# Center slug NC Bottle



## BottleCapKid (Jun 8, 2014)

Found this bottle at a local flea market this morning. I bought the bottle because I new it was old and I didn't have it. Anybody have any information on this bottle or the history of the company. 

The bottle reads 

EDENTON BOTTLING CO.
R. MADRIN
PROP.
EDENTON, NC 

Thanks


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## Robby Raccoon (Jun 20, 2014)

Can't say much. Early 1900s. If it says 'Not to be sold', it's liable to be alcohol related--but it looks more like soda pop. Registered splashed up there is what I often see as alcohol, too. The embossing is somewhat crude on the back. A little up-and-down in my view. But that doesn't say much. My Furst-McNess is crude by late '20s early '30s. R Madrin is the 'prop'rietor of the bottle-- in my collection that tends to be medicine related, but it's a small % in mine so that doesn't mean anything either. My guess is early 1900s alcohol, a smaller company for the local area. Type into Google the company and bottles, you should come up with some stuff--I do believe something just shattered so.... Good luck and I'd love to have that, even in clear, as part of my collection.


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## CanadianBottles (Jun 30, 2014)

Nope, not alcohol, almost definitely a soda.  You're confusing "Not to be sold" with "Federal law prohibits sale..."  Not to be Sold (or some variation thereof) was put on all sorts of beverage bottles that were supposed to be returned to the bottler.  Proprietor has nothing to do with medicine either, it was put on a lot of sodas as well.  I've got an ACL or two with "proprietor" on them."Bottling" is usually a dead giveaway of a bottle being a soda, for some reason.  I guess that "Bottling" was just the verb associated with soda.  Beer was brewed, whiskey was distilled, soda was bottled.


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## Robby Raccoon (Jun 30, 2014)

Hmm. Alright, thanks for the clarification. But I've seen alcoholic bottling works bottles --local for me at least. We've had over 50 bottling companies here. Mostly I've only seen local bottles, so... I have to go with what I've gathered, and 'not to be sold' is always alcohol on what I've seen, and proprietor has only been medicine related here. Guess we're an odd town. But, I have gained knowledge from you, so thank you.


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## ACLbottles (Jun 30, 2014)

Spirit Bear said:
			
		

> Hmm. Alright, thanks for the clarification. But I've seen alcoholic bottling works bottles --local for me at least. We've had over 50 bottling companies here. Mostly I've only seen local bottles, so... I have to go with what I've gathered, and 'not to be sold' is always alcohol on what I've seen, and proprietor has only been medicine related here. Guess we're an odd town. But, I have gained knowledge from you, so thank you.


Some hutches have "Not to be Sold" on them, and hutches contained soda...


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## Robby Raccoon (Jun 30, 2014)

I've never found a Hutch from here. Heh. Not a shard, not in  the museum, nor an antique store, nor in the two collections of local bottles I've seen. Frankly, I'm wondering if they skipped over us as Grand Rapids, a much bigger city, is so close by and they were for there. We get G.R. bottles here. So... I'll shrug on that one and pour you a vanilla Dr. Pepper.


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## hemihampton (Jun 30, 2014)

Spirit Bear said:
			
		

> I've never found a Hutch from here. Heh. Not a shard, not in  the museum, nor an antique store, nor in the two collections of local bottles I've seen. Frankly, I'm wondering if they skipped over us as Grand Rapids, a much bigger city, is so close by and they were for there. We get G.R. bottles here. So... I'll shrug on that one and pour you a vanilla Dr. Pepper.



 Where is here?


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## Robby Raccoon (Jun 30, 2014)

Here is Muskegon. Former Lumber Queen of the World, former tourist town and port city, former bottling town, former plenty. The depression hit and killed off tourism--we could have become like Chicago. I have heavily researched my town and some of the ferries only stopped here and cities like Chicago as they had everything. Lake Michigan once had tracks for street-trolley to bring people down to the resident carnival on the lakeside here (all gone now). Also, businesses moved away to Muskegon as it was booming. The ruins of a huge resort lie in the dunes (Now demolished and mostly filled in)  other ruins like the lovely Hackley hotel are all gone from the speedy times of our city's grand past. Our town also invented Snowboarding at the Block House. The Hackley and Hume homes are some of thee most ornate homes you will ever see (If you ever come here, you HAVE to go to the Hackley House. It's completely over-the-top ornate. Lavish in every way, shape, and form.) We had everything here--both big-city and small-town life. All but Hutches from what I've seen. That surprises me. If you have any, I'm dying to see one.


