# BELLINGRATH COCA COLA LITTLE ROCK AR



## digger mcdirt (Mar 16, 2009)

Last night at Church a lady brought me a few bottles they had found Sat while tearing down a old shed on her farm. Among them was this one I have not seen before. It is very early abm or maybe even a crude applied crown top (it has the seams on side that do not meet up with the top seams and there is the ring around top neck area as if the two were put together very crude) it is embossed Bellingrath on both sides then below Property of Coca Cola Bottling Co then on the other side 6 1/2 fl ozs Little Rock Ark . I have not seen this one it doesn't seem to be like any Coca Cola flavor bottle I have seen before with a name embossed on it. Bottom has a large TLB and LR which I would say is the bottler and Little Rock. Anyone ever seen this one before? Is it a Coca Cola Soda Water or another product Coca Cola put out?


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## digger mcdirt (Mar 16, 2009)

Side 2 note crude top and the ring around it where it looks like the two were put together.


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## digger mcdirt (Mar 16, 2009)

Bottom I would say the TLB is the bottler and the LR is Little Rock


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## digger mcdirt (Mar 16, 2009)

Here's four that came out of the shed they were terrible but I soaked them last night and they came out good. The Chero Cola is from Ripley Tenn , the Bellingrath from Little Rock, the Pepsi is from Cookeville Tenn but it has a Jackson Tenn cap on it and the small sixe Dr Pepper ACL. She also found some plain meds and jars that she brought along.


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## digger mcdirt (Mar 16, 2009)

I did find out on line Bellingrath got one of the original Coca Cola franchises and bottled around Mobile and Little Rock. I would say it was his Plants Soda Water and he used his name so it would come back to them. bob


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## glass man (Mar 16, 2009)

NICE LADY TO DO SUCH A THING! THE BOTTLE YOU 1ST SHOW LOOKS LIKE A BI-MOLD MEETS THE BOTTLE MACHINE SOME HOW! JAMIE


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## capsoda (Mar 16, 2009)

Hey Digger, you have an unlisted Chero Cola there. It is not even listed on the good sites with the company's list of towns. That is a great find.


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## wonkapete (Mar 16, 2009)

Yep, that Bellingrath is very similar to the Selma one, I have pictured here.  There were several plants run by the Bellingraths.  Walter had the Coke plant in Mobile, and his brother had one in Selma.  Then, their sister or another cousin had the one in Little Rock.


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## wonkapete (Mar 16, 2009)

And I'm sure everyone is familiar with Bellingrath's Mobile, AL bottle.  If not, here is very ornate Bellingrath flavor water bottle.


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## digger mcdirt (Mar 16, 2009)

Thanks for the help that Mobile deco is neat I have not seen it before. bob


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## Dean (Mar 16, 2009)

Hi Digger.
 My Bellingrath from L.R. is the same as yours except the base embossing.  Bellingrath had bottlers in 3 Arkansas cities; Little Rock, Pine Bluff, & Camden.  They were in business in the Little Rock area in the period of 1915-1920.  I'll check with the Coke plant in Little Rock tomorrow and see if they have any other information on Bellingrath.  Thanks, Dean


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## Dean (Mar 16, 2009)

Digger,  Here is my L. R.,  Belingrath Coke.  Dean


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## digger mcdirt (Mar 16, 2009)

That Little Rock looks alot like this one. Seems to be several by that bottler. bob


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## celerycola (Mar 20, 2009)

The Little Rock Bellingrath was Theodore who came from Tuscaloosa AL. The following is from my book: Alabama Coca-Cola Bottlers and Their Bottles. 

 Dennis Smith


 Mobile	

 Opened by Crawford Johnson of Birmingham in 1902 and sold the next year to Walter. A. and William. D. Bellingrath of Montgomery. 

 Montgomery	

 Walter A. and William D. Bellingrath purchased the Montgomery plant from Crawford Johnson of Birmingham in 1903. 

 William Bellingrath was quoted in the Montgomery Advertiser in 1904: â€œThe soft drink trade this season is now at its height, and we are going to make a strong effort to sell coca-Cola and Bottled Soda Water to every dealer within our territory. We are not only in position to furnish the genuine Coca-Cola, but we manufacture and sell the best Soda And Seltzer Waters as well.â€

 Selma	

 Walter A. and William D. Bellingrath purchased the Selma plant from Crawford Johnson of Birmingham in 1903. 

