driving the delivery wagon and selling.

In 1904, St. Louis was the scene of the Columbia Exposition, better known as the St. Louis World's Fair. Will, his mother and sisters visited the fair, and undoubtedly this event made a lasting impression on this young man of 27. Mrs. Hayes realized that Will was well qualified to take over the reins completely, so she and the two girls went on to California to make it their home. Will returned to DuQuoin alone, moved into the St. Nicholas Hotel, and assumed complete control of the business. This same year, Will started making Perfection Ice Cream in the building which was the old ice plant. By 1906, a new plant had been built on Olive Street in connection with the ice cream and ice plant.

Joe E. Jones, better known as Jody, came with the business in 1906. He literally grew up with the plant on Olive Street, helping build it and subsequently working in every phase of the business. He became the first sales manager for all plants, was in charge of not only soft drink sales, but also ice cream, other dairy products, and even beer. Don Hayes and many of the present managers received their first sales training from Jody. At that time, the three favorite flavors were lemon, strawberry, and sarsaparilla. The popularity of Perfection Ice Cream had grown rapidly, and its distribution followed the same lines as had been established for the soda water.

Will took time out from his business in 1907 to take Ethel Jeffers as his wife and lifetime partner. Their two sons are Eugene Jeffers Hayes and Donald Maxwell Hayes.

In 1913, the biggest step in the entire history of the company was taken. This year the franchise for bottling Coca-Cola was secured. The territory included Perry and Randolph counties, plus parts of Monroe, Washington, Franklin and Jackson. Coca-Cola was no immediate or overnight success. Slipping an occasional bottle into a case of "mixed" flavors became a rule of the job trying to gain public acceptance for this new product. But the business did grow, and Coca-Cola was the center of this growth. Mr. Hayes supplied the essential ingredients of hard work, imagination, and salesmanship, plus a unique capacity for bringing in and keeping aggressive, competent men on the firing line of the company.

In 1917, Mr. Hayes and Mr. G. N. Cox acquired the rights for bottling Coca-Cola in St. Louis and a sizeable territory surrounding that city. As this business grew, Mr. Hayes realized that a decision had to be made concerning his continued participation in this large market. He had the foresight to predict great things for the Coca-Cola in St. Louis and felt that to make such a future a reality, should probably center his base of operations in St. Louis proper. For personal reasons, he was unwilling to make such a change, and therefore felt that it would serve his interests better to disassociate himself from the St. Louis operation. In 1919, Mr. Hayes sold his interest in St. Louis. He kept the present Centralia territory when this transaction took place.

The first Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Centralia was started in May 1919, when space was leased from an ice plant located on North McCord Street. Coca-Cola was shipped to Centralia from DuQuoin by train. Mr. Frank Horn of DuQuoin came to Centralia as a manager in June of that year, and he had one employee. Mr. Horn recalls that Centralia had sold 46 cases of Coca-Cola during the first three months. He picked up a new truck in St. Louis, and started out the next day, resolved to beat this in one day. He didn't get in until 10:00 P.M. that night, but he had sold 52 cases. Two years later, the plant was moved to South Locust Street, and the actual bottling of Coca-Cola was started. This plant also housed the dairy business. Mr. Horn left the company in 1926. During the succeeding years, Fritz Lederer, Walter White, and Tom Kell served as managers of this operation. George Edler had entered the business in 1923. He served in the various capacities of plant superintendent, route manager, and plant manager, which position he holds today. In 1959 a new modern plant was built on Route 161, east of town, which is still the present location of the Centralia warehouse.

The Midwest Dairy Products Corporation was organized in 1926, and ice cream and milk plants were built and acquired in Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana, as well as in Illinois. Midwest grew and expanded until there were a total of 44 branches when it was sold to City Ice and Fuel Company of Chicago in 1947. Another major expansion took place in 1927, when Mr. Hayes purchased Coca-Cola bottling plants at Vandalia, Casey, and Olney.


Before the turn of the century, Mr. Fred Smith owned and operated a small soda water bottling plant in Vandalia, Illinois. He bottled orange, lemon, and vanilla. He extracted flavoring from orange and lemon peels for his soda. In 1904, he acquired the bottling rights for Coca-Cola. Mr. Whitten of the Coca-Cola Company from Chicago came down to try and talk him into taking on this new flavor. Mr. Smith told Mr. Whitten that didn't have that much money, so Whitten loaned him enough to cover this cost. A short time later, Smith ordered two more barrels. When his order for the next two barrels (making six in all) was received in Chicago, Whitten made a return visit to Vandalia. He wanted to check on what Smith was doing with all that syrup, because six barrels were more than the Chicago plant had used in the same period.

