Vicksburg, Mississippi: America’s first Coca‐Cola Bottler From a patent medicine to a carbonated soft drink, Coca‐Cola or Coke went from a drugstore in Columbus, Georgia to a product sold in over 200 countries throughout the world. It all started in May of 1886. According to worldofcoca‐cola.com, “the curiosity of an Atlanta pharmacist, Dr. John S. Pemberton, led him to create a distinctive tasting soft drink that could be sold at soda fountains. Dr. Pemberton’s partner and bookkeeper, Frank M. Robinson, is credited with naming the beverage “Coca‐Cola” as well as designing the trademarked, distinct script, still used today…The first servings of Coca‐Cola were sold for 5 cents per glass. During the first year, sales averaged a modest nine servings per day in Atlanta. Today, daily servings of Coca‐Cola beverages are estimated at 1.9 billion globally.” Originally the product came from soda fountains, where the syrup was mixed with carbonated water. In 1894, Joseph Biedenharn came up with the idea of bottling Coke and selling it to people who were not close to soda fountain establishments. Initially he sold cases of Coca‐Cola at his store. Later, Uncle Joe as he was called began to deliver cases of Coke to farms and lumber camps along the Mississippi River. This photo program is about his museum in the very building that he started his enterprise in Vicksburg, Mississippi. (biedenharncoca‐colamuseum.com) “The marble soda fountain (below) at the Museum is an excellent example of a turn of the century soda fountain. It was operated by a “soda jerk,” so named because he would “jerk” on one of the various levers or valves on the fountain to dispense Coca‐Cola or one of the other flavors offered and the valve to dispense soda water. Usually, a “mixture” was served in glasses, often with a metal holder supporting the glass. Large blocks of ice were used to cool the contents of the fountain before it was dispensed.” (biedenharncoca‐colamuseum.com) Bottling beverages under pressure was not a simple task. Below is the equpment used to bottle Coke and other soft drinks. Pressure and poor glass quality could become dangerous, if the bottle was not able to keep the product inside. acuri.net John R. Vincenti .