The Bottle, Alabama

The Bottle
Unincorporated community

A 1924 picture of "The Bottle".
The Bottle
The Bottle

Location within the state of Alabama

Coordinates: 32°40′34″N 85°29′11″W / 32.67611°N 85.48639°W / 32.67611; -85.48639Coordinates: 32°40′34″N 85°29′11″W / 32.67611°N 85.48639°W / 32.67611; -85.48639
Country United States
State Alabama
County Lee
Elevation 761 ft (232 m)
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-6)
GNIS feature ID 153675[1]

The Bottle is a community located in the northern corporate limits of Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Bottle is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 280 and Alabama Highway 147, five miles (8 km) north of downtown Auburn, and adjacent to the Auburn University North Fisheries Research Complex.

The Bottle is located at 32°40'34"N 85°29'11"W; its elevation is 760 feet (230 m).

The Bottle is named for the bright orange wooden replica of a Nehi soda bottle which stood in the location for nine years during the 1920s and 1930s. It has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.[2][3]

History

Built in 1924, and billed as "the world's largest bottle", The Bottle (sometimes referred to as The "Nehi Inn") was built by John F. Williams owner of the Nehi Bottling Company in Opelika, Alabama. The Bottle stood 64-feet (19.5 m) tall, and measured forty-nine feet (14.94 m) in diameter at the base, and 16 feet (4.88 m) at the cap. The ground floor was a grocery store and service station, and the 2nd and 3rd floors were living quarters and storage. The neck of the Bottle had windows so as to be used as an observation tower. The "bottle cap" was the roof. Inside there was a spiral oak stairway. The Bottle became a gathering place for tourists and locals alike to swap yarns and have parties every Friday night on the balcony above the service station.[4]

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt stopped briefly at The Bottle after visiting Auburn, as did Grand Ole Opry comedian Minnie Pearl.[5]

According to a 2001 account by W.A. "Arthur" Wood, The Bottle burned at 5:00 a.m. one morning in the fall of 1936.[6] In Jill's book there is a photo that states The Bottle burned at 4:30 a.m. in fall of 1936. Another newspaper article by Betty Douglas that has burned in 1933 but the copy in Jill's book has a handwritten line and 1935 written in and from another by Denise Shealey has a summer morning in 1935.[7] Jill located a newspaper article from 1937 that talks about the Bottle burning down last Thursday.[8]

Although the Bottle structure no longer exists, the name does (a historic marker with photo exists) and is still on Alabama maps listing the area as "The Bottle."

Today

Currently, in The Bottle's former location stands only an empty lot. The property was put on sale in 2005 by First Realty of Auburn. The land was purchased in early 2006 by The Hayley Redd Development Company

The Auburn Heritage Association held a historic marker dedication for “The Bottle” on April 25, 2015 at the corner of U.S. Highway 280 and Alabama Highway 147 (North College Street), which is the original location of “The Bottle.”[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: The Bottle, Alabama
  2. ↑ Thompson, George E. (2009). You Live Where?: Interesting and Unusual Facts about where We Live. iUniverse. p. 3.
  3. ↑ Duncan, Andy (2005). Alabama Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff. Globe Pequot. pp. xii.
  4. ↑ Buckner, Brett (May 6, 2001). "The storied past of a piece of Auburn 'pop' culture". Opelika-Auburn News.
  5. ