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From the Morgue
Sharon Sanders
The Southeast Missourian's resident historian Sharon K. Sanders blogs about interesting pieces of local history pulled from the newspaper's morgue -- the place where our old editions are kept.
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Coca-Cola Bottling on West Broadway

Posted Thursday, October 25, 2012, at 12:00 AM

Despite my best efforts, I've been unable to locate a good photograph of the old Coca-Cola Bottling Co. on West Broadway. I've received many inquiries about the building, mostly in connection with the structures that were formerly in the neighborhood of McDonald's and Pfister's. The best image I've found of the Coca-Cola plant is this advertisement from Dec. 31, 1941, shortly after the building was constructed:

Alvin D. Milde of E. Milde Bottling Works of Jackson and J.R Hoffman of Milde Bottling Co. of Charleston, Mo., acquired a Coca-Cola franchise in January 1925, when they purchased the Coca-Cola plant located on Water Street in Cape Girardeau:

The Milde "soda water" firm was founded in 1894 in Jackson by Emanuel Milde Sr. His sons -- the above-mentioned Alvin D. and Emanuel Jr. -- operated the company after the founder's death in 1900. Alvin Milde took over sole management after his brother's death on Jan. 5, 1923.

Alvin  seems to have cornered the soda-manufacturing business in Cape Girardeau with the purchase in 1926 of Cape Bottling Co., 228 N. Pacific St. That firm was started in 1898 by Col. George Thilenius. His grandson, Arthur W. Thilenius, eventually took over management of the plant, even serving in that position under the Milde family. (The Milde family sold the Thilenius plant back to Arthur Thilenius in 1943.)

In 1940, construction began on a new Coca-Cola Bottling Co. facility at 2027 Broadway. The two-story structure was estimated to cost between $30,000 and $40,000. It was completed in the spring of 1941 and operated at that location until the 1960s under the management of John Robert Hoffman.

A 1985 Missourian article states that Charles Sander became the company's chief operating officer in 1966 and that year consolidated the Cape Girardeau operation with that in Jackson. This conflicts with a June 1969 article that states the Cape Girardeau plant had merged with the Jackson plant "a few months ago."

I believe the Cape Girardeau plant stopped operating in 1969, as City Directories still listed Coca-Cola on West Broadway through 1968.

In early July 1969, crews from the Crites and Sailer Construction Company demolished the brick building to make room for a new Cape Girardeau Federal Savings & Loan Association structure. That location is now Montgomery Bank.

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  • This aerial might show the building.

    http://www.capecentralhigh.com/cape-photos/pfisters-from-the-air/

    -- Posted by ksteinhoff on Thu, Oct 25, 2012, at 1:47 AM

  • One day in the mid-60's the Hoffman's three delivery vans were parked on Broadway during the lunch hour. The trucks' slanted racks into which the wooden containers of glass bottles were pushed had just been refilled for the afternoon deliveries.

    At the same time, Frank was driving south on Broadway in our 1952 Chevrolet delivery van. Apparently he had had a few drinks and failed to see the Coke vehicles, plowing into the rear one which in turn hit the second which then hit the third.

    Bottles flew as case after case slid down the racks onto the street. It took hours to clean.

    Needless to say Maurice Dunklin was not pleased about that claim, and Frank was the only employee I can ever recall my grandfather firing.

    -- Posted by JTL on Thu, Oct 25, 2012, at 6:51 AM

  • Frank Milde?

    -- Posted by ethicsinlife on Thu, Oct 25, 2012, at 1:48 PM

  • The Cape building looks like it was built to match the old Jackson building...the Jackson building is now covered by the County offices...The building plans must have been a prototype provided by the Coke company...many of the older plants from the early 20th century all have this same look and stonework...the one in poplar bluff also looked similar...

    -- Posted by jacksonjazzman on Thu, Oct 25, 2012, at 2:03 PM

  • Product aside, for most Cape baby boomers a visit to the Coke plant was a rite of passage chaperoned by a harried mother turned Cub Scout, Brownie or church school leader. Not only was the seemingly endless line of moving glass bottles fascinating, refreshments were served at tour's end. No braincells were expended in planning that meeting's activities.

    -- Posted by semowasp on Fri, Oct 26, 2012, at 6:23 AM

  • Fred Lynch posted an aerial image in his blog that provides the best image I can find, however I have seen a good photo pf the front of the building somewhere.

    https://www.semissourian.com/blogs/flynch/entry/49008

    -- Posted by Keith Robinson on Sat, Dec 10, 2022, at 7:05 PM

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