 Their brother-in-law W. N. Brown managed the Selma plant at 1002 Water Street. The plant was later moved to 915 Greene St. Brown wrote his partners that the machinery worked only half the time. By 1911, Brown was selling over a million bottles of Coca-Cola annually within a hundred miles of Selma.

 Tuscaloosa	

 Opened in 1903 by Theodore L. Bellingrath, brother of Coca-Cola bottlers at Montgomery and Mobile. The bottling plant was at 6th and 23rd Avenue. 

 Bellingrath took charge of the Little Rock, Arkansas, Coca-Cola plant in 1910, leaving his brother-in-law, J. S. Burnett of Andalusia, manager at Tuscaloosa. 

 Dothan	

 Opened in 1906 as a partnership between W. A. Bellingrath and G. M. Lewis, who had previously worked for the Bellingraths in Mobile and Montgomery. The plant at 304 North St. Andrews had a single employee who bottled in the morning and made deliveries in the afternoon. 

 Andalusia	

 Coca-Cola was first bottled in 1909 by a partnership between W. A. Bellingrath of Montgomery and his brother-in-law, John S. Burnett, who managed the plant located in the Riley Building. With the help of his nephew, George M. Etheridge, Burnett ran the operation with a single foot-powered bottling machine and advertised â€œBottlers of Coca-Cola and High Grade Soda Waters.â€ Burnett took charge of the Tuscaloosa Coca-Cola plant in 1910.


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## wonkapete (Aug 13, 2009)

I just picked up a Bellingrath from Dothan.  Here's the Dothan next to the Selma.

 Dennis, do you know if embossed Bellingrath bottles exist from Andalusia and Tuscaloosa?


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## kastoo (Aug 13, 2009)

Yea, in Fort Valley, GA it was embossed Fort Valley instead of Bellingrath and I believe it was soda water.  I only found broke Fort Valley when I was stationed in the area.  They've since made that prime dig area into a plaza.  They broke a lot of prime bottles bulldozing.  The bulldozing brought a kajillion diggers.  I hear there's no place even to sneak a dig there, all grass.


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## bama1 (Aug 15, 2009)

are the montgomery belligrath's common?


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## bama1 (Aug 25, 2009)

I have a montgomery and a selma bellingrath. Do they bring anything? Hey wonkapete, I see you have some selma bottles. Are the central city bottling co. crown top bottles from selma worth anything? Also have selma produce company and richard & thalheimer bottlers hutch.


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## Bamaman1020 (Aug 25, 2009)

> ORIGINAL: wonkapete
> 
> I just picked up a Bellingrath from Dothan.  Here's the Dothan next to the Selma.
> 
> Dennis, do you know if embossed Bellingrath bottles exist from Andalusia and Tuscaloosa?


   I was asked and showed last night (8/25/09) a Bellingrath bottle it says at the bottom Tuscaloosa AL, property of coca cola bottling co and the bottom is stamped wit WAB and the number 3.  Anyone have any idea how old this bottle may be and how much it may be worth.  It was found by a man I work with and he is older and asked me to see if i could find out anythign about it.  It is almost a greenish color, and is very heavy and thick.  Any information would be great.  Thanks


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## wonkapete (Aug 26, 2009)

Bama1, I emailed you.  I'd be interested in the Montgomery bottle, if it's for sale.


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## pale scotsman (Jun 20, 2011)

Found a good read on the Bellingraths on the Andalusia (Alabama) star news website.  Here's the link - http://www.andalusiastarnews.com/2011/02/26/coca-cola-bottling-came-here-in-%E2%80%9805/

 I could copy and paste, but it's kind of long.  The Bellingraths lived in the tiny town of Castleberry, AL, saw the potential of a Coca-Cola franchise and went from there.  They made a ton of money, and helped quite a few relatives get into business along the way.


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## mikeodigs (Apr 15, 2018)

I found a Bellingrath in Little Rock and from Little Rock today, It's in very bad shape. the bottom reads, T.L.B. with just and L under the T.B.L.


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