Name/Title
G&W Ginger Ale BottleEntry/Object ID
2017.1.5Description
Green glass bottle embossed on front and back with "G And W" inside a diamond and "A Columbia Product Pale Dry" around the outside the diamond. The bottom of the bottle is embossed "Columbia S.C. E23L6W1." Blob to lipped mouth.Context
In May 1926, Herman A. Gillis (c.1881-1951) and Paul Pressley Whiteside (c.1893-1955) founded the Big Bill Bottling Company at 926 Lady Street in the area known today as the Congaree Vista. A soda water manufacturer, the company became known locally for its "G&W pale dry ginger ale," which it unveiled in October 1927 and bottled in green soda bottles such as this one. Available for purchase at local grocery stores or by the case, one bottle of G&W ginger ale (the G and W are the first letters of the founders' last names) cost five cents in 1929 plus a two-cent bottle deposit. Renamed the Big Boy Bottling Company in March 1928, the company continued production of G&W ginger ale until April 1931, when it began manufacturing "the new popular drink Dr. Pepper" and was consolidated into the Dr. Pepper Company.Made/Created
Manufacturer
Big Bill Bottling CompanyDate made
1927 - 1931Place
City
Columbia, South CarolinaDimensions
Height
8 inDiameter
2-1/4 in
