(January 29, 1958, 63 years ago): Ground was broken for the new 11,000-square-foot Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company plant at 509 East Edgerton Street in Bryan. In April 1953 Selwyn R. Shook and his son Roger H. Shook purchased the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company owned by Dierks Beverages at 117 South Beech Street. The plant was moved to 609 East Mulberry Street in 1954, and to the new East Edgerton Street facility in 1958. By 1974, the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company employed 41 people and also bottled Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Teem, Vernor’s, Mason’s Root Beer and Suncrest flavors at its Bryan facility. Its products were distributed in Williams, Defiance, Henry, Fulton and Paulding counties. The former Pepsi-Cola facility is today occupied by Power Train Components. This vintage image of the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company facility is from the Williams County Public Library Photographic Archives.
