Meadville Beer and Soda Bottles

This page features Meadville, Pa. beer and soda bottles, and related items. For Meadville Whiskey bottles see our Meadville Whiskey Page. For Meadville Pharmacy bottles see our Pharmacy Items Page.

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The City Ale Brewery Company image below, shows a new brewery company plant started in 1911, to enlarge and replace the original 50-year old facility. The Meadville Brewing Company image below, shows the 1912 facility. It occupies the same site, where Wm. Kerr built a distillery in 1840. In 1860 McCailey, Barth & Patterson remodeled it into a tannery. Then, in 1862, a brewery was started by Conrad Fisher, and in 1871 Frank Schwab purchased and rebuilt it. In 1903 a Pittsburgh group purchased the 13-acres and buildings.

Here is The City Ale Brewery Company image from the magazine An Industrial Magazine published at Meadville, Pa. 1912.
Here is a Meadville Brewing Company image that is from the magazine An Industrial Magazine published at Meadville, Pa. 1912.
Meadville City Brewery ad appearing in 1869-70 DIRECTORY of French Creek, Oil Creek and Allegheny Valleys, published by Joseph Wiggins, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Two more Meadville Brewery ads appearing in 1869-70 DIRECTORY of French Creek, Oil Creek and Allegheny Valleys, published by Joseph Wiggins, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Image M8 has three Meadville, Pa. beer bottles. See the text below for detailed descriptions.
Image M8a has four Meadville, Pa. beer bottles. See the text below for detailed descriptions.
Image M8b has four Meadville, Pa. beer bottles. See the text below for detailed descriptions.
Image M8c has three Meadville, Pa. beer bottles. See the text below for detailed descriptions.

Frank Schwab brewed beer under his own name from 1874 to 1903. In 1903 he founded the Meadville Brewing Company and used this company name from 1903 to 1905. He brewed beer under the Union Brewing Company name during 1905-1906, then went back to Meadville Brewing Company from 1906 to 1916.
In image M8 – the first hand blown blob top clear bottle (it still has its stopper) on the left, is embossed – (inside a circle) F. SCHWAB MEADVILLE PA. The back is embossed – THIS BOTTLE IS NEVER SOLD. The second blob top amber bottle is embossed – (inside a circle) MEADVILLE BREWING CO. MEADVILLE, PA. – (under the circle) REGISTERED. The third amber bottle is the same as the second bottle, but it has a bottle cap top.
In Image M8a – The first (blob top) and second bottles are embossed – MEADVILLE BREWING CO. – (a fancy eagle and shield) TRADE MARK – MEADVILLE, PA. The third (clear) and the fourth (amber) bottles are embossed the same, plus CONTENTS 11 ½ OZS.
In image M8b – the first blob top amber bottle on the left is embossed – (in a circle) ORRIS & MEEHAN MEADVILLE, PA. The second amber blob top bottle is embossed (in a circle) W.L. ORRIS MEADVILLE, PA. The third and fourth bottles are the same except one is amber and one is clear. They are embossed W.L. ORRIS MEADVILLE, PA.
In image M8c – the first amber bottle is embossed – (in a circle) D&K MEADVILLE, PA. The second amber bottle is embossed – (in a circle) BOYLE & BOYLE MEADVILLE, PA. The third amber bottle (1916-1933) has a paper label with a logo that has the letters FCVBCo entwined. It says CRAWFORD BEER BREWED AND BOTTLED BY French Creek Valley Brewing Co. Meadville, Penna.

This close-up of a real picture post card, shows four people standing around two stacked Meadville Brewing Co. beer cases, with beer bottles on top. (We used a magnifying glass to read the writing on the cases.)
See text for a description of image M16:
See text for a description of image M9:

Image M9 shows a wooden Meadville Brewing Company case. The front and back of the case says: MEADVILLE BREWING CO., MEADVILLE, PA. This case holds twenty-four beer bottles and has wooden dividers. It has a hinged lid, that has two iron hinges in the back, and a spring-loaded latch in the front. The latch looks like it could accommodate a small padlock or maybe a wire seal. The inside front and back says: T.F. ROWEYN CO. – MANUFACTURERS OF BOTTLERS CASES – ALBANY, N.Y. – MEADVILLE BREWING CO. MEADVILLE, PA. The next two images give a better look at the side and the inside of the Meadville Brewing Company wooden case.

Side of the Meadville Brewing Company Case.
Side of the Meadville Brewing Company Case.
Inside the Meadville Brewing Company Case.
Image E5 has four bottle openers from Meadville, Pa.

