Historic Columbus Foundation - House Museums
Janice Persons Biggers House - 700 Broadway
The Janice Persons Biggers House
700 Broadway is a two-story Italian villa-style townhouse that was restored for the offices of the Historic Columbus Foundation in 1977. Historic Columbus Foundation moved its offices in 2002 to the Rankin House, 1440 Second Avenue. In December 2006, the house was named for Ms. Janice Persons Biggers, the first Executive Director of the Historic Columbus Foundation.
700 Broadway was the only two-story brick home in the original city of Columbus. The exterior and interior of the walls are solid brick. The first floor is open to tour and has an appropriately furnished parlor, dining room, a library and a bedroom. Original mantelpieces are retained throughout the house. The ceilings are 14 feet high. The light fixtures in this house are gasoliers. The second floor, formerly bedrooms with a wide central hallway, houses the offices of the Junior League of Columbus.
700 Broadway stands on a lot surveyed as part of the original 1828 town plan. The home has had a storied past. It was occupied until recently by a series of influential families, including that of the late Georgia Supreme Court Justice Sterling Price Gilbert and during the Second World War served as an apartment building.
Displayed on the Back Porch walls are some of the different historic sights around Columbus. There are three National Historic Landmarks within the city limits. There are only 2000 in the country and 40 in the state of Georgia, and Columbus is home to three. One National Landmark is the Industrial Waterfront District, which includes the Columbus Iron Works. "The Iron Works, though less than a decade old in 1860, manufactured a wide variety of merchandise: kettles and ovens; brass castings; cast-iron columns and store fronts; sugar, grist, and saw mills; and steam engines to power these mills, cotton gins, and river boats." In 1860, Columbus was the second largest industrial city in the South after Richmond, VA. During the War Between the States, the Iron Works produced cannons and mortars, as well as engines and boilers for gunboats. It burned in 1902 but has since been completely restored. It now serves as the Columbus Convention and Trade Center.
The second National Landmark is the Springer Opera House. The Springer is a Victorian theatre built in 1871. It was almost destroyed in the 1960's to build a parking lot, but was saved and restored. The Springer Opera House is now the State Theatre of Georgia.
The third National Landmark is the Folly, the only double-octagonal house in the United States. The first octagon consists of a central chimney and a fireplace in each of the rooms, and the second octagon is a bedroom.
In the parlor of 700 Broadway, the stained-glass windows are original to the house. The fireplaces in this house are small because they are coal burning instead of wood burning. On the wall next to the secretary is a portrait of Dr. Edwin L. deGraffenreid. He was one of the five Governor-appointed Commissioners who directed the original town plan and survey of 1828. The city is in a grid pattern with the streets running east and west or perpendicular to the river and the avenues running north and south. The original plan did include a church square where many of the churches are still standing and a courthouse square where the Government Center Tower is today.
As a medical doctor, Dr. deGraffenreid felt that the streets in the downtown area needed to be wide for health and sanitary reasons. The doctor discovered that the reason people got so sick so fast was because they lived too close together. If they lived farther apart, diseases would be transmitted at a slower rate and frequency. As a result the streets in the historic district are 99 feet wide; avenues are 132 feet wide; and Broadway is 162 feet wide. Broadway is particularly wide because it was to be the chief residential street.
Dr. deGraffenreid was regarded by the Creek Indians as being an exceptional man. During an outbreak of smallpox, he treated their sick and saved many from death. To show their appreciation, they periodically gathered behind his house and seated themselves around a fire with blankets over their heads and muttered deep guttural sounds intended for blessings.
700 Broadway was the only two-story brick home in the original city of Columbus. The exterior and interior of the walls are solid brick. The first floor is open to tour and has an appropriately furnished parlor, dining room, a library and a bedroom. Original mantelpieces are retained throughout the house. The ceilings are 14 feet high. The light fixtures in this house are gasoliers. The second floor, formerly bedrooms with a wide central hallway, houses the offices of the Junior League of Columbus.
700 Broadway stands on a lot surveyed as part of the original 1828 town plan. The home has had a storied past. It was occupied until recently by a series of influential families, including that of the late Georgia Supreme Court Justice Sterling Price Gilbert and during the Second World War served as an apartment building.
Displayed on the Back Porch walls are some of the different historic sights around Columbus. There are three National Historic Landmarks within the city limits. There are only 2000 in the country and 40 in the state of Georgia, and Columbus is home to three. One National Landmark is the Industrial Waterfront District, which includes the Columbus Iron Works. "The Iron Works, though less than a decade old in 1860, manufactured a wide variety of merchandise: kettles and ovens; brass castings; cast-iron columns and store fronts; sugar, grist, and saw mills; and steam engines to power these mills, cotton gins, and river boats." In 1860, Columbus was the second largest industrial city in the South after Richmond, VA. During the War Between the States, the Iron Works produced cannons and mortars, as well as engines and boilers for gunboats. It burned in 1902 but has since been completely restored. It now serves as the Columbus Convention and Trade Center.
The second National Landmark is the Springer Opera House. The Springer is a Victorian theatre built in 1871. It was almost destroyed in the 1960's to build a parking lot, but was saved and restored. The Springer Opera House is now the State Theatre of Georgia.
The third National Landmark is the Folly, the only double-octagonal house in the United States. The first octagon consists of a central chimney and a fireplace in each of the rooms, and the second octagon is a bedroom.