Fred Simma bought a one-half interest in the business in 1910. At that time, the plant was located in the Hasler Oil Company building. The business rocked along until Mr. Hayes purchased it in 1927. This purchase also included a plant and territory at Casey. During the same year, Mr. Hayes bought the Pana territory from a Mr. Billy Weber. Cecil Smith was the first manager in Vandalia for Mr. Hayes. John McLuckie came to Vandalia in 1946, and has been the manager since then.

A Mr. William Dart had first bottled Coca-Cola in Olney in 1905. He decided, however, that Coca-Cola was too expensive to bottle, and made no further effort to distribute and sell this new product. Dart sold his business in 1910. Several other transfers took place in the next twelve years. Don and Gene can recall a momentous decision that was reached about this time in Olney. It was decided to raise the price on Coca-Cola for 75 cents and then to the generally accepted price of 80 cents. In 1939, a new plant was built in Olney, and the plants at Flora, Louisville, and Casey were closed. Mr. Arol Preston came to Olney from DuQuoin that year.

The DuQuoin Bottling Works had become DuQuoin Coca-Cola Bottling Company. With the advent of the 6-bottle carton, the first Clascock ice cooler for Coca-Cola, the subsequent electric coolers, coin coolers, etc., Coca-Cola was growing and growing. Mr. Hayes took on each new merchandising tool, added his own considerable selling and administrative talents, and directed the business to still greater volume.

In the early days, a bottling plant was operated at Benton. Warehouses existed in Murphysboro, Chester, Christopher, Sparta, and West Frankfort. In 1939, the Dairy and Coca-Cola businesses were separated, Sparta and West Frankfort were retained as warehouses and these others were closed. In 1950, the Sparta and West Frankfort were retained as warehouses and these others were closed. In 1950, the Sparta and West Frankfort operations were consolidated in the new plant in DuQuoin. Haskell Boaz who had been manager at West Frankfort, moved to DuQuoin, and shortly thereafter became sales manager of the DuQuoin territory.

In 1947, Mr. Hayes purchased the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Springfield, Illinois. The earliest records for Springfield Coca-Cola Bottling Company date back to 1910. Mr. Frank Tate was the first bottler in Springfield. The first plant was located at 115 North 8th Street. Mr. Tate sold the business in 1918. The business changed hands several times in the next nine years. In 1924, the plant was moved to new and larger quarters at 721 East Jefferson Street. Frank Horn, formerly of DuQuoin, became plant manager in 1926. Mr. Horn recalled that during his first year in Springfield, he purchased 1050 gallons of Coca-Cola syrup less than the year before, but had a 2000 case increase in sales. He said this was done by keeping better records, and by buying a few locks. He operated a warehouse at Kincaid, Illinois, which was managed by J. C. Vecchi, father of the present Pepsi-Coca bottler of Springfield.

Herbert Thompson bought the plant in 1927. In 1938, the present plant was built on South Sixth Street. When Mr. Hayes purchased the business in 1947, Charles Brosch went to Springfield as plant manager. Mr. Brosch had formerly been manager of the Sparta warehouse for Mr. Hayes.

In January 1948, Mr. Hayes bought the Coca-Cola plants at Wooster, Ohio and at Decatur, Illinois. Coca-Cola was first bottled in Decatur in 1903. Mr. Mark Batchelder owned the business which was then located on South Franklin Street in what had been a livery stable. A Mr. Rueben Coffey of the Logansport, Indiana Coca-Cola Bottling Works bought the business a few years later and operated it until 1925. In that year a young shoe salesman from Virginia, Mr. D. M. Woodson, purchased the company. Hard work, coupled with some real selling ability brought almost immediate success to Mr. Woodson. In just two years he was able to build a new building, leaving the dirt floored livery stable behind. The new plant was located at 336 east Wood Street, and is still in use today. Mr. Woodson sold the business to Mr. Hayes in 1948. Louis Beck came to Decatur as manager in 1952 from the Wooster, Ohio plant. The Decatur Coca-Cola franchise is the second oldest in the Stat of Illinois, superceded only by Chicago. It is the forty-ninth oldest in the world. This rounded out the territory, as it exists today.

