Dr Pepper / Circle "A" / Tru Ade
Company Names, addresses, dates1:
  Dr Pepper Bottling Co, 6101 Blair Road NW (1938-1965)
  Tru Ade Bottling Co, 6101 Blair Road NW (1942-1969)
  Mason's Root Beer Bottling Co, 6101 Blair Road NW (1957-1962)
Notes:
I'm not sure if Dr Pepper and Tru Ade were connected, but in Washington DC, they
were both bottled at the same address (6101 Blair Road NW). Mason's root beer
was also bottled at that address, but I've never found a Masons root beer bottle
that actually said "Washington DC" on it.
The bottling plant at 6101 Blair Road was started by Mr Wash B. Williams2.
It's possible that the plant produced soda in bottles under the name
Williams
between 1935 and 1937.
Circle-A brand doesn't show up in any DC directories, but the bottle says that it
was produced by the Dr Pepper company.
Some city directories for Seven-up say that they were "bottlers of Dr. Pepper since 1966"
and "bottlers of Tru-Ade since 1966"1.
There is a
Pal Ade
bottle with an applied color label (ACL) that says it was
bottled by "TRU-ADE BOTTLING CO, WASHINGTON, D.C.", so apparently the Tru-ade
bottling company in Washington DC also bottled PAL Ade at some point.
Bottles:
book # 213 This bottle depicts a clock with hands pointing to 10, 2 & 4. This was part of an ad campaign with the slogan "Drink a Bite to Eat at 10, 2, and 4 O'clock" based on a study that indicated people need a glucose lift at those 3 times. It is a clear 8.1" crown top bottle with debossing (letters are indented rather than sticking out). The debossing says: front: Dr. Pepper / GOOD FOR LIFE back: (picture of clock with hands on 10, 2 & 4) / 6 1/2 OZS base: WASHINGTON / DC |
|
book # 214 These are aqua crown top bottles. Left is 8" (6.5 oz) and right is 9.5" (10 oz). They have Red & White Applied Color Labels that say: both shoulders: Dr Pepper (in circle with 10, 2 and 4) front: Dr Pepper (in circle with 10, 2 and 4) / CONTENTS 6 1/2 FL. OZS. back: Dr Pepper (R) embossed on the base: WASH / DC |
|
book # (unlisted) This is a 9.7" aqua crown top bottle with red & white Applied Color Labels that say: both shoulders: Dr Pepper (R) (in oval) front: Dr Pepper (R) (in oval) / 10 FL OZ embossed on the base: WASH / DC |
|
book # 215 This is an 8" clear crown top bottle with some embossed design (3 rings around the neck and circles with A's in them), and black on white markings: front: CIRCLE "A" BRAND / (letter 'A' in a circle) / BEVERAGES back: CIRCLE "A" BRAND / THE SIGN OF / HIGHEST / QUALITY / BEVERAGES/ 7 FLUID OUNCES / PRODUCED BY / DR PEPPER BOTTLING CO / WASHINGTON DC |
|
book # 216 Similar to above but it's green and doesn't have the emobssed design on the neck & shoulders. It's an 8" green crown top with black & white markings: front: CIRCLE "A" BRAND / (letter 'A' in a circle) / BEVERAGES back: CIRCLE "A" BRAND / THE SIGN OF / HIGHEST / QUALITY / BEVERAGES/ 7 FLUID OUNCES / PRODUCED BY / DR PEPPER BOTTLING CO / WASHINGTON DC |
|
book # 683 This is an 8.5" clear crown top bottle with the original contents inside. It has a corn-cob like pattern on the shoulder and neck, and a white & red ACL that says: front: PASTURIZED / TRU ADE / Not Carbonated / VACUUM SEALED / CONTAINS FILTERED WATER, CONCENTRATED FRUIT JUICE % / SUGAR, FLAVOR, CITRIC ACIC, & ARIFICIAL COLOR back: NET CONTENTS 6 1/2 FL OZS / NO PRESERVATIVE USED / BOTTLED BY / TRU ADE BOTTLING CO / WASHINGTON, D.C. |
|
book # 683 This is an 8.5" clear crown top bottle similar to the one above, except it's 7 ounces instead of 6 1/2, and the list of ingredients is slightly different. The ACL says: front: PASTURIZED / TRU ADE / Not Carbonated / VACUUM SEALED / CONTAINS FILTERED WATER, CONCENTRATED FRUIT JUICE EQUAL TO 15% / NATURAL JUICE, SUGAR, FLAVOR, CITRIC ACIC, & ARIFICIAL COLOR back: NET CONTENTS 7 FL OZS / NO PRESERVATIVE USED / BOTTLED BY / TRU ADE BOTTLING CO / WASHINGTON, D.C. |
|
book # 684 This is the "king-sized" version of the bottle above. It's a 9.7" clear crown top bottle with a corn-cob like pattern shape on top, and a white & red ACL that says: neck: KING / SIZE / TRU Ade / TRU Ade front: PASTURIZED / TRU Ade / Not Carbonated / VACUUM SEALED / CONTAINS FILTERED WATER, CONCENTRATED FRUIT JUICE / SUGAR, FLAVOR, CITRIC ACIC, & ARIFICIAL COLOR back: NET CONTENTS 10 FL OZS / NO PRESERVATIVE USED / BOTTLED BY / TRU ADE BOTTLING CO / WASHINGTON, D.C. |
|
book # 684 This is the same as the bottle above except that the marking on the neck is a bit different. It's a 9.7" clear crown top bottle with a corn-cob like pattern shape on top, and a white & red ACL that says: neck: Tru-Ade / King Size front: PASTURIZED / TRU Ade / Not Carbonated / VACUUM SEALED / CONTAINS FILTERED WATER, CONCENTRATED FRUIT JUICE / SUGAR, FLAVOR, CITRIC ACIC, & ARIFICIAL COLOR back: NET CONTENTS 10 FL OZS / NO PRESERVATIVE USED / BOTTLED BY / TRU ADE BOTTLING CO / WASHINGTON, D.C. |