In the parlor of 700 Broadway, the stained-glass windows are original to the house. The fireplaces in this house are small because they are coal burning instead of wood burning. On the wall next to the secretary is a portrait of Dr. Edwin L. deGraffenreid. He was one of the five Governor-appointed Commissioners who directed the original town plan and survey of 1828. The city is in a grid pattern with the streets running east and west or perpendicular to the river and the avenues running north and south. The original plan did include a church square where many of the churches are still standing and a courthouse square where the Government Center Tower is today.
As a medical doctor, Dr. deGraffenreid felt that the streets in the downtown area needed to be wide for health and sanitary reasons. The doctor discovered that the reason people got so sick so fast was because they lived too close together. If they lived farther apart, diseases would be transmitted at a slower rate and frequency. As a result the streets in the historic district are 99 feet wide; avenues are 132 feet wide; and Broadway is 162 feet wide. Broadway is particularly wide because it was to be the chief residential street.
Dr. deGraffenreid was regarded by the Creek Indians as being an exceptional man. During an outbreak of smallpox, he treated their sick and saved many from death. To show their appreciation, they periodically gathered behind his house and seated themselves around a fire with blankets over their heads and muttered deep guttural sounds intended for blessings.
North Parlor of 700 Broadway
The Pemberton House - 11 Seventh Street
The Pemberton House is a Victorian cottage with elements of Greek-Revival which was occupied by Dr. John Stith Pemberton and his family from 1855-1860. Dr. Pemberton, a pharmacist in Columbus and later Atlanta, was the originator of the formula for Coca-Cola. John Stith Pemberton was born in Knoxville, Georgia in 1833. He attended public school in Rome, Georgia where his family resided for years. In 1850, he completed his medicine and pharmacy training from the Reform Medical College of Georgia in Macon at the age of nineteen. In 1853, he came to Columbus and married a local girl - Ann Eliza Clifford Lewis. It is likely that he met his wife while in Macon. All the Lewis girls attended Wesleyan College in Macon.
Their only child Charles was born the year following their marriage. On November 20, 1855, the twenty-two year old pharmacist obtained property at 1017 Third Avenue for the sum of $1,950. This then is the first purchased home in which Dr. Pemberton lived. As a memorial to Dr. Pemberton the Coca-Cola Company gave this house, his "downtown home," to the Historic Columbus Foundation in 1969. HCF moved it to this address and began restoring it with funds donated by "friends of Coca-Cola." A master craftsman has restored this house to the regional style boasted when Dr. Pemberton lived here.
Dr. Pemberton sold this house in 1860 and moved from 3rd Avenue out "into the country" in a house that was located at the corner of 50th Street and 18th Avenue - now at 712 Broadway. The Historic Columbus Foundation moved the house to its present location in the Historic District in 1969.
During the time he lived in this house, he was involved in at least two drug businesses in the vicinity. At one time, Dr. Pemberton also operated a chemical laboratory where he manufactured many medicines, photographic chemicals, hair dye, perfumes and other cosmetics. He was very popular with the ladies for the perfumes he made, especially "Sweet Southern Bouquet."
At the Eagle Drug & Chemical Company, Dr. Pemberton dispensed from his soda fount a number of already manufactured drinks, but he was also known to have prepared and dispensed many of his own concoctions to the delight of his customers. He used his soda fountains as a means of testing for flavor and public acceptance. It is believed that "French Wine of Cocoa" was the forerunner of the now internationally famous Coca-Cola. It was originally a headache cure, as well as serving as a "cure-for-whatever-ails-you tonic."
During the War Between the States, Dr. Pemberton served the Confederacy as a First Lieutenant Calvary Officer. When promoted to Captain, he commanded Pemberton's Calvary under General Joe Wheeler. He was a Lieutenant Colonel when the War ended. Dr. Pemberton and his family moved to Atlanta in 1870. Columbus lacked the railroad network and the access to wider markets available to Atlanta. His move enabled him to personally supervise the analytical and manufacturing laboratories of the firm of Pemberton, Wilson, Taylor and Company, which was formed in 1869. From the time of his arrival in Atlanta until 1888, he established no fewer than 18 different businesses.
In 1886, the city of Atlanta introduced prohibition. This forced Pemberton to drop the reference to alcohol in the name of his beverage. He renamed French Wine of Coca to simply Coca-Cola and marketed it as the ideal "temperance drink." His intention was to retire from active practice and devote his full attention to promoting his coca and kola drinks, which were now making more money in a day than he formerly made in a year. Pemberton, with some moneyed men and other druggists, organized a company to raise capital to market his drinks. Unfortunately, Pemberton died only five months after the petition for incorporation was filed in the Fulton County Superior Court. Asa Candler, one of the moneyed men backing Pemberton, obtained control of the Coca-Cola formula. He became the driving force of the company and took Coca-Cola to new heights.
Dr. Pemberton died in Atlanta on August 16, 1888 at the age of fifty-five and it was reported all the drugstores in Atlanta were closed during the funeral. He is buried in Columbus' historic Linwood Cemetery.
The Pemberton House features an apothecary shop, and it is housed in an original outbuilding, formerly used as the kitchen. It has been carefully furnished to approximate the surroundings in which Dr. Pemberton worked when he was a Columbus pharmacist. Coca-Cola Company mementos, pharmaceutical items, a soda fountain, and advertisements of Dr. Pemberton's are some of the items on display.