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## ACLbottles (Jun 30, 2014)

Well, luckily for you, there are 2 hutches listed on hutchbook.com from Muskegon. Both are rated "rare", which means there are 10 or less of each known. There's only one hutch listed from my town, which I am also looking for. If you keep digging around, you may be lucky enough to find one... Good luck! http://www.hutchbook.com/Bottle%20Directory/HutchSearchResults.aspx?Primary_Name=&Manufacturer=&City=Muskegon&Color=&County=&Mold_Type=&State=MI&Plate_Type=&Territory=&Pictures=&Region=&Start_Height=&End_Height=&Country=&Start_Width=&End_Width=&Bottle_Number=&Start_Marked_Year=&End_Marked_Year=&Sub_Categories=&Shape=&All_Embossing=&Rarity=&Front_Embossing=&Added=&Back_Embossing=&Updated=&Base_Embossing=&Comments=&Find_Hutches=Find+Hutchinsons&Source=Attributes


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## Robby Raccoon (Jun 30, 2014)

Oh, that is superb! Thank you!  And yes, I will keep looking, but I rarely get to the 1900 mark. So... By a hospital here is a hole area of 1800s homes, by Maranatha which is near the ruined resort are 1800s homes. The Hackley and Hume homes I doubt'd let me dig, but they're bound to have so pretty good stuff as they were richer people later donated as orphanages. Good luck with your hunt!


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## CanadianBottles (Jul 2, 2014)

Spirit Bear said:
			
		

> Hmm. Alright, thanks for the clarification. But I've seen alcoholic bottling works bottles --local for me at least. We've had over 50 bottling companies here. Mostly I've only seen local bottles, so... I have to go with what I've gathered, and 'not to be sold' is always alcohol on what I've seen, and proprietor has only been medicine related here. Guess we're an odd town. But, I have gained knowledge from you, so thank you.



Do you have any pictures of the alcoholic bottling works bottles?  I'm not sure if I've ever seen one, but I have a feeling I might have seen a couple that didn't look right for soda here and there.  That's probably been discussed on this site before, actually.


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## Robby Raccoon (Jul 2, 2014)

Nope. But the antique store I visited I am pretty sure did. Only alcoholic bottling works bottle I had was broken, and so it was recycled under mom's orders (rarely get to keep  shard. Only have a handful.) Try a Google search of Bottling Works Beer, or Ebay. I just typed in Muskegon Bottling Works Beer Bottle and got a few hits. Didn't look into them any, but as I said before: alcoholic bottling works are local for me at least. One of our museums is bound to have one in their collections.


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## sunrunner (Jul 2, 2014)

hay Spirit Bear,are you a kid ? thought you were older.Its good to know were not just old farts doing this.


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## Robby Raccoon (Jul 2, 2014)

I'm 17! I'm old! Heh heh. People tend to be surprised that I'm not interested in 'normal' things a kid my age 'should' be into. Alas, that makes me odd and as not many people share the same interests in my age, that leaves me a 'lone wolf' as my teacher calls me (obviously she's blind since I'M A BEAR!)


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## hemihampton (Jul 2, 2014)

Spirit Bear, I know of 2 other kids in here that live near Muskegon & I have even dug a bottle dump with them near Muskegon last year. Hunting262 is one of them but have not seen him post in here much lately. I think he's 14or 15 but his older brother is 17 & he also collects beer cans like I do. Anyways, you should get ahold of these 2 & dig with them LEON.


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## Robby Raccoon (Jul 3, 2014)

Hmm. Perhaps I'll look into that at sometime. I can be very shy--as most bears are, especially around humans-- when it comes to new people. Thank you, though, for telling me about them.  
I have one beer can--Olympia, 1980s. Stepped on it in the lake one day whilst bottle hunting and pulled it up, washed it out, and let it float not really knowing if it'd go to shore or not. Didn't get very far, but it was 'going' toward shore and so I took it home. I liked the color and horseshoe on it.


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## Robby Raccoon (Jul 3, 2014)

Canadian Bottles, this 1880s book says on  page 158, "Muskegon Bottling Works! Bottlers of Bass and Other Ales, Porters, Lagers, Beers/ And Ciders-Pure Apple juice./ Also Manufacturers of Soda, Seltzer, Sarsaparilla/ And Mineral Waters." So, there's your alcoholic bottlers. "Established in 1867." Apparently they just got an "Entire new outfit of machinery!" located on the "Corner of Michigan Avenue and Barclay street." Michigan Avenue's still a road. I'm not sure of Barclay. Sounds slightly familiar. Anyway, I know they had alcoholic drinks bottled in bottling works. I hope this helped. Sadly, they don't show any photographs like you were wanting. 
But! This link takes you to a bottle I am pretty sure was alcohol as it says "Pure and without drugs or poison" on it like my brewery bottles. Mine is pop as friends here proved, but same Bottling Works. Different bottle.   http://www.ebay.com/itm/V...mp;hash=item1e7be89b3c


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## CanadianBottles (Jul 3, 2014)

Hey Spirit Bear, you're right, that does look like a beer!  And I'm pretty sure "Pure without..." was only a beer thing.  Interesting.  I guess some companies that did both called themselves Bottling Works, just as some breweries also made soda (I've got a seltzer from the Calgary Brewing and Malting Co).  I'm pretty sure I've never seen a Canadian bottling works that made anything that looks even remotely like a beer bottle, though, and American ones don't come up too often.  Maybe it was a regional thing.


