# Youngs Island RR, SC soda



## ACLbottles (Apr 2, 2016)

I picked up this bottle recently that I know nothing about, and I'd like to find out some more about it if possible. It seems to be a pretty rare bottle. Anyone know how hard to find it is? It's a BIM crown top soda embossed "Bryan's Springs / Carbonating / Works / Youngs Island RR, SC" in a circle slug plate. It also has This Bottle Not To Be Sold on the back heel. The bottle is a beautiful amethyst color. Just from the little bit of info I've found online about Youngs Island, it appears that the town name is misspelled on the bottle and that it is actually supposed to be spelled Yonges Island. It sounds like Yonges Island is part of the small town of Meggett, SC, which is located near Charleston. Does anyone know what the RR stands for? The only thing that comes to mind is railroad. Do we have any SC collectors on here or people who know anything at all about this bottle? Thanks for any info!


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## bubbas dad (Apr 3, 2016)

maybe rail road


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## SODAPOPBOB (Apr 3, 2016)

ACL

I took a quick look around and found these ...

Note: I'm confident the RR stands for Railroad and refers to the Atlantic Coast Line that terminated at Yonges Island 

http://townofmeggettsc.org/about-meggett/meggett-history/

In the early 1900s, Meggett was a thriving little town. Its economy was mainly based on the farming industry surrounding it.  A spur of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad ran through Meggett and terminated at a large wharf on Yonges Island near the Atlantic. Farmers shipped produce by water and by rail.


WorthPoint - Bryan's Springs bottle - Correct spelling "Yonges" with an 'e' 

http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/soda-bottle-bryans-springs-yonges-421290876

(Sellers copy/pasted description)

Extremely rare small town soda water bottle...damaged top...perfect donor top included, should you decide to have it repaired. "Bryan's Springs Carbonating Works Yonges Island R.R.,S.C." in slug plate. (near Charleston,SC) 

"This Bottle Not To Be Sold" on the back. 

Other than the chipped crown top, this is a pretty good bottle. 

We have only found one of these rare bottles undamaged in 25 years of searching. 

You are dealing with honest sellers and the actual diggers of our relics. 

All were found in South Carolina on private lands with permission.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Apr 3, 2016)

P.S.

ACLbottles 

I think its an interesting coincidence that your name and the Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) are the same!


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## SODAPOPBOB (Apr 3, 2016)

ACL

P.S. - P.S.

Because the WorthPoint seller said this ...

"We have only found one of these rare bottles undamaged in 25 years of searching."

... your bottle with the incorrect spelling might be rarer than theirs that has the correct spelling.


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## ACLbottles (Apr 3, 2016)

Thank you for your input Bob! I actually had found that Worthpoint listing and I was curious to see what it sold for with the damage. Makes me want to get an account! Thanks again!


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## SODAPOPBOB (Apr 3, 2016)

My WorthPoint subscription has expired ($20.00 per month) but the next time I reactivate it I will check the sold for price for the Bryan's Springs bottle.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Apr 3, 2016)

ACL

Talk about small towns ...

I just saw a reference that said the population for Yonges Island, S.C. in *1914* was only about *50* people.


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## ACLbottles (Apr 3, 2016)

Wow that's quite a tiny town! Sounds like it may be a pretty rare bottle.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Apr 4, 2016)

I discovered a couple of things that I hope to find more about later ...

1. The proprietor's full name was *George F Bryan*
2. He operated a general store and bottling facility in Yonges Island
3. I have seen listings for the company between 1911 and 1920
4. George F Bryan patented a boat propeller mechanism in 1903 and was located in Yonges Island at the time 

(More Later)


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## SODAPOPBOB (Apr 6, 2016)

I found this and am currently looking for the labels in lively colors that might be related to canned goods as well as bottles ...


http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bryan-1594

George Franklin Bryan and his wife, Martha (Wilkinson) Bryan, lived in a lovely old place on Yonges Island, South Carolina. George was considered quite a character by his descendants. He was a farmer, had a canning and bottling works the products of which he marketed with labels in lively colors and designs, was an inventor, and had a little grocery store! At the age of fifty, George was awarded a patent for an improved mechanism for propelling boats.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Apr 6, 2016)

*George Franklin Bryan*

Born: 1851
Died: 1925 (Age 74)

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=lowcountry&id=I02845

This gravestone is in a cemetery in Yonges Island, South Carolina


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## SODAPOPBOB (Apr 6, 2016)

1.  1919 map of Yonges Island. I marked in red where the Atlantic Coast Line railroad tracks used to be located. The rail line ceased operation to Yonges Island in 1951. One or more of the small black squares are probably the Bryan general store, canning operation, and bottling works ...