History of Dr. Pemberton, Coca-Cola, and the Columbus Connection
Excerpts from Literature on Coca-Cola, Dr. Pemberton, Asa Candler, The Woodruff and Bradley Families
All works cited are found in the collections of Historic Columbus Foundation, Inc. From "The Chronicle of Coca-Cola Since 1886", published by the Coca-Cola Company, Atlanta, Georgia, 1973.
" The pleasant custom of enjoying Coca-Cola is an international language understood by people around the world. The familiar shape of the bottle for Coca-Cola and the script of its trademark are among the most readily recognized symbols known to man.
This worldwide product was originated under modest circumstances in Atlanta, Georgia. It began in 1886 with a pharmacist and druggist, Dr. John S. Pemberton who, according to legend, first produced the syrup for Coca-Cola in a three-legged pot in his backyard. The new product was placed on sale for five cents a glass as a soda fountain drink on May 8, 1886. The first sales on that May day were at Jacobs' Pharmacy in the very heart of downtown Atlanta.
Dr. Pemberton's partner, Frank M. Robinson, suggested the name and wrote "Coca-Cola" in the flowing Spencerian script of the day. Yet the first advertising for the product used simple block letters. The first newspaper ad for Coca-Cola appeared on May 29, 1886, in the Atlanta Journal, and invited Atlantans to try "the new and popular soda fountain drink." It also proclaimed that Coca-Cola was "Delicious and Refreshing," a theme that continues to echo today.
Later that year as more soda fountains began to sell the product, identification of the locations became important. Hand painted oilcloth signs reading "Coca-Cola" began appearing, attached to store awnings. Next, the word "Drink" was added to the name to tell passerby that the product was a beverage for soda fountain enjoyment. For the eight months of 1886, sales averaged 13 drinks per day. It was not a very auspicious beginning for a product whose sales by the end of 1972 averaged more than 155,000,000 drinks a day.
During 1886, sales of Coca-Cola for the most part were confined to Atlanta. Not until the next year did Pemberton begin to anticipate a horizon for his product extending beyond the Southern city. Even so, Dr. Pemberton was not destined to fully realize the importance of the beverage he had created. In need of funds because of ill health, he assigned to two Atlanta friends, for $1,200, a two-thirds interest, including the sole right to manufacture the syrup.
Four months before he died on August 16, 1888, Dr. Pemberton and his son, Charles, accepted $500 for all remaining rights to the product. The purchaser was Asa G. Candler, a naive of Villa Rica, Georgia, who had come to Atlanta from Cartersville, Georgia. 15 years previously, with $1.75 in his pocket, Candler thus owned one-third interest in Coca-Cola and became the second personality associated with the still unknown product. He proceeded to but additional rights and acquired complete.
In 1919, a group of investors headed by Ernest Woodruff and W. C. Bradley purchased The Coca-Cola Company for $25 million. The business was reincorporated as a Delaware corporation, and 500,000 shares of its common stock were sold publicly for $40 per share.
Four years later, Robert Winship Woodruff, Ernest Woodruff's son, was elected president of the Company, beginning more than six decades of active leadership in the business. Before joining the soft-drink firm, the 33-year-old Georgian had risen from truck salesman to vice president and general manager of White Motor Company.
The new president put uncommon emphasis on product quality. Mr. Woodruff established a "Quality Drink" campaign using a staff of highly trained servicepeople to encourage and assist fountain outlets in aggressively selling and correctly serving Coca-Cola. And with the assistance of leading bottlers, his management established quality standards for every phase of the bottling operation. Mr. Woodruff saw vast potential for the bottle business, so advertising and marketing support was substantially increased. By the end of 1928, Coca-Cola sales in bottles had for the first time exceeded fountain sales.
Robert Woodruff's leadership through the years took the Coca-Cola business to unrivaled heights of commercial sucess. Merchandising concepts accepted as commonplace today were considered revolutionary when Mr. Woodruff introduced them. The Company pioneered the innovative six-bottle carton in the early 1920s, for example, making it easier for the consumer to take Coca-Cola home. The simple cardboard carton, described as "a home package with a handle of invitation," became one of the industry's most powerful merchandising tools.
In 1929, the carton was joined by another revolutionary advance, the metal, open-top cooler, which made it possible for Coca-Cola to be served ice-cold in retail outlets. The cooler later was improved through mechanical refrigeration and automatic coin control. Factories, offices and many other institutions thus became outlets for on-the-spot refreshment.
Much like the trademarked bottle, a distinctive fountain glass, adopted as standard in 1929, helped advertise Coca-Cola. Still used at many soda fountains, these glasses are visible proof of the timeless popularity of Coca-Cola.
The 1933 Chicago World's Fair marked the introduction of automatic fountain dispensers, in which syrup and carbonated water were mixed as the drink was poured. Soda fountain operators had dispensed Coca-Cola manually since its creation in 1886, and visitors to the fair were amazed to see the attendant pour a drink simply by pulling a handle. By 1937, the automatic dispenser had become an important feature of the fountain and similar "post-mix" outlets. Today, modern fountain technology continues to dispense Company products faster and better than ever before.
Refreshment Knows No Boundaries
Perhaps Mr. Woodruff's greatest contribution was his vision of Coca-Cola as an international product. Working with talented associates, he established the global momentum that eventually carried Coca-Cola to every corner of the world.
