# In search of Cotton club beverages info on RI bottle



## splante (Jan 5, 2013)

got another tough one to get infomation on
 these two cotton club beverage bottles date around 1951 they are the only 2 I have. I have seen one other that dates the same. No infomation on Cotton Club beverages Cranston RI, Iam wondering if it was short lived here in RI although it looks like it was popular in Ohio. All info points to Ohio, even the bottle is the same as Ohio except for the Cranston RI Label. it has a r in a triangle which = reed glass co NY (1927-1956) other then that dead ends. Surfaceone had replied to a pm with some info but again all points to Ohio.(see below)Any help or info greatly appreciated..i havnt had a lot of time to research but all I have are dead ends.


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## splante (Jan 5, 2013)

the backs


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## splante (Jan 5, 2013)

and the info from surfaceone
 Thanks for the Cranston information. Cotton Club spans closer to a hundred years, perhaps longer. I saw some in a plastic bottle at the grocery the other day and just about fell over, but was moving too fast to stop and see who was bottling it now. 

 The Bandleader & Band playing logo is the same as Cleveland. I couldn't believe it when I saw it in your Rhode Island collection. I've not found anything about Rhode Island in the little bit of Cotton Club history on line. Jay Beck has some beautiful examples. 

 "COTTON CLUB BOTTLING AND CANNING CO., a soft drink processing firm, began in 1902 as Miller and Becker, bottlers, at 272 Forest (now E. 37th St.). Founders of the company were Isaac Miller and Eli Becker. By 1906 the company had moved to 5908 Woodland and had been renamed the Miller-Becker Co. The company relocated to 6411 Central Ave. by 1928 and remained there for over 20 years. 

 Both Isaac Miller and Eli Becker remained associated with the company for many years. Miller was president from the 1910s until his death in 1939. By that date the firm was one of the largest bottling establishments in Ohio. Becker then served as president until his death in 1954. 

 In 1954 a new bottling plant was built at 4922 E. 49th St. in Cuyahoga Hts. That same year the company put its products into cans (instead of only bottles) for the first time. In 1962 the company opened its first warehouse in the Lorain area, as well as in Akron. A year later the company name was changed to Cotton Club Beverages and the Royal Crown Bottling Co. of Mansfield was purchased. By the early 1960s Martin E. Becker had become president and Rudolph R. Miller vice-president. 

 In the 1990s the company processed or distributed beverages including such brands as Cotton Club, RC Cola, Vernors, Squirt, Hires, Schwepps, Evian, Motts, and Diet Rite In 1998, the American Bottling Co. acquired Cotton Club Bottling Co. In 2000, American Bottling Co. announced that it would shut down its Cleveland-area plant and move production to Columbus." From. 

 I've found Miller-Becker Hutches that I swear date to the 1890's. So I'm a little surprised to see that 1902 date. 

 Are you interested in a Cleveland Cotton Club go with? I saw a 16 oz 1966 with some paint loss on my last trip to the basement. I've got some better 12 oz examples around here some place that are older. My storage system, or lack there of, leaves a lot to be desired. 

 Take care, 

 surf


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## RIBottleguy (Jan 5, 2013)

All I can figure is that they tried to start a chain like many big soda bottlers did.  I know there are Alka-Time ACLs from other states, and a Moose Head ACL from Boston.  I have to admit I really like the 3-Color Cotton Club ACL.  
 We should have an interview with the owner of Yacht Club Beverages in Centerdale. I'd ask him about a company and he knew all sorts of information.


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## splante (Jan 5, 2013)

all these are from cleveland

 http://bottlecapclub.org/


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## splante (Jan 6, 2013)

I agree ribottleguy that red white and blue version is awesome. wonder if one was produced in cranston RI


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## SODAPOPBOB (Jan 6, 2013)

splante ~

 I didn't research the Cotton Club Beverage history but I did find this collection of various Rhode Island soda and other types of bottles that I thought you might like to take a look at. I believe there are about 200 pictures total but not sure if all of them are of bottles or not. I haven't had the time to scroll/click through all of them.

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/40649249@N03/5966031032/in/photostream/

 Bob


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## SODAPOPBOB (Jan 6, 2013)

splante ~

 I don't mean to side-track your thread but I got excited when I saw this Brownie Club bottle from the link I posted. It's the first one I have seen with ...

 "Blue Ribbon Bottling Company" 

 All of the others I've seen have ...