2. 2015 Google Earth - But no clear indication where the railroad tracks used to be. The numerous large buildings near the wharfs are a metal works company that's currently in operation there ...


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## SODAPOPBOB (Apr 6, 2016)

Here's the boat propelling mechanism that George F Bryan invented and patented in 1903 ...

(Notice that Yonges Island is misspelled)


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## OsiaBoyce (Apr 9, 2016)

Uhhhhhhhhhhh, hate to bring this to yall's attention, but RR on this bottle does not stand for 'railroad' but for...............get this RURAL ROUTE. If ya don't know what that is, it's the way many of us used to get our mail. It's also sometimes noted as RFD or RURAL FEDERAL DELIVERY. It's just an address and nothing more.


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## cowseatmaize (Apr 9, 2016)

Isn't that Rural Free Delivery?


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## SODAPOPBOB (Apr 10, 2016)

For the record ...

1. I stand corrected and am confident with relative certainty that the RR on the bottle stands for Rural Route and not Railroad

2. RFD stands for Rural Free Delivery and not Rural Federal Delivery

According to this *1914* newspaper article, the Yonges Island post office had two routes. One Rural Route and one Star Route. The Star Route mentioned in the article was most likely a boat delivery route along the various waterways in the area that delivered mail to the various island communities. The Yonges Island post office was established in 1888 and continued operation until the 1980s when a new central post office was built in Meggett to handle the surrounding area known as St. Paul's Parish, which included the towns of Adams Run, Hollywood, Meggett, and Yonges Island. The town of Yonges Island was named after Francis Yonge and Meggett was named after William Meggett.    

I did some additional research on the spur of the Atlantic Coast Railroad that terminated at Yonges Island and discovered the majority of goods shipped by rail went from Yonges Island to Charleston and not from Charleston to Yonges Island. Of course the railroad brought in a certain amount of goods for Yonges Island, but the main purpose of the line was to ship cabbage and potato related products, including enormous amounts of cabbage seeds, to all parts of the United States via Charleston.

The reason they were called 'Star' Routes is because back in the day (Mid 1800s) the postal people listed certain routes in certain ways and used asterisks *** for some of the rural routes. Because the asterisks looked like stars, they started calling those particular routes Star Routes. (Simple but true). The earliest use of the term 'Star Route' was in 1883 and has been used ever since.

[ 1914 South Carolina newspaper article ]


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## SODAPOPBOB (Apr 10, 2016)

Speaking of St. Paul's Parish and the township of *Adams Run* ...

Every U.S. Census I can find for George F Bryan, including the 1900, 1910, and 1920 census, all show him and his wife Martha (Mattie) as residing in Adams Run. Those same census list George as a 'Truck Farmer' and do not mention anything about his general store or bottling operation. I triple checked my sources and the census records are definitely for the same George F Bryan that was born in 1851 and died in 1925 and who also had the store and bottling works on Yonges Island. As near as I can determine, it appears that George and Martha maintained two residents, one in Adams Run and one on Yonges Island, but used Adams Run when it came to certain records such as U.S. Census. Even though I have looked, I cannot find a specific address for them on Yonges Island, but according to the attached 1910 Census, it list them as residing at number *59* in Adams Run. The term 'Truck Farmer' generally applies to anyone who grew and shipped products that were intended to be marketed as opposed to products grown for personal consumption, such as home gardens. It appears that George Bryan's primary occupation was that of a truck farmer with the store and bottling works as a sideline business. 