In the first two decades of the 20th Century, the international growth of Coca-Cola had been rather haphazard. It began in 1900, when Charles Howard Candler, eldest son of Asa Candler, took a jug of syrup with him on vacation to England. A modest order for five gallons of syrup was mailed back to Atlanta.
The same year, Coca-Cola traveled to Cuba and Puerto Rico, and it wasn't long before the international distribution of syrup began. Through the early 1900s, bottling operations were built in Cuba, Panama, Canada, Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Guam. In 1920, a bottling company began operating in France as the first bottler of Coca-Cola on the European continent.
In 1926, Mr. Woodruff committed the Company to organized international expansion by establishing the Foreign Department, which in 1930 became a subsidiary known as The Coca-Cola Export Corporation. By that time, the number of countries with bottling operations had almost quadrupled, and the Company had initiated a partnership with the Olympic Games that transcended cultural boundaries.
Coca-Cola and the Olympic Games began their association in the summer of 1928, when an American freighter arrived in Amsterdam carrying the United States Olympic team and 1,000 cases of Coca-Cola. Forty thousand spectators filled the stadium to witness two firsts: the first lighting of the Olympic flame and the first sale of Coke at an Olympiad. Dressed in caps and coats bearing the Coca-Cola trademark, vendors satisfied the fans' thirst, while outside the stadium, refreshment stands, cafes, restaurants and small shops called "winkles" served Coke in bottles and from soda fountains.
Mr. Woodruff's vision of the international potential of Coca-Cola is still being implemented and refined by the Company, its bottlers and subsidiaries, building the Coca-Cola business into an unparalleled global system for providing a simple moment of pleasure.
Coca Cola and the Second World War
Following an urgent request from General Dwight Eisenhower's base in North Africa, Woodruff set up 64 bottling plants around the world to supply American troops during World War II. Many of these wartime plants were later converted to civilian use, permanently enlarging the bottling system and accelerating the growth of the company's worldwide business.
Their only child Charles was born the year following their marriage. On November 20, 1855, the twenty-two year old pharmacist obtained property at 1017 Third Avenue for the sum of $1,950. This then is the first purchased home in which Dr. Pemberton lived. As a memorial to Dr. Pemberton the Coca-Cola Company gave this house, his "downtown home," to the Historic Columbus Foundation in 1969. HCF moved it to this address and began restoring it with funds donated by "friends of Coca-Cola." A master craftsman has restored this house to the regional style boasted when Dr. Pemberton lived here.
Dr. Pemberton sold this house in 1860 and moved from 3rd Avenue out "into the country" in a house that was located at the corner of 50th Street and 18th Avenue - now at 712 Broadway. The Historic Columbus Foundation moved the house to its present location in the Historic District in 1969.
During the time he lived in this house, he was involved in at least two drug businesses in the vicinity. At one time, Dr. Pemberton also operated a chemical laboratory where he manufactured many medicines, photographic chemicals, hair dye, perfumes and other cosmetics. He was very popular with the ladies for the perfumes he made, especially "Sweet Southern Bouquet."
At the Eagle Drug & Chemical Company, Dr. Pemberton dispensed from his soda fount a number of already manufactured drinks, but he was also known to have prepared and dispensed many of his own concoctions to the delight of his customers. He used his soda fountains as a means of testing for flavor and public acceptance. It is believed that "French Wine of Cocoa" was the forerunner of the now internationally famous Coca-Cola. It was originally a headache cure, as well as serving as a "cure-for-whatever-ails-you tonic."
During the War Between the States, Dr. Pemberton served the Confederacy as a First Lieutenant Calvary Officer. When promoted to Captain, he commanded Pemberton's Calvary under General Joe Wheeler. He was a Lieutenant Colonel when the War ended. Dr. Pemberton and his family moved to Atlanta in 1870. Columbus lacked the railroad network and the access to wider markets available to Atlanta. His move enabled him to personally supervise the analytical and manufacturing laboratories of the firm of Pemberton, Wilson, Taylor and Company, which was formed in 1869. From the time of his arrival in Atlanta until 1888, he established no fewer than 18 different businesses.
In 1886, the city of Atlanta introduced prohibition. This forced Pemberton to drop the reference to alcohol in the name of his beverage. He renamed French Wine of Coca to simply Coca-Cola and marketed it as the ideal "temperance drink." His intention was to retire from active practice and devote his full attention to promoting his coca and kola drinks, which were now making more money in a day than he formerly made in a year. Pemberton, with some moneyed men and other druggists, organized a company to raise capital to market his drinks. Unfortunately, Pemberton died only five months after the petition for incorporation was filed in the Fulton County Superior Court. Asa Candler, one of the moneyed men backing Pemberton, obtained control of the Coca-Cola formula. He became the driving force of the company and took Coca-Cola to new heights.
Dr. Pemberton died in Atlanta on August 16, 1888 at the age of fifty-five and it was reported all the drugstores in Atlanta were closed during the funeral. He is buried in Columbus' historic Linwood Cemetery.
The Pemberton House features an apothecary shop, and it is housed in an original outbuilding, formerly used as the kitchen. It has been carefully furnished to approximate the surroundings in which Dr. Pemberton worked when he was a Columbus pharmacist. Coca-Cola Company mementos, pharmaceutical items, a soda fountain, and advertisements of Dr. Pemberton's are some of the items on display.