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## Robby Raccoon (Jul 3, 2014)

Show a pic of your Seltzer? 
I'm kind of thinking now on going to the antique store again and, if she doesn't bring in anything special (Tuesday she is to return with bottles for me to look through) then perhaps I'll pick up the NuGrape 1932 bottle (first bottle I found was one, broken) as well as one of their alcoholic Muskegon Bottling Works pieces. Hopefully one day you'll find a good Canadian bottling works alcoholic bottle you like and get it. They must be out there.


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## BottleCapKid (Jul 5, 2014)

Spirit Bear said:
			
		

> I'm 17! I'm old! Heh heh. People tend to be surprised that I'm not interested in 'normal' things a kid my age 'should' be into. Alas, that makes me odd and as not many people share the same interests in my age, that leaves me a 'lone wolf' as my teacher calls me (obviously she's blind since I'M A BEAR!)


Don't feel alone on here. Im only 21 years old.


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## Robby Raccoon (Jul 5, 2014)

Thanks, but here is a place where my interests are shared (to a degree) so I fit in better here than elsewhere.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Jul 6, 2014)

I'm still searching but so far have found the following ...

1900:  J.K. Rea listed as proprietor of Edenton Bottling Works
1908:  Edenton Bottling Company single story brick building located at 112 West Water Street
1914:  R. Madrin also listed as Rube Madrin
1914:  Rube Madrin associated with the "Great Council of the Improved Order of Red Men"


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## SODAPOPBOB (Jul 6, 2014)

P.S. So far I have only been able to find R. Madrin/Rube Madrin connected with the Edenton Bottling Company in 1914 and 1915 but it's possible he was involved before and after those years.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Jul 6, 2014)

According to these maps ... *1910*:  Edenton Bottling Company located on West Water Street *1920*:  Edenton Pepsi Cola Bottling Company occupied the same building on West Water Street


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## SODAPOPBOB (Jul 6, 2014)

Based on my preliminary findings, I would date your bottle to ... *Circa 1915*


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## SODAPOPBOB (Jul 6, 2014)

Still connecting the dots ... It's starting to look as if the transition year when the Edenton Bottling Company became the Edenton Pepsi Cola Bottling Company was in *1914*. What's interesting, is that Rube Madrin stayed on and became the proprietor of the Pepsi Cola Bottling Company and remained as such until at least 1921. I found another brief reference indicating Rube Madrin was the manager of the Edenton Chero Cola bottling in 1925. ( I believe Rube is a nickname for Reuben ). The Edenton Bottling Company building on West Water Street was built around 1908, but I do not know where they were located prior to 1908. All things considered, I don't think the bottle in question is Pepsi related, thus I am pushing back my previous date for the bottle from Circa 1915 and changing it to *Circa 1910*. Attachments ... 1.  The Albermarle Observer ~ Edenton, North Carolina ~ July 3, 1914  (100 years ago last Thursday) 2.  The Charlotte Observer ~ Charlotte, North Carolina ~ June 19, 1921


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## SODAPOPBOB (Jul 6, 2014)

I wanted to get this posted before I loose track of him - he's become a bit of a mystery man and this is the only thing I have been able to find on him. It's also the earliest date I have been able to find for the Edenton Bottling Works ( I'm not sure if the Edenton Bottling *Works *and the Edenton Bottling *Company *were one and the same business )  *Mr. J.K. Rea* From ... Fisherman And Farmer ~ (Newspaper) ~ Edenton, North Carolina ~ October 25, *1900*


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## SODAPOPBOB (Jul 6, 2014)

Here's another little mystery!

The bottle pictured below is described as follows ...

