Matagorda County History & Genealogy page
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following story on the former Coca-Cola bottling plant was taken from the Matagorda County History and Genealogy Page.
At the corner of Avenue A and Texas 35, the building now is mostly shrouded by overgrown trees and plants.
The text was taken from Bay City and Palacios newspaper accounts in 1934 and 1939.
Of note, the plant’s first manager was the nephew of the founder of Coca Cola.
Bay City Tribune, reprinted in the Palacios Beacon, Jan. 18, 1934
Land was broken today for the Coca Cola Bottling Company’s new plant in this territory, having been purchased several weeks ago from Mallick, operator and Franchise holder of the Coca Cola in this section for many years.
The building will be located on West Seventh Street, about four blocks from the square.
At an expenditure of many thousands of dollars, the Coca Cola Company plans to have in Bay City a plant that is beautiful and modern in every respect.
L.R. Weeks, contractor, stated that the building would be 35x140 feet on a 100x140-ft lot.
The grounds will be landscaped.
The plant is to be of reinforced concrete and fireproof brick, most modern of machinery will be installed, to assure the consumer that the drinks have been manufactured with the greatest of sanitation and resulting in a most delicious drink.
Weeks, of Houston, stated that he was using all local labor, with the exception of his key man.
Weeks is an engineer in the employ of C.E. Evans of Houston, part-owner of Coca Cola in Texas.
M. Lupton of Birmingham, nephew of the founder of the Coca Cola Bottling Company, is here now and will be the manager of the plant when it begins operation within the next few weeks.
Several counties will be furnished from this plant.