History of Dr. Pemberton, Coca-Cola, and the Columbus Connection
Excerpts from Literature on Coca-Cola, Dr. Pemberton, Asa Candler, The Woodruff and Bradley Families
All works cited are found in the collections of Historic Columbus Foundation, Inc. From "The Chronicle of Coca-Cola Since 1886", published by the Coca-Cola Company, Atlanta, Georgia, 1973.
" The pleasant custom of enjoying Coca-Cola is an international language understood by people around the world. The familiar shape of the bottle for Coca-Cola and the script of its trademark are among the most readily recognized symbols known to man.
This worldwide product was originated under modest circumstances in Atlanta, Georgia. It began in 1886 with a pharmacist and druggist, Dr. John S. Pemberton who, according to legend, first produced the syrup for Coca-Cola in a three-legged pot in his backyard. The new product was placed on sale for five cents a glass as a soda fountain drink on May 8, 1886. The first sales on that May day were at Jacobs' Pharmacy in the very heart of downtown Atlanta.
Dr. Pemberton's partner, Frank M. Robinson, suggested the name and wrote "Coca-Cola" in the flowing Spencerian script of the day. Yet the first advertising for the product used simple block letters. The first newspaper ad for Coca-Cola appeared on May 29, 1886, in the Atlanta Journal, and invited Atlantans to try "the new and popular soda fountain drink." It also proclaimed that Coca-Cola was "Delicious and Refreshing," a theme that continues to echo today.
Later that year as more soda fountains began to sell the product, identification of the locations became important. Hand painted oilcloth signs reading "Coca-Cola" began appearing, attached to store awnings. Next, the word "Drink" was added to the name to tell passerby that the product was a beverage for soda fountain enjoyment. For the eight months of 1886, sales averaged 13 drinks per day. It was not a very auspicious beginning for a product whose sales by the end of 1972 averaged more than 155,000,000 drinks a day.
During 1886, sales of Coca-Cola for the most part were confined to Atlanta. Not until the next year did Pemberton begin to anticipate a horizon for his product extending beyond the Southern city. Even so, Dr. Pemberton was not destined to fully realize the importance of the beverage he had created. In need of funds because of ill health, he assigned to two Atlanta friends, for $1,200, a two-thirds interest, including the sole right to manufacture the syrup.
Four months before he died on August 16, 1888, Dr. Pemberton and his son, Charles, accepted $500 for all remaining rights to the product. The purchaser was Asa G. Candler, a naive of Villa Rica, Georgia, who had come to Atlanta from Cartersville, Georgia. 15 years previously, with $1.75 in his pocket, Candler thus owned one-third interest in Coca-Cola and became the second personality associated with the still unknown product. He proceeded to but additional rights and acquired complete.
In 1919, a group of investors headed by Ernest Woodruff and W. C. Bradley purchased The Coca-Cola Company for $25 million. The business was reincorporated as a Delaware corporation, and 500,000 shares of its common stock were sold publicly for $40 per share.
Four years later, Robert Winship Woodruff, Ernest Woodruff's son, was elected president of the Company, beginning more than six decades of active leadership in the business. Before joining the soft-drink firm, the 33-year-old Georgian had risen from truck salesman to vice president and general manager of White Motor Company.
The new president put uncommon emphasis on product quality. Mr. Woodruff established a "Quality Drink" campaign using a staff of highly trained servicepeople to encourage and assist fountain outlets in aggressively selling and correctly serving Coca-Cola. And with the assistance of leading bottlers, his management established quality standards for every phase of the bottling operation. Mr. Woodruff saw vast potential for the bottle business, so advertising and marketing support was substantially increased. By the end of 1928, Coca-Cola sales in bottles had for the first time exceeded fountain sales.
Robert Woodruff's leadership through the years took the Coca-Cola business to unrivaled heights of commercial sucess. Merchandising concepts accepted as commonplace today were considered revolutionary when Mr. Woodruff introduced them. The Company pioneered the innovative six-bottle carton in the early 1920s, for example, making it easier for the consumer to take Coca-Cola home. The simple cardboard carton, described as "a home package with a handle of invitation," became one of the industry's most powerful merchandising tools.
In 1929, the carton was joined by another revolutionary advance, the metal, open-top cooler, which made it possible for Coca-Cola to be served ice-cold in retail outlets. The cooler later was improved through mechanical refrigeration and automatic coin control. Factories, offices and many other institutions thus became outlets for on-the-spot refreshment.
Much like the trademarked bottle, a distinctive fountain glass, adopted as standard in 1929, helped advertise Coca-Cola. Still used at many soda fountains, these glasses are visible proof of the timeless popularity of Coca-Cola.
The 1933 Chicago World's Fair marked the introduction of automatic fountain dispensers, in which syrup and carbonated water were mixed as the drink was poured. Soda fountain operators had dispensed Coca-Cola manually since its creation in 1886, and visitors to the fair were amazed to see the attendant pour a drink simply by pulling a handle. By 1937, the automatic dispenser had become an important feature of the fountain and similar "post-mix" outlets. Today, modern fountain technology continues to dispense Company products faster and better than ever before.
Refreshment Knows No Boundaries
Perhaps Mr. Woodruff's greatest contribution was his vision of Coca-Cola as an international product. Working with talented associates, he established the global momentum that eventually carried Coca-Cola to every corner of the world.
