It was never a destination to make on its own but something always on my list if I was nearby and lo and behold I was passing through Waco, Texas recently and had the opportunity to cross a visit to the home of
Dr Pepper off my list.
The Dr Pepper Museum resides in the old bottling facility of the Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company, so-called due to the artesian water well situated within the building and used as the original water supply for production. Dr Pepper donated the derelict building to the non-profit museum organization in 1988. While the museum officially opened in 1991, it took nearly a decade for the full restoration of the building to be completed in 1997. The museum receives support from Keurig Dr Pepper, but remains independent. In fact, they have received support from Coca-Cola as well and boast collections dedicated to the greater soft drink industry.
A large part of the first floor is dedicated to the history of soft drinks in general. Various photographs and artifacts are on display with descriptions of the historical use of natural springs and artesian wells and their curative benefits followed by the boom in health spas tied to wells throughout American and the scientific developments of both capturing and bottling gas as well as carbonating water.
The following is a sprinkling of some of the placards displayed in this lower entry area:
"In 216 BCE, Hannibal, commander of the forces of Carthage, paused his forty-six thousand troops and thirty-seven elephants at the fizzing waters of Les Bouillens near Vergeze, France before marching on to victory against the Romans. Today the spring supplies the world with Perrier water."
"The first carbonated tonic water was developed in 1858 by Erasmus Bond, owner of W. Pitt & Co., a soft drink company in London. Made with quinine, tonic water was used to fight malaria. Bond packed his tonic water with so much quinine that the British mixed it with gin to cut the bitter taste."
"Before 1900, syrup flavorings were created by mashing fruit, straining it through a sieve, and then adding sugar and water. The mixture was boiled and then stored in a cool place. Often the syrup spoiled. Henry Tilden found a solution in the sarsaparilla plant. Parts contained alcohol-based compounds that slowed ingredient decay. Once discovered, it became a mainstay in flavored syrup production to avoid spoiling."
"Charles Hires invented what is now the oldest surviving root beer brand in the United States. He aggressively advertised his creation. For ten years he put all his profit into advertising and made bold choices, including being one of the first advertisers in America to buy a full-page newspaper ad."
"In the early 1900's, many German and Russian Jews came to the U.S. and brought with them their love of seltzer. Seltzer quickly became a symbol of American Jewishness, as most seltzer companies were based in or around Jewish neighborhoods. One example was the Feigenson Brothers Bottling Works. Russian Jews Ben and Perry Feigenson started their company in 1907. Their first location was in a heavily European Jewish neighborhood in Detroit. Today their company is known as Faygo."
"Originally thought to be a cure for many things including fever, scurvy, rheumatism, kidney troubles, and even stress, fizzy water got its start in the apothecaries, also known as pharmacies, and health spas of Europe in the 1700s. With Joseph Priestley's findings, the soft drink industry was launched. Consumers preferred more convenient outlets to purchase their healing waters since the drink could now be made anywhere. The bottled beverage business was started to meet this basic market need. Jacob Schweppe, a Swiss bottler working in Great Britain, established himself as the world's first commercial bottler and manufacturer of artificial fizzy water."
Among the historical displays in this area was even a call out to Pluto Water, bottled in French Lick, Indiana home of the historical French Lick Springs Hotel and the Pluto Spring. There were some emptier spaces among the ground floor displays that looked a tad disappointing including what looked like a previous walk through turn of the century pharmacy soda fountain that was bare save for a couple of videos. The remainder of the first floor consisted of the room where bottling operations took place including many pieces of vintage machinery and the glass covered original artesian well.
Once up to the second floor a room or two was dedicated to the history of the building itself including pieces saved, recovered, or fixed during the buildings restoration through the 1990's. There also exists numerous displays of bottles and cans through the years. There is some advertising but I wish there had been a lot more of the vintage advertising on display. Perhaps one of the best bits was a small theater looping through Dr Pepper TV commercials from several decades.
Mixed among the second and third floors are collections on display of Dr Pepper and related brands, like 7-UP, from locations around the globe showing the evolution of bottles, cans, and advertising in many countries. A section is also devoted to the convenience store and its contribution to soft drink history using donated private collections.
When you've completed your tour of the museum there are two more small buildings to visit. Across the courtyard is the museum shop full of shirts, magnets, candies, and more. Then on to the soda fountain. When I visited an admission ticket got you one free classic soda, or $1 off your choice of signature flavors or ice cream floats. I opted to try the
Dark Berry signature flavor mixed by one of the soda jerks. With enough planning ahead, the museum also offers Make-a-Soda, and Liquid Lab experiences, a paranormal tour of the museum at night, or private tours. On the day of my visit, admission was $12, plus $10 for parking in their lot across the street.
