Collectors
of Coca Cola memorabilia have been known to go to great lengths to add to their
collections, but they haven't yet figured out how to strip the paint off walls.
There is no doubt, someone, somewhere who has even moved into a former Coca-Cola
bottling works. Texas has by far the greatest number of these former plants than
any other state. Many are still vacant awaiting buyers. Monahans, Marshall, Beeville,
and Cuero are a few that we've seen for sale. Many others have been bulldozed
into parking lots.
Many of the hand painted signs that once advertised
the drink have been (with varying degrees of skill) repainted in small towns all
around Texas. The simple charm of the signs strikes a chord with people of a particular
age.
The once standard 61/2 ounce bottle of coke used to be embossed
at the bottom with the name of the local bottler. It would be interesting to know
the reason behind this extra effort. Surely there wasn't an attempt to keep them
within districts.
Abilene, Amarillo, Baytown, Beeville, Beaumont, Brownsville,
Coleman, Corpus Christi, Cuero, Del Rio, Denton, Eastland, El Paso, Fort Worth,
Galveston, Goliad, Henderson, Houston, Huntsville, Laredo, Lufkin, Marshall, Monahans,
Nacogdoches, Ozona, Paris, Pecos, Quannah, San Angelo, San Antonio, Tyler, Uvalde,
and Victoria are Texas towns that once had their own local bottling works.
In this section
we include images of Coca-Cola signs that are painted on small town walls, or
in some cases, images of the bottling plants themselves. Some of the signs are
"ghost signs" meaning faded but original work. Others are reproductions painted
on top of former signs.
Readers are invited to send in signs from towns that we've missed or haven't
yet found.
© John Troesser | |
Coca-Cola
FEATURES
Coca-Cola
Signs, Ghost Signs, Plants in Texas
Photos by Barclay Gibson Coca-Cola
Trucks and Bottling Works of SE New Mexico 1936 - 1965
Vintage Photos
from the Barclay Gibson Collection Painted
Signs in Fayette County 1938
IMAGESBottling
WorksBeeville
4-1-07 TerrellCars/TrucksCoca
Cola Advertising Cars, 1930s Coca
Cola Trucks, 1930sCoca
Cola Truck, 1928
Signs in
Texas Towns
AbileneBartlettBeltonBracken
1-12-08BuckholtsCameronCelinaCenter
Charlie
- Old box 4-5-07 Christoval
6-1-07 Clarksville
8-12-07Crockett
Colorado
CityCrosbytonCuero
8-3-08 DecaturFredericksburgJeffersonGonzalesGrand
Saline 1-18-08 HicoItaly
6-23-08 KnippaKiomatia
5-1-07 La
Vernia 4-21-08 Mexia
Nocona
5-11-07
PittsburgShiroSnook
7-30-08 Stamford
5-12-08
TiogaVan
Alstyne 5-24-07Wallis
7-10-08WellingtonWolfe
City 4-17-08
More
Texas Signs
Ghost
Signs
Old Neon |