In the first two decades of the 20th Century, the international growth of Coca-Cola had been rather haphazard. It began in 1900, when Charles Howard Candler, eldest son of Asa Candler, took a jug of syrup with him on vacation to England. A modest order for five gallons of syrup was mailed back to Atlanta.
The same year, Coca-Cola traveled to Cuba and Puerto Rico, and it wasn't long before the international distribution of syrup began. Through the early 1900s, bottling operations were built in Cuba, Panama, Canada, Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Guam. In 1920, a bottling company began operating in France as the first bottler of Coca-Cola on the European continent.
In 1926, Mr. Woodruff committed the Company to organized international expansion by establishing the Foreign Department, which in 1930 became a subsidiary known as The Coca-Cola Export Corporation. By that time, the number of countries with bottling operations had almost quadrupled, and the Company had initiated a partnership with the Olympic Games that transcended cultural boundaries.
Coca-Cola and the Olympic Games began their association in the summer of 1928, when an American freighter arrived in Amsterdam carrying the United States Olympic team and 1,000 cases of Coca-Cola. Forty thousand spectators filled the stadium to witness two firsts: the first lighting of the Olympic flame and the first sale of Coke at an Olympiad. Dressed in caps and coats bearing the Coca-Cola trademark, vendors satisfied the fans' thirst, while outside the stadium, refreshment stands, cafes, restaurants and small shops called "winkles" served Coke in bottles and from soda fountains.
Mr. Woodruff's vision of the international potential of Coca-Cola is still being implemented and refined by the Company, its bottlers and subsidiaries, building the Coca-Cola business into an unparalleled global system for providing a simple moment of pleasure.
Coca Cola and the Second World War
Following an urgent request from General Dwight Eisenhower's base in North Africa, Woodruff set up 64 bottling plants around the world to supply American troops during World War II. Many of these wartime plants were later converted to civilian use, permanently enlarging the bottling system and accelerating the growth of the company's worldwide business.
Walkers - Peters - Langdon House - 716 Broadway
The Walker-Peters-Langdon House, a simple Federal cottage built in 1828, is considered the oldest house in the original city. The house dates stands on a lot surveyed as part of the original town plan. Colonel Virgil Walker, a highly respected Harris County landowner, purchased the original lot for $105.
It is believed to be a prefabricated house. The clapboard siding is original and the roof is covered with cedar shingles that have been restored. Many of the windowpanes are original to the house; the ripples in the hand-blown glass are clearly visible. Each window contains nine small panes on each sash. Not until advancements were made in glassmaking, in later years, do you find larger panes. Eventually, as progression continued, houses began to boast six over six panes, four over four panes and two over two panes. The original kitchen located in the basement is flanked by fireplaces at the north and south ends which are located directly beneath the fireplaces in the two main rooms on the first floor.
The Walker family had a cotton plantation in Harris County, and this house is believed to have served as their town home. However, descendants of the Peters family have speculated that they were in fact the first inhabitants of the home. They believe Virgil Walker bought the lot as an investment. Although there is no documentation to prove the latter theory, there exists a very persistent family tradition that Nathaniel Peters built the house in 1828 and moved in before construction was completed. Family oratory tells of how the Peters moved in prior to the windows being installed and hung blankets over the open spaces as a temporary solution. The family was anxious to move into a more populated area because Mrs. Peters feared Indians while living north of town.
Colonel Walker sold the Walker-Peters-Langdon House and lot in 1836 to Mrs. Dicey Peters. It is thought that perhaps an arrangement between Virgil Walker and Nathaniel Peters enabled Walker to hold the lot certificate as a type of mortgage security from 1828 until the lot and house were officially signed over to Mrs. Peters. In 1849, Mrs. Peter’s daughter Frances, who had married Will Langdon, obtained the house. Members of the Langdon family occupied the house for over a hundred years.
The outbuildings at the Walker-Peters-Langdon House are period buildings and are similar to those that might have stood in or around the present day garden. The dovecote, the drying house, and the "necessary" were originally located on a plantation near Fort Mitchell, Alabama. The garden is planted in period flowers and herbs.
The slave cabin was moved to this site from the downtown Columbus area. 10-15 slaves would live in a house such as this. The slaves may have slept in the sleeping loft with cotton ticking spread out in a layer for comfort.
There were two slaves from Columbus who became famous. The first was a man named Horace King. His owner, John Godwin, was a bridge builder and he assisted in the construction of the bridges. They built the first bridge across the Chattahoochee River. Horace was set free when his owner had some financial difficulties, but he continued to work for the company after he was free until the death of Godwin in 1859. Mr. King also played a major role in the rebuilding of the bridges and mills in Columbus after the War. A covered wooden bridge of Mr. King's still stands approximately 35 miles north of Columbus. He eventually served two terms in the Alabama House of Representatives following the War Between the States.
The second man was named Thomas Bethune or "Blind Tom." He was born as a blind slave in 1849. One day, at the age of eight, he was found playing the piano in the parlor. He could perfectly play any piece of music that he heard. From 1857-1890’s he toured the United States and Europe playing including performing for royalty and heads of state. He also composed music. Blind Tom had a stroke three weeks before his death. He died the day after he realized that he could no longer play the piano.
Both men are recognized by historic markers on the Black Heritage Trail of Columbus, Georgia. The corn mill at City Mills on Second Avenue was built by Horace King and is still standing today, awaiting future restoration.
The Historic Columbus Foundation acquired the Walker-Peters-Langdon House in 1967. The Foundation maintained its headquarters at this property for five years.
