Samuel Farber / Whistle Bottling Co


Company Names, addresses, dates1:
  Whistle Bottling Co, N. St Asaph cor Pendleton, Alexandria VA (1920)
  Whistle Bottling Co, 401 F Street NE, Washington DC (1921)
  Farber Bottling Co, 401 F Street NE (1923-1924)
  Whistle Bottling Co, 703 N Capitol NE (1925-1928)
  Whistle Bottling Co, 703-5 N Capitol NE (1929-1930)
  Whistle Bottling Co, 1990 Bladensburg Rd NE (1931-1932)
  Whistle Bottling Co, 1842 Bladensburg Rd NE (1933)
  S. Farber Beer Distr. Co, 1842 Bladensburg Rd NE (1936-1938)
  Barq Bottling Co, 1842 Bladensburg Rd NE (1939-1940)

Notes:
Samuel Farber was born 1880 in Poland, and came to NY in 1903. He came to Washington DC in 1910, originally as a grocer but later became the proprietor of a bottling company. He retired in 1940.
I find it currious that many Farber bottles turn purple (Sun Colored Amethyst), which usually indicates that a bottle was made with Manganese, which was supposedly discontinued around 1915. Did Farber's bottles continue to use Manganese in the 1920s after everyone else had stopped, or was Farber making bottles before 1920?
Note that the first address I have for the Whistle Bottling Co was in Alexandria VA. The Rammel Mfg Co. was at that same address in that same year, so I don't know if they were connected. I'm also not sure if that Whistle Bottling Co is connected to Samuel Farbers Whistle Bottling Co. Whistle appears to be a national company that originated in the mid-west.

Samuel Farber Bottles:

farber_01 book # 233
These are 7.7" ABM deco crown top bottles (1 SCA and 1 clear) embossed:
front: SAMUEL FARBER / (6-sided star) / 6 1/2 FL. OZS. / WASHINGTON,D.C.
back: SAMUEL FARBER / (6-sided star) / 6 1/2 FL. OZS. / REGISTERED
farber_03 book # 234
This is a clear 8.7" ABM deco crown top bottle similar to the bottle above, except it's larger (10 oz), it's stipled, and it has a row of 3 circles on the front & back. It's embossed:
front: SAMUEL FARBER / (6-sided star) / 10 1/2 FL. OZS. / WASHINGTON,D.C.
back: SAMUEL FARBER / (6-sided star) / 10 1/2 FL. OZS. / REGISTERED
base: 4
farber_2 book # 235
This is a clear 11.5" deco crown top bottle embossed:
front: PLEA-MUTH / ROCK / (picture of rooster) / WASH, DC
right: PLEA-MUTH / ROCK / (picture of rooster) / 24 FL OZ
left: PLEA-MUTH / ROCK / (picture of rooster) / S.FARBER
base: PAT APPLIED FOR / 38B9
farber_05 book # (unlisted)
This bottle doesn't have a city embossed on it. It's a clear 8.6" deco crown top bottle with vertical ribs on the shoulder and heel. It is embossed:
front & rear shoulders: FARBER'S
base: S. FARBER / 62 B 32 / 6 1/2 FLU. OZ.


Whistle Bottles:
whistle_02 book # 717
This is a 7.8" clear machine-made crown top embossed:
both shoulders: WHISTLE / 6-FL. OZS.
base: WASHINGTON / AGW / 12 4 / D.C.
whistle_03 book # 718
This is a 7.8" aqua machine-made crown top embossed:
both shoulders: WHISTLE / REGISTERED / CAP. 6 1/2 OZ.
around heel: WHISTLE BOTTLING CO WASHINGTON DC
base: WHISTLE / REGISTERED / D O C 14 1
whistle_01 book # 719
This is a stipled, sun-colored-amethyst (SCA) 7.8" machine-made crown top bottle embossed:
front: WHISTLE / 6 1/2 FLD. OZS. / WASHINGTON, D.C.
back: WHISTLE / REGISTERED / S. FARBER
base: WHISTLE / REGISTERED

Other Items:
whistle_ad This is an ad from a 1925 phone book, listing "S. Farber" as the proprietor for the Whistle Bottling Works.
farber_cap_01 This is a bottle cap. It is marked:
FARBER BOTTLING WORKS / WASHINGTON DC / PALE DRY / FARBER'S / GINGER ALE / MIN CONTS 6 1/2 OZ.
The seller of this item on ebay said it was from 1934, but I have no proof of that.


1 Boyd's Directory for the District of Columbia (various years)

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This page last updated on February 11, 2020.