Columbia Bottling Works


Company Names, addresses, dates1:
  Columbia Bottling Works, 911 2nd street NE (1920-1922)
  Columbia Orange Crush Bottling Co, 911 2nd street NE (1923-1930)
  Columbia Orange Kist Bottling Co, 911 2nd street NE (1932-1938)

Notes:
A Washington Post article from July 2, 1922 says that Stephen D. Lefas had started the Columbia Bottling Works 6 years ago (1916). It praised him for investing in soft drinks when at the time (pre-prohibition), soft drinks were not profitable.

Bottles:

columbia (enlarge) 10.9" aqua crown top (ABM) marked:
front: REGISTERED / COLUMBIA / BOTTLING WORKS / WASHINGTON D.C. / 1 PINT AND 8 FLUID OUNCES
columbia_2 (enlarge) 11.5" aqua crown top (ABM) marked:
front: COLUMBIA ORANGE CRUSH BOTTLING CO / (large C with O C B Co inside) / 911 2nd ST NE / WASHINGTON / D.C.
back: (star with C inside) / THIS / BOTTLE IS NEVER / SOLD AND MUST / BE RETURNED / REGISTERED / CONTENTS 24 FLU OZS
columbia_3 (enlarge) 8.2" aqua crown top (ABM) marked:
crown: 10 G
front: COLUMBIA BOTTLING WKS / (star with CBW inside)
back: REGISTERED / WASHINGTON DC / CONTENTS 7 FLUID OZS
lefas_1 (enlarge) There are at least 3 variations of this bottle: this one (which says "S. LEFAS" on the bottom), one that says "O.C.B. CO", presumably for Orange Crush Bottling Company, and one that has no company markings at all (see photo in the deco-soda section).
It is a circle-in-square-textured 7.6" clear (ABM) crown top marked:
heel: PATENT PENDING MIN CONTENTS 6 FL. OZ.
bottom: WASHINGTON D.C. / S. LEFAS / 3


Other Items:
columbia_ad This is an ad from a 1925 DC phone book.
kist_cap_01 This is a bottle cap. It is marked:
COLUMBIA ORANGE KIST BOTG. CO. / ARTIFICIAL COLOR / GOLDEN / ORANGE / KIST / REG US PAT OFF / A CARBONATED BEVERAGE / 1/20 of 1% BENZOATE OF SODA / CONTAINS SUGAR, WATER / ORANGE OIL, PULP AND JUICE / CONTS. 7 FL. OZ. / WASHINGTON DC


1 Boyd's Directory for the District of Columbia (various years)



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This page last updated on July 6, 2008.