The bottle openers, on each end of image E5, both say – MURPHY’S MEADVILLE BOTTLING INC. 246 Race Street Meadville, Pa. Phone 814/724-4401. The second opener from the left is shaped like a woman. One side shows a clothed woman, and says “MADE IN U.S.A. PAT’D. The opposite side shows a woman’s head and arm, and says “LORENZO’S MALT STORE 894 WATER ST. MEADVILLE, PA. PHONE 419 R”. The third opener from the left, is shaped like a woman. It has a nude woman on one side, and on the opposite side, it says “CENTRAL TAVERN MEADVILLE, PA. WFK”.

During prohibition, the Meadville Pennsylvania Distilling Company, produced ginger ale under the name of French Valley Springs Incorporated, in Meadville, Pa. The company was shut down in 1924. The next eight images, show: one of their wooden cases, with an assortment of bottles and closeups of the bottle labels and matching case logo. They used pint and 8 ounce bottles. The bottles were produced in light green, dark green, and light blue. All the bottles were embossed on all four sides with the F over V company logo. They were also embossed on the bottom: FRENCH VALLEY SPRINGS INC. MEADVILLE, PENNA. The case shown below, held 24 pint bottles. The side of the case says: 24 FULL PINTS – French Valley – Ginger (company logo) Ale – FRENCH VALLEY SPRINGS Inc. – MEADVILLE, PENNA. U.S.A. The end of the crate says: THIS BOX AND BOTTLES Cannot be Sold Under Penalty of the Law.

French Valley Ginger Ale case and various bottles.
The different sizes and colors of French Valley Ginger Ale bottles.
French Valley Ginger Ale 8 ounce bottle with labels.
Neck label for French Valley Ginger Ale on an 8 ounce bottle.
French Valley Ginger Ale 8 ounce bottle, showing body label with company logo.
Close-up of the company logo on the French Valley Ginger Ale case.
Side of the French Valley Ginger Ale case.
End of the French Valley Ginger Ale case.
Here are the bottles that would have used the top and left bottle caps in the next image.
Honey’s bottle cap, CoCa-Cola Bottling Company, Meadville, Pa. – Royal Crown Cola bottle cap, Nehi Bottling Company, Meadville, Pa. and Ma’s Old Fashion of Meadville bottle cap, Meadville, Pa.
Image M10 has five Meadville, Pa. bottles. See text for details.

Image M10 has five Meadville, Pa. bottles. The first Hutchinson style bottle on the left, is embossed – (in a circle) G. ZIMMERMAN MEADVILLE, PA. (between the circle and the bottom) REGISTERED and a large Z on the bottom. The second blob top bottle (with the bail or flip top stopper) is embossed – (in a circle) W.R. BENNETT MEADVILLE, PA. (and on the back) THIS BOTTLE NOT TO BE SOLD. The third blob top bottle is embossed (in an arch) Wm R. BENNETT (straight) MEADVILLE PA. The fourth blob top bottle is embossed – (in a circle) Wm R. BENNETT MEADVILLE PA. The last (fifth) bottle is embossed: THURSTON’S CARBONATE SPRINGS MEADVILLE, PA.

Image M11 has five Meadville, Pa. bottles. See text for details.

Image M11 has five Meadville, Pa. bottles. The first bottle on the left is embossed – (on the shoulder near the neck) REGISTERED (in an oval) THE NEW MEADVILLE MINERAL WATER CO. BAIRD BROS. The second bottle is embossed – (in a circle) F.D. BAIRD BOTTLING WORKS MEADVILLE, PA. (3 lines near the bottom) CONTENTS 8 FLD. OZS. THIS BOTTLE IS REGISTERED NOT TO BE SOLD. The third bottle is embossed – (in an arch on the shoulder under the neck) REGISTERED (in an oval) FRANK D. BAIRD MEADVILLE, PA. (near the bottom) CONTENTS 7 FL. OZ. The fourth bottle is embossed up near the neck (in an arch) FRANK D. BAIRD (straight) MEADVILLE, PA. REGISTERED (near the bottom) 7 FLUID OZS. (on the bottom) a triangle with an R inside. The last bottle is round on the top, the shoulder and the bottom, but the body and the neck (about halfway) is eight-sided. It is embossed – (around the shoulder) FRANK D. BAIRD MEADVILLE, PA. (near the bottom) REGISTERED 6 ½ FL. OZ. (on the bottom) a triangle with an R inside.