It is believed to be a prefabricated house. The clapboard siding is original and the roof is covered with cedar shingles that have been restored. Many of the windowpanes are original to the house; the ripples in the hand-blown glass are clearly visible. Each window contains nine small panes on each sash. Not until advancements were made in glassmaking, in later years, do you find larger panes. Eventually, as progression continued, houses began to boast six over six panes, four over four panes and two over two panes. The original kitchen located in the basement is flanked by fireplaces at the north and south ends which are located directly beneath the fireplaces in the two main rooms on the first floor.
The Walker family had a cotton plantation in Harris County, and this house is believed to have served as their town home. However, descendants of the Peters family have speculated that they were in fact the first inhabitants of the home. They believe Virgil Walker bought the lot as an investment. Although there is no documentation to prove the latter theory, there exists a very persistent family tradition that Nathaniel Peters built the house in 1828 and moved in before construction was completed. Family oratory tells of how the Peters moved in prior to the windows being installed and hung blankets over the open spaces as a temporary solution. The family was anxious to move into a more populated area because Mrs. Peters feared Indians while living north of town.
Colonel Walker sold the Walker-Peters-Langdon House and lot in 1836 to Mrs. Dicey Peters. It is thought that perhaps an arrangement between Virgil Walker and Nathaniel Peters enabled Walker to hold the lot certificate as a type of mortgage security from 1828 until the lot and house were officially signed over to Mrs. Peters. In 1849, Mrs. Peter’s daughter Frances, who had married Will Langdon, obtained the house. Members of the Langdon family occupied the house for over a hundred years.
The outbuildings at the Walker-Peters-Langdon House are period buildings and are similar to those that might have stood in or around the present day garden. The dovecote, the drying house, and the "necessary" were originally located on a plantation near Fort Mitchell, Alabama. The garden is planted in period flowers and herbs.
The slave cabin was moved to this site from the downtown Columbus area. 10-15 slaves would live in a house such as this. The slaves may have slept in the sleeping loft with cotton ticking spread out in a layer for comfort.
There were two slaves from Columbus who became famous. The first was a man named Horace King. His owner, John Godwin, was a bridge builder and he assisted in the construction of the bridges. They built the first bridge across the Chattahoochee River. Horace was set free when his owner had some financial difficulties, but he continued to work for the company after he was free until the death of Godwin in 1859. Mr. King also played a major role in the rebuilding of the bridges and mills in Columbus after the War. A covered wooden bridge of Mr. King's still stands approximately 35 miles north of Columbus. He eventually served two terms in the Alabama House of Representatives following the War Between the States.
The second man was named Thomas Bethune or "Blind Tom." He was born as a blind slave in 1849. One day, at the age of eight, he was found playing the piano in the parlor. He could perfectly play any piece of music that he heard. From 1857-1890’s he toured the United States and Europe playing including performing for royalty and heads of state. He also composed music. Blind Tom had a stroke three weeks before his death. He died the day after he realized that he could no longer play the piano.
Both men are recognized by historic markers on the Black Heritage Trail of Columbus, Georgia. The corn mill at City Mills on Second Avenue was built by Horace King and is still standing today, awaiting future restoration.
The Historic Columbus Foundation acquired the Walker-Peters-Langdon House in 1967. The Foundation maintained its headquarters at this property for five years.
Log Cabin - 708 1/2 Broadway
The Log Cabin is an example of a dwelling used by traders in the early 1800's prior to the settlement of Columbus and is considered to be the oldest structure in Muscogee County, about two hundred years old. The cabin was moved from its original location, in the northeastern quadrant of the county, ten miles from its present site. The dwelling was found in a tangle of undergrowth on the George C. Woodruff, Jr. family farm. In an effort to preserve the cabin, the family made it available to the Historic Columbus Foundation.
The Foundation dismantled and moved the cabin and then reconstructed it at its present location. The project was completed in the spring of 1988. The late Dr. Joseph Mahan, at that time historic preservation planner of the Lower Chattahoochee Area Planning and Development Commission, and Mr. Fred Fussell with the Columbus Museum guided the project. Lumpkin contractor, Henry Lynch, dismantled and reassembled the cabin.
According to Dr. Mahan and Mr. Fussell: such features as the unusual notching of the logs, the configuration of the building, its original earthen floor, the evidence of ashes in the middle of the room, and its rafters all blackened with smoke, all indicated the log cabin to be the kind of log building used by traders in the early 1800s, prior to the settlement of Columbus. It was built when the influence of Indian house styles was still present. It has much in common with the original section of the Yuchi Indian House at Westville.
The Foundation dismantled and moved the cabin and then reconstructed it at its present location. The project was completed in the spring of 1988. The late Dr. Joseph Mahan, at that time historic preservation planner of the Lower Chattahoochee Area Planning and Development Commission, and Mr. Fred Fussell with the Columbus Museum guided the project. Lumpkin contractor, Henry Lynch, dismantled and reassembled the cabin.
According to Dr. Mahan and Mr. Fussell: such features as the unusual notching of the logs, the configuration of the building, its original earthen floor, the evidence of ashes in the middle of the room, and its rafters all blackened with smoke, all indicated the log cabin to be the kind of log building used by traders in the early 1800s, prior to the settlement of Columbus. It was built when the influence of Indian house styles was still present. It has much in common with the original section of the Yuchi Indian House at Westville.
