Collection:
Juneau—Douglas City Museum
Object ID:
2006.26.008
Accession#:
2006.26
Credit Line:
Donated by LInda Wahto.
Object Name:
Bottle
Title:
Hires Root Beer glass bottle
Description:
Hires Root Beer glass bottle. Front base of bottle has "12 FLD OZ NET" on the back base of bottle it has "CONTENTS". On bottom of bottle it has "Pat No 99839" and "Hires 5374" Man made bottle with a "crown cap" top associated with soda bottles after 1892. Clear glass with a "brown" tint to it, possibly from past contents or being buried in a ditch?

HIRES ROOT BEER CELEBRATES 125TH ANNIVERSARY
05 Jul 01

Philadelphia—born Root Beer is the Oldest Continuously Marketed Soft Drink in the United States.

PLANO, TEXAS, May 7, 2001 — Hires Root Beer, which was first introduced in 1876 at the U.S. Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, will celebrate its 125th anniversary this week.

"Hires Root Beer is not only America's original root beer, but it is also the oldest continuously marketed soft drink in the United States," said Tracy Burgess, associate brand manager for Hires Root Beer. "We are proud of the strong heritage of the product and the exceptional quality and taste it has provided consumers for the past 125 years."

To commemorate its 125th anniversary, Hires Root Beer will take part in a special celebration at 11 a.m. on May 10, 2001, at Memorial Hall in Philadelphia to honor the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which is also celebrating its 125th anniversary. Memorial Hall was the site of the Fine Arts Gallery at the U.S. Centennial Exhibition that took place between May 10, 1876, and Nov. 10, 1876, and was also the original location of the museum. As part of the celebration, Hires Root Beer will be served to guests attending the museum event.

Created by pharmacist Charles E. Hires, Hires Root Beer began as a delicious herbal tea made of roots, berries, and herbs. After perfecting the recipe in his drugstore, Hires officially introduced his beverage at the 1876 U.S. Centennial Exhibition, alongside several other new inventions, including Alexander Graham Bell's telephone, the Remington typewriter and Heinz Ketchup. To stand out in such company, Hires touted his root beer as "The Temperance Drink" and "The Greatest Health—Giving Beverage in the World."

Hires Root Beer quickly became a sensation. By the early 1900s, many homes in America had Hires Root Beer Kits, which allowed families to brew their own root beer by mixing dry extract with water, sugar and yeast at a cost of five cents per gallon. Despite the success of the home kits, Hires decided that he could sell more root beer if people didn't have to brew it. He later developed liquid concentrate and soda fountain syrup, as well as bottled root beer.

Through the years, Charles Hires stubbornly insisted on using more expensive ingredients and flavorings than his competitors. This may have frustrated his accountants, but Hires Root Beer ultimately became a product that was synonymous with high quality. That high level of quality is still appreciated by today's loyal Hires Root Beer consumers.
http://www.cadburyschweppes.com/EN/MediaCentre/PressReleases/hires_root_beer_050701.htm
Notes:
Collection donated by Linda Wahto, brought in by donor's daughter Myiia Whistler. According to Whistler, Wahto and Willette Janes would hunt bottles together. Bottles found in Treadwell/Douglas area. Some are from Myiia's grandfather's house/cabin on the Treadwell Ditch. He grew up there — they tossed garbage into the ditch. Mom/Grandma and Janes would bottle hunt up at the cabin site.
People:
Wahto, Linda
Janes, Willette
Whistler, Myiia
Search Terms:
Food
Restaurant
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