~ * ~

SUTTON & BARROW Art Deco SODA BOTTLE EDENTON, NORTH CAROLINA

~ 1930's ~

FEATURED: early machine-made SUTTON & BARROW Art Deco SODA BOTTLE from the small NORTH CAROLINA town of EDENTON (located between WILLIAMSTON & ELIZABETH CITY - northeast of ROCKY MOUNT)! Has ORNATE Art Deco design! Date Bottle made: 1930's! Stands about 9 3/8" tall. Front & Back have at Mid-Body: SUTTON / & / BARROW. Front Bottom has: EDENTON BOTTLING WORKS. Heel has: EDENTON, N.C. / D.O.C. 775-1. Base has: 8 FLD. OZS ~ * ~ Even if the date is wrong and the Deco bottle is from the 1920s and not the 1930s, it still has the word WORKS on it and not Company. Plus, we know the Pepsi Cola Bottling Company was in Edenton by 1914 and occupied the West Water Street building in 1920 which was formerly the Edenton Bottling Company in 1910. So who the heck made this (1920s-1930s) Deco bottle marked with Edenton Bottling Works? And who the heck were Sutton & Barrow? It apparently doesn't have Pepsi Cola embossed on it or else the seller would have said as much.  I'm beginning to think "Bottling Works" and "Bottling Company" were two entirely different concerns.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Jul 7, 2014)

The following timeline is the best I can come up with. I believe the names and dates to be accurate or very close to it. All information pertains to concerns in Edenton, North Carolina.  

*1900:  *Edenton Bottling Works located in city proper. Date established unknown. Most likely owned and           operated by J.K. Rea

*1908:  *Edenton Bottling Company established. Owner/Proprietor: Reuben "Rube" Madrin.
            Plant located at 112 West Water Street.

Note:   The two companies listed above are not one and the same and are owned and operated
           by different individuals.

*1914:  *Edenton Bottling Works and Barrow Bottling Works are basically the same company.

*1914:  *Edenton Bottling Company becomes Edenton Pepsi Cola Bottling Company.
           Owned and operated by Reuben "Rube" Madrin. Located at 112 West Water Street.

Note:   Reuben Madrin was born in 1877 in Nixonton, North Carolina - 31 years old in 1908.

*1920s-1930s ...*

*1.  *1924:  Reuben Madrin listed as President and Owner of the Edenton Pepsi Cola Bottling Company. 

*2.   *1920s-1930s?  Sutton & Barrow Deco soda bottle produced. Embossed with Edenton Bottling Works.


All thing considered, it appears the bottle in question was produced sometime between 1908 and 1914 and was most likely intended for various fruit flavored soda pop.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Jul 7, 2014)

P.S. Although not necessarily pertinent to this discussion, prior to 1908 there are numerous accounts showing the Madrin family were Undertakers in Edenton and that might have been where Rube Madrin acquired the money necessary to start his bottling business.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Jul 7, 2014)

P.S. ~ P.S. I forgot to mention the 1900 U.S. Census list Reuben Madrin as living in Nixiton, North Carolina at the time, was 23 years old, and listed as a Lawyer. This seems pretty young for a Lawyer, but it could easily have been his first job after completing college. And because I cannot confirm a direct connection between Reuben and the family of Undertakers, I intend to leave that subject alone and assume his money was acquired during his years as a Lawyer between about 1900 and 1908.


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## RED Matthews (May 14, 2015)

Well Buddy You sure get around on this Forum.  I keep reviewing old threads looking for different glass items.  I just recently found one on elephant bottles - I would like to get one, but I don't think they are all that old.  I prefer to stick with the mouth blown glass items.  At least I found out you are about 18  now. Do you have any early mineral water bottles?  I did a big review on the Saratoga water bottles and collected a lot of them.  My interest at that time was when they started chillingt the mold iron castings, to reduce the heat convection out ot the glass bottle, that caused the thick and thin glass solidification when the hot glass was blown against the mold wall.  They used to call it whittle.  No one whittled iron - that was done some in wooden molds.  I call it cole mold ripple - because that is what it was.  I also did a big study on the Ancient Age Gin Bottles - because the demand exceeded the production, and a lot of things were updated in the process of making them.  Have you found any of them ?  I have done a study on makers marks for hand made bottles.  They had their own mark to identify the bottles they made, no doubt for a lot of reasons like criticism and or incentive payment for quantity.  My trade college education has influenced my interest directions, I guess.  Best regards to you - I don't know if you will even get this blurp of communication.  RED M.


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## RED Matthews (May 14, 2015)

You kids amaze me!!!!   RED M.


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## RED Matthews (May 16, 2015)

You guy's tickle me.   I went through a lot a lot of stages in my youth and teen years.  My path was a lot different than yours. but my Dad called it the the College of Hard Knocks.  I have yet to put together the description of all the crazy things I did through my early years.   My Grandfather  was a great teacher.  He got me intl looking for Indian relics and arrow heads, because his farm was an old battlefield with the battles between Sullivan's army and the Seneca Indians.  He always teased me by going out in his yard and picking four-leaf clovers.  It took me a good four years of trying - before he told me to just look at the highest leaves.  It worked out well - and some times when I am n NY -I still do it.  A lot of my bottle books have four leaf clovers in them.   Nutty things still make me smile - thinking about them.  RED M.


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