The Rankin House - 1440 Second Avenue
In 1968, the Rankin House at 1440 Second Avenue was donated to the Historic Columbus Foundation in memory of James Waldo Woodruff, Sr., a visionary community leader. Fully restored, its first floor is an 1850-1870 house museum and Research Library. On the second floor are the main offices of Historic Columbus Foundation, Inc.
The Rankin House was built for James Rankin, a planter and owner of The Rankin Hotel, who immigrated to Columbus from Ayrshire in Scotland. Work on this mansion was started prior to the Civil War but was not completed until the war ended. The construction of the house is attributed to Lawrence Wimberly Wall, a native of South Carolina who worked as a brick mason in Savannah before coming to Columbus in the 1850s.
The house is noted for its exquisite iron grillwork on the lower veranda and flying balcony. Wide heart-of pine floor boards, windowsills of cast iron, and hand-carved cornices and door frames are also distinctive features of the house. A structural focal point of the interior is the graceful solid walnut double stairway, which rises from both sides of a spacious center hall to a landing between the first and second floors.
The lower floor has been restored as an 1850-1870 house museum and decorated in the representative Victorian style of that era. Original colors have been used throughout the museum rooms. The fabrics in these rooms are specially created reproductions of materials of the period and were authenticated by a curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The marble mantels in the north parlor and the dining room are original to the house, as is the Rankin Mirror in the north parlor. The cornices in the north parlor are identical in detail to the mirror. The elegant sideboard in the dining room is said to be a duplicated of one which is on exhibit in the Louvre.
Period gaslight chandeliers are a highlight of the museum rooms. The music room boasts a rosewood piano of concert quality; a picture of Mr. Rankin, the home’s original owner; and a Rankin family petticoat table and ornate gilt mirror. A piano forte is displayed in the south parlor.
Another feature of the house is its original utility stairway. This exterior staircase served as a fire escape and as a means by which servants could discreetly gain access to rooms on the upper floor.
In an article entitled "People Who Live in Fine Houses", which appeared in the February 9, 1898 issue of Columbus's "Enquirer-Sun" newspaper, the Rankin house was valued at $18,500 and given a higher valuation than any other house within the city limits of the day. In 1972, the Rankin House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Restoration of the Rankin House and the furnishing of the museum rooms were accomplished through the cooperation of the Historic Columbus Foundation, the Junior League of Columbus, The Columbus Town Committee of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Georgia, and many interested individuals. Mrs. Charles Marion Woolfolk, the interior decorator, and Edward Warner Neal, the restoration architect, both Columbus natives, were particularly instrumental in the refurbishing of this house.
The fence enhancing the property formerly surrounded the upper Broadway townhouse of General Henry Lewis Benning, the Confederate war hero for whom Fort Benning is named. The Rankin House courtyard was given in memory of Charlie Frank Williams, a prominent Columbus civic and community leader.
The Rankin House was built for James Rankin, a planter and owner of The Rankin Hotel, who immigrated to Columbus from Ayrshire in Scotland. Work on this mansion was started prior to the Civil War but was not completed until the war ended. The construction of the house is attributed to Lawrence Wimberly Wall, a native of South Carolina who worked as a brick mason in Savannah before coming to Columbus in the 1850s.
The house is noted for its exquisite iron grillwork on the lower veranda and flying balcony. Wide heart-of pine floor boards, windowsills of cast iron, and hand-carved cornices and door frames are also distinctive features of the house. A structural focal point of the interior is the graceful solid walnut double stairway, which rises from both sides of a spacious center hall to a landing between the first and second floors.
The lower floor has been restored as an 1850-1870 house museum and decorated in the representative Victorian style of that era. Original colors have been used throughout the museum rooms. The fabrics in these rooms are specially created reproductions of materials of the period and were authenticated by a curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The marble mantels in the north parlor and the dining room are original to the house, as is the Rankin Mirror in the north parlor. The cornices in the north parlor are identical in detail to the mirror. The elegant sideboard in the dining room is said to be a duplicated of one which is on exhibit in the Louvre.
Period gaslight chandeliers are a highlight of the museum rooms. The music room boasts a rosewood piano of concert quality; a picture of Mr. Rankin, the home’s original owner; and a Rankin family petticoat table and ornate gilt mirror. A piano forte is displayed in the south parlor.
Another feature of the house is its original utility stairway. This exterior staircase served as a fire escape and as a means by which servants could discreetly gain access to rooms on the upper floor.
In an article entitled "People Who Live in Fine Houses", which appeared in the February 9, 1898 issue of Columbus's "Enquirer-Sun" newspaper, the Rankin house was valued at $18,500 and given a higher valuation than any other house within the city limits of the day. In 1972, the Rankin House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Restoration of the Rankin House and the furnishing of the museum rooms were accomplished through the cooperation of the Historic Columbus Foundation, the Junior League of Columbus, The Columbus Town Committee of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Georgia, and many interested individuals. Mrs. Charles Marion Woolfolk, the interior decorator, and Edward Warner Neal, the restoration architect, both Columbus natives, were particularly instrumental in the refurbishing of this house.
The fence enhancing the property formerly surrounded the upper Broadway townhouse of General Henry Lewis Benning, the Confederate war hero for whom Fort Benning is named. The Rankin House courtyard was given in memory of Charlie Frank Williams, a prominent Columbus civic and community leader.