Image M12 has five Meadville, Pa. bottles and a promotional matchbook. See text for details.

Image M12 has five Meadville, Pa. bottles. The first Hutchinson style bottle on the left is embossed – (in a circle) R. CUNNINGHAM & CO. MEADVILLE, PA. (between the circle and the bottom) REGISTERED (on the bottom) a large C. The second bottle is embossed – (in an oval) R. CUNNINGHAM & CO. MEADVILLE, PA. (just below the neck in an arch) REGISTERED. The third bottle has a curvy textured body. It is embossed – (at the base of the neck, front and back) WHISTLE REGISTERED, (front and back in the narrow part of the bottom) WHISTLE (same narrow part all the way around) REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. BOT PAT NO. 70843, 1926. (I put a Whistle promotional matchbook at the bottom of the Whistle bottle.) The fourth bottle is embossed – (in a circle) CITY BOTTLING WORKS MEADVILLE, PA. NET CONTENTS 8 FL OZ. (on the bottom) a large F. The fifth bottle is embossed – (in a circle) CITY BOTTLING WORKS MEADVILLE, PA. (between the circle and the bottom) CONTENTS 7 ½ FLO. OZ’S. THIS BOTTLE IS REGISTERED NOT TO BE SOLD (on the bottom) a large F.

Image M13 has five Meadville, Pa. bottles. See text for details.

Image M13 has five Meadville, Pa. bottles. The first and second bottles on the left, are the same except one is green (rare) and one is clear. They have six textured vertical panels, and are embossed – (at the base of the neck front and back) MEADVILLE BOTTLING WKS. (near the bottom) REGISTERED CONTENTS 7 FL. OZ. (on the bottom) MEADVILLE PA. 954. The third bottle has four evenly spaced vertical rib columns (each of 3 raised ribs). It has a textured neck and horizontal raised ribs between the neck and bottom. It is embossed – (one side in a diamond) O-C BEVERAGES 7 FL OZ. (the opposite side in a diamond) PAT’D JULY 20, 1920 ORANGE – CRUSH CO. BOTTLE (on the bottom) MEADVILLE PA. The fourth bottle is the same as the third bottle, except it is the shorter 6 oz. size and it doesn’t have a textured neck. The fifth bottle has a diamond ridge pattern molded into the glass from the bottom of the neck to near the bottom. It is embossed (in a slanted banner) ORANGE-CRUSH BOTTLING CO. MEADVILLE, PA. (near the bottom under the banner) REGISTERED (near the bottom opposite side 6 ½ FLD. OZS.

Image M14 has two Meadville, Pa. bottles. See text for details.

Image M14 has two Meadville, Pa. bottles. The blob top bottle on the left is embossed – (in a circle) McFARLAND & CO (arched) MEADVILLE (resume circle) PA. (on the back) THIS BOTTLE NOT TO BE SOLD_ (near the bottom) F.H.E. The blob top bottle on the right is embossed – (in a circle) WEST’S BOTTLING WORKS MEADVILLE, PA. (on the back) THIS BOTTLE NOT TO BE SOLD (on the bottom) PUTNAM 27.

This image shows a full and an empty F.D. BAIRD BOTTLING WORKS, MEADVILLE, PA bottles. The contents of the full bottle has stained the inside a dark brown. The empty bottle can be seen in Image M11 (second bottle from the left).
These three Ma’s labels are copyright 1948 by Ma’s Old Fashion of Meadville, Pa., Inc. The top two are for quart bottles and the bottom label is for the 12 oz. bottle.

Optical illusion: When you look at the loose paper labels, and then at the same labels on round bottles, they look like they’re not the same size. The loose label looks wider and shorter, while the label on the bottle looks taller and narrower. That’s because the label wraps around the bottle, giving it the illusion that it’s narrower than it actually is, and making it appear to be taller.

This image shows the Ma’s bottles that used the Meadville, Pa. paper labels. The 7 oz. clear and green bottles on the left, the 12 oz. clear bottle, and the quart green bottle (with its label). You can see the optical illusion mentioned above.
See text for a description of these Meadville, Pa. Ma’s Old Fashion bottles.