The interests of W. R. Hayes were not confined to the dairy and bottling businesses. In the early 1920's he built the Majestic Opera House in DuQuoin. The world's outstanding artists and the finest production from the legitimate stage were brought to this theater. Soon after the firm of Reid, Yemm and Hayes was formed, "Flickers" were brought to Southern Illinois, and a string of nineteen movie houses were built by this company. In 1929, they sold out to Fox Midwest Theater Corporation.

The DuQuoin State Fairgrounds and the annual DuQuoin State Fair is one of the outstanding achievements in the life of the founder of our company. Mr. Hayes' interests in show business, fairs, and horses started at an early age. He bought his first standard bred colt, Kentucky Dude, in 1895, rode from Kentucky back to DuQuoin in the box car with his pacer, and started racing at county fairs. In 1923 Mr. Hayes, together with several other local businessmen, formed the first DuQuoin Fair Board, bought a thirty-acre tract (which is the front part of the present fairgrounds), built a small wooden grandstand, and launched the first DuQuoin State Fair. Their first fair featured horse and auto racing, a dog show, an auto show, and a speech by the Governor of Illinois. The fair grew in size, attendance, and influence. In 1929 the first night stage attraction ever offered at a fair was presented from the stage of the DuQuoin State Fair.

Mr. Hayes bought out the other stockholders and in 1939 purchased the Black Gold Strip Mine which adjourned the fairgrounds. The work of filling, leveling, and landscaping was begun. Over 1400 trees of 8 inch or larger diameter were transplanted to the fairgrounds. There are 1200 beautiful acres in the present grounds with twelve lakes and ponds dotting the area. Thirty miles of winding roadways traverse the grounds. The present grandstand and mile track were built in 1945 and 1946.

A past summer one of Mr. Hayes' dreams came true when the classic of all harness races "The Hambletonian" was brought to the DuQuoin State Fair by Gene and Don.

Achievement after achievement serve as milestones in the life of W. R, Hayes, but one in particular stands near the top. On October 11, 1949, the formal opening was held for the plant and building in which we meet today. Over 7,000 visitors went through the plant on the two days of its grand opening. Since that day, many thousands more have toured its spotless interior. It is, unquestionably, among the finest of bottling plants in the world.

On September 10, 1952 Mr. Hayes departed from this world, but the mark he had made here will long remain.

Gene Hayes was named President of the company with Don Hayes as Vice President and Treasurer.

The most radical change that the business had ever seen took place in the summer of 1955 when King Size and Family Size Coke were introduced to the market. These were the first package changes for Coca-Cola in almost 38 years. But change was the order of the day. That winter and the next spring saw the introduction of Coca-Cola in 100 drink stainless steel containers-Pre-Mix as it is called. These developments have opened the door for immeasurably greater opportunities for increased distribution and public acceptance.

1957 saw a couple of more changes. The Wooster, Ohio plant was sold and one-half interest in a full-line vending operation was purchased; Cater-Vent, developed and operated by Mr. Ben Montee out of Jacksonville, Illinois.

The new diet drink, Tab, was introduced in 1963. Mr. Gene Hayes continued as President of the company until his death in March 1964. Mr. Don M. Hayes, who had been Vice- President under Gene's direction, was elected to succeed Gene as President of the company.

The middle sixties brought major changes in product line and packages. Fanta flavors were introduced in 1965, replacing the mission line. Also that year, the new, "Thirst quenching" Sprite came on the market. In 1966 a completely new drink was developed, bottled, and introduced to the consumer: Fresca, a sugar-free drink that became the fastest growing soft drink the industry had seen for years.

Tragedy struck the company on June 24, 1967, when President Don M. Hayes and his wife Ruby were killed in a private airplane accident. The loss was great not only to the company, but also to the bottling industry, the entertainment industry, and to the many who knew them.

This brought into the driver's seat the third generation, Mr. W. R. Hayes II, Gene's son, who had filled the role of Vice-President under Gene's direction, was elected President. Don's son filled the Vice-President position, Mr. Don W. Hayes..." From.

From.

 

[Andrewt]

Surfaceone, Thanks for the info! I guess it is a least scarce; I've never seen one but have seen the SS Cokes and Gayolas?