 "Brownie Bottling Company"

 Have you ever heard of the "Blue Ribbon" company?

 Thanks.

 Bob


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## splante (Jan 6, 2013)

yuuup I ahve the script version, everytime I search blue ribbion bottling come up with Pabts blue ribbon
 I think I also have the one you pictured in 28 oz size


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## splante (Jan 6, 2013)

you stumbled onto Taylors  "RIbottleguys" picture library on flicker. He is a member here. Taylor has a lot of bottles and a lot of knowledge.


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## fishnuts (Jan 8, 2013)

My 8 oz. Cotton Club is a Reed  Glass marked '45'...Cranston.  fyi


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## splante (Jan 9, 2013)

if 45 is the year and I ASSume it is thats the earlies RI cotton club I have heard of thanks for the info


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## splante (Jan 14, 2013)

> ORIGINAL:  splante
> 
> compare cotton club to harmony club label is this a coinsidence???? both roots from cleveland ohio harmony club below.


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## splante (Jan 14, 2013)

and harmony club


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## JayBeck (Jan 15, 2013)

> ORIGINAL:  splante
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Is the Harmony Club bottle you posted from Rhode Island? Similar label but it was definately a different company.

 As for Cotton Club, surfaceone already provided the info that is available online. It would probably take a lot of searching at the library to find any more information about the company. All I can say for sure that was not mentioned in that article is that although Miller Becker dates back to 1902, the Cotton Club brand came later but dates to at least the 1930s based on the earliest ACL I have from Cleveland. There is also an embossed bottle from Cleveland that may date earlier. I'll try to find those when I get a chance and take a picture.

 The thing that stands out the most to me about your bottles is the embossed design on the shoulder. I have never seen any Cleveland Cotton Club bottles with that design embossed. It may be unique to Rhode Island. I don't know how they are connected but there must be some connection unless it was an unauthorized imitator. Your bottles are the first ones I have seen that are from somewhere besides Cleveland. 

 There is a similar instance of this small scale franchising from the Sunset Bottling Co of Cleveland, Ohio. They bottled brands such as TNT and SOS that can also be found from Hialeah, Florida but I have never seen any bottles from anywhere else. In this instance I think the owners just decided to move to Florida and moved the company there. As for Cotton Club, they were operating in Cleveland until the late 90s so they didn't move the company but it certainly appears to be a franchise. It would be interesting to know how long they were operating there.


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## celerycola (Jan 15, 2013)

There is an embossed Cotton Club on eBay today. It has a shape like the Miller Becker Ace Hy that was sued by Nehi.


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## splante (Jan 16, 2013)

no the harmony club pictured is from ohio, not known to be any harmony clubs from RI, I just thought the 2 labels were pretty much the same ,thinking maybe a name change somewhere along the line.....


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## hemihampton (Jan 16, 2013)

I got it in a old flat top can. No bottle. LEON.


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## splante (Jan 17, 2013)

any pics of the flat top


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## hemihampton (Jan 17, 2013)

Here it is. White can in middle of Pic. Dumped/Dug it in Northern Michigan. LEON.


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## splante (Jan 18, 2013)

like that can....ist it OhIO...looks decent for being dug


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## hemihampton (Jan 18, 2013)

You should of seen how rough it was before I cleaned it. Really bad, almost unreadable. It did clean up good & better then most. I'm pretty sure it is from Ohio, Cleveland. LEON.


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## carling (Jun 26, 2013)

Here's more confusion to add to the Cotton Club mystery.

 Here's one from 1941 from East Liverpool, Ohio, by the Ceramic Beverage Company.

 I live in Cleveland, and East Liverpool is less than two hours from me, and I've never seen this Cotton Club version.  East Liverpool is a very small little town, too.

 It is known that the Cleveland based Cotton Club branched out to Akron and Ashtabula, Ohio, and they added those cities plus Cleveland to their acl's. 

 I don't know if Cotton Club in Cleveland branched out to East Liverpool and Rhode Island, but it seems more like those other cities just copied their labels since they were so successful in Cleveland.   And Rhode Island went even a step further and copied the company name.  Maybe they all had to pay royalties to Cleveland.  Who knows......

 Rick


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## splante (Jun 26, 2013)

like it


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## carling (Jul 13, 2013)

hemihampton,

 Here's another version of the flat top can.  Sort of.

 Rick


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