[ 1910 U.S. Census - Adams Run ]

Note: Adams Run is located about 7 miles northwest of Yonges Island


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## SODAPOPBOB (Apr 10, 2016)

SODAPOPBOB said:


> I found this and am currently looking for the labels in lively colors that might be related to canned goods as well as bottles ...
> 
> 
> http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bryan-1594
> ...



( I posted this earlier and is additional confirmation about George Bryan being a farmer )


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## SODAPOPBOB (Apr 10, 2016)

For future reference ...

Both of these snippets are from South Carolina directories ...

1. *1911* - This is where I first came across the name G. F. Bryan. Notice that Yonges Island is misspelled, which I have encountered numerous times throughout the course of my research. This is the *earliest* listing I have been able to find for the bottling works. George Bryan was 60 years old in 1911. 




2. *1921* - Notice this listing says Charleston. But I don't know if its a typo or was possibly referring to the county. As far as I know the bottling works was never located in Charleston proper. This is the *latest* listing I have been able to find for the bottling works. George Bryan was 70 years old in 1921.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Apr 10, 2016)

By the way ...

The *1880* U.S. Census list the same George F Bryan as a wood merchant and living in Adams Run. He was 27 years old at the time and married to Martha.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Apr 10, 2016)

Lastly ...

Here's George Bryan's 1925 death certificate that shows his place of death as being in St. Paul's/Meggett (Hospital?). Its signed by his wife Martha who list her address as being in Yonges Island. Martha died seven years later in 1932 at the age of 75


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## SODAPOPBOB (Apr 10, 2016)

P.S.

Even George's death certificate list him as a farmer with no mention of him as a grocer or bottler. I believe farming was his first love and that he kept at it his entire adult life.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Apr 11, 2016)

This pretty much wraps up everything I have been able to find in connection with the bottle in question ...

Its a 1920 document that list Bradstreet Company Stores. This was prior to when Dun & Bradstreet merged in 1933. I don't think the company actually owned the stores, but rather tracked them in connection with production, credit ratings, etc.

Note:  Even though it shows a population for Yonges Island of 200, based on what I've seen elsewhere, that count probably includes seasonal workers that moved into the area during peak harvest times. The average population for Yonges Island during the teens and 1920s was about 50-75 year round residents.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Apr 11, 2016)

P.S.

Notice there were at least eleven (11) general stores in Yonges Island in 1920. I believe there is another page of the document that list even more. Its possible that some of them were nothing more than seasonal vegetable stands.


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## ACLbottles (Apr 16, 2016)

I actually went ahead and got a worthpoint account because I had a lot of other stuff to look up, and the damaged example sold for $26, in case anyone wants to know. Thanks for your help Bob!


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## Tgdadamsrun (Nov 22, 2016)

*Another one*

We live in Meggett/Adams Run, and I just dug a bottle up out in the yard and googled the name.  Looks like the same bottle, a little different in color.  Excuse the dirt, but I haven't washed it yet.          QUOTE=ACLbottles;692065]I actually went ahead and got a worthpoint account because I had a lot of other stuff to look up, and the damaged example sold for $26, in case anyone wants to know. Thanks for your help Bob![/QUOTE]


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## ACLbottles (Nov 26, 2016)

Tgdadamsrun said:


> We live in Meggett/Adams Run, and I just dug a bottle up out in the yard and googled the name.  Looks like the same bottle, a little different in color.  Excuse the dirt, but I haven't washed it yet.         View attachment 176237 QUOTE=ACLbottles;692065]I actually went ahead and got a worthpoint account because I had a lot of other stuff to look up, and the damaged example sold for $26, in case anyone wants to know. Thanks for your help Bob!


[/QUOTE]

Would it be possible for you to post a picture showing the embossing on your bottle? Thanks!
And by the way, welcome to the forum!


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## Tgdadamsrun (Dec 11, 2016)

Would it be possible for you to post a picture showing the embossing on your bottle? Thanks!
And by the way, welcome to the forum![/QUOTE]


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## Tgdadamsrun (Dec 11, 2016)

Sorry, I had trouble remembering my password, so just now able to check this. I'll take pics and post shortly. Thanks for the welcome!


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## Tgdadamsrun (Dec 11, 2016)




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## Tgdadamsrun (Dec 11, 2016)

Sorry, the embossing is hard to capture..


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