The image to the right, has eight different Ma’s Old Fashion Root Beer bottles, and one Ma’s Cola bottle. They are all marked: MA’S OLD FASHION OF MEADVILLE, INC. MEADVILLE, PA. The bottles on the left, are the old curvy style. The bottles on the right, are the sleek, modern style. The root beer bottles, are 7 oz., 12 oz., and quart sizes. The Ma’s Cola bottle is 16 oz. Most of these bottles are easy to find, made in the clear glass. The green glass bottles are harder to find, especially the quart bottles. The Ma’s Cola bottle, is also scarce. The next image shows three different sizes of Ma’s Old Fashion Root Beer cases (all three are marked on the case end: MEADVILLE, PA.). There are eight more images of these three cases, with a better look at the sides and makers marks.

Here are the three Meadville, Pa. Ma’s Old Fashion cases mentioned in the last text.

HERE IS A BETTER LOOK AT THE CASES SHOWN ABOVE:

Here is case #1 side view. It has wooden dividers and holds 12 quart bottles.
Here is case #1 end view. It has wooden dividers and holds 12 quart bottles.
Here is the manufacturer’s mark, inside case #1. It has wooden dividers and holds 12 quart bottles.
Here is case #2 side view. It holds 24 12 ounce bottles.
Here is case #2 end view. It holds 24 12 ounce bottles.
Here is the manufacturer’s mark inside case #2. It holds 24 12 ounce bottles.
Here is case #3 side view. It holds 24 7 ounce bottles.
Here is case #3 end view. It holds 24 7 ounce bottles.
Image M15 has seven Nehi and Royal Crown Cola soda bottles from Meadville, Pa.

Image M15 has seven Meadville soda bottles. All five NEHI bottles are embossed with a decorative short diagonal line decoration. The first bottle on the left has the middle embossed “NEHI” (twice) and 9 FLUID OUNCES MINIMUN CONTENTS – BEVEREGES – REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.” Embossed near the bottom “NEHI BOTTLING CO. MEADVILLE, PA.” The remaining six bottles are pyro-glazed (painted). The next two bottles are the same bottle in 12 and 7 FLU. OZS. They have the red and yellow NEHI label on the front and say “BOTTLE STERILIZED BEFORE FILLING – PROPERTY OF NEHI BOTTLING CO. MEADVILLE, PA.” on the back. The last two (fourth & fifth) NEHI bottles are the same bottle in 12 and 7 FLU. OZS.  They have a red and white label on the front. (The 12 OZ. bottle also has a red and white neck label that says NEHI). The backs say “BOTTLE STERILIZED BEFORE FILLING – CONTENTS 12 and 7 FLU. OZS. – PROPERTY OF NEHI BOTTLING CO. MEADVILLE, PA.” The last two (Royal Crown) bottles are also from the NEHI Bottling Co. Meadville, Pa. The last two bottles on the right have red and yellow labels on the front. The first Royal Crown bottle (sixth bottle from the left) has pyramids and “COPYRIGHT 1936 BY NEHI CORPORATION.” The last bottle on the right has a similar front label, but with no pyramids and no copyright date. All seven bottles in this image are “PROTERTY OF NEHI BOTTLING CO. MEADVILLE, PA.”

See text for a description of image M17:

Image M17 shows a wooden case from the Meadville Bottling Works, that is designed to hold six 28 oz. seltzer or siphon bottles. The bottles shown in the picture are from the Meadville bottling works and they would fit into this case. The case has wooden dividers and says: MEADVILLE BOTTLING WORKS MEADVILLE, PA. PHONE 708 – on the front and back. The ends of the case say: M.B.W.

R. Cunningham & Company, also bottled seltzer in Meadville, Pa. Here are the three R. Cunningham & Co. bottles we have, with the seltzer bottle in the middle.
Four more Meadville soda bottles. See text below.

The green bottle on the left, is a 6 ½ oz. VESS DRY bottle. It is embossed MEADVILLE PA. on the bottom. The next two bottles are Honey’s Beverages bottles. They both have stars around the neck. The front has a cheerleader with megaphone and “Honey’s Beverages.” The backs of both bottles have the ingredients and “PROPERTY OF COCA-COLA BOTTLING CO. OF MEADVILLE – MEADVILLE, PA.” The blue and yellow bottle, is probably the newer bottle, because it also has “7 FLUID OUNCES” on the back. The last bottle on the right, is a 6-oz. Coca-Cola bottle. This is an iconic bottle. This bottle has “MEADVILLE PA.” embossed in a circle on the bottom. We have three variations of the “MEADVILLE, PA.” embossing. They are the same except for the size of the lettering – small, medium, and large (see the next image).

Here’s a look at the three types of Meadville Coke bottle bottoms mentioned above (showing small, medium, and large letters).

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