HUNTINGTON
-- In 1886, Atlanta pharmacist John Pemberton originated Coca-Cola as a patent
medicine,
allegedly good for just about anything that ailed you headaches,
stomach problems, whatever. It proved a hit with
early customers but Pemberton
lacked the cash to capitalize on that popularity. Two years later, he sold the
formula to a businessman by the name of Asa G. Candler, who invested in
advertising
and began peddling Pemperton's creation in a larger area.
But what
really made Coca-Cola a huge success was a happy accident. By mistake,
a
drugstore clerk mixed it with carbonated water rather than the tap water the
stores
had been using. The result was such a pleasing drink that Candler
immediately
stopped selling it as a medicine and began promoting it as a
refreshing
beverage. The rest, as they say, is history.
Originally,
Coca-Cola and the many rival soft drinks it inspired was available only as a
fountain drink.
But before long enterprising businesses began bottling it so
customers could take it home to enjoy.
One such business was the Huntington
Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
Huntington
once was home to as many as a half-dozen soft drink bottling plants, but
without question
the Coca-Cola plant was the city's biggest and busiest. Its
building in the 400 block of 3rd Avenue was
immediately recognizable by the
large stone Coca-Cola logos engraved on its front and side.
The
Huntington Coca-Cola franchise was established by Julius Broh in the early
1900s and later headed
by his son, Harry "Pat" Broh. Between them, the father
and son operated the bottling plant for more
than 80 years. In 1984 an
out-of-town concern bought the Huntington franchise
and almost immediately
shut down the bottling operation.
Today, all
brands of soft drinks enjoyed by Huntington area customers
are bottled or
canned elsewhere and shipped here.
Huntington's old Coca-Cola plant building is still standing and has had
various tenants over the years.
The building's big stone Coca-Cola logos are
still there, highly visible reminders of the era
when the plant turned out
thousands of bottles of the popular soft drink every day.