Bottles from Roanoke, VA

Roanoke had quite a few bottlers over the years, and several Roanoke based brands such as Lemon Kola, King Cola, 3-C Nectar, and Dixie-Ola. Unfortunately none of them survived to the modern day; however, the evidence of their existence still survives in the form of bottles and other go with items. Here are just a few of them.

The Roanoke Bottling & Cider Company would eventually become the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Roanoke, VA according to James C. Ayers' Pepsi=Cola book.

King Cola was a Roanoke based drink during the late teens. They were sued by Coca-Cola and lost.

3-C Nectar was created by the Columbia Chemical Corporation (get it?) in the early 1920's and within three years was out of business. The brand was bottled as far away as Philadelphia, PA and Coney Island, NY.

Dixie-Ola was created around 1928 by the Roanoke Extract & Bottling Company.

A cap from the company found in Mouth of Wilson, VA, it may be possible that they bottled the brand at some point or just purchased the company's bottle cap stock after they went out of business.

Two Orange Crush bottles from the 1930's.

Mid 1930's Dr. Swett's Root Beer from Roanoke, VA

A late 1930's Pop Kola marked "the property of L. L. Rice" who later owned Rice's Bottling Company; however, by this point his company was known as the Big Bill Bottling Company.

Grapette from Rice's Bottling Company of Roanoke, VA. Lawrence L. Rice would open up branch plants in Johnson City, Tennessee, and Jacksonville, Florida.

1940 Pop Kola bottle from Rice's Bottling Company of Roanoke, VA

A Clicquot Club Beverages bottle from the 1950's. I don't know much about the company that bottled this one.

A 1959 Pepsi Cola bottle from Roanoke, VA. Knowing that L. L. Rice owned the Johnson City, Tenn. Pepsi Cola bottling company, I wonder if he owned the company in Roanoke, VA as well.

Frankie's Beverages bottle from the Frankie's Bottling Company of Roanoke, VA. According to the information given me by one of the owner's relatives, this company is the same one that was bottling the Orange Crush bottles pictured above.

You don't see too many of these mid 60's with town names, but here is one from the Double Cola Bottling Company of Roanoke, VA.

Oak Lane Dairy opened in Roanoke, VA in 1935, which is about the right time period for this early ACL (Applied Color Label) Mission Orange drink bottle.

Still don't know the source of this 1941 Fruit Beverage Company bottle from Roanoke, VA; however, it could be associated with the Mission above or the Bireley's below. All three would have been non-carbonated fruit flavored drinks.

There is a photo of downtown Roanoke, VA out there with a billboard ad for Bireley's Orange Drink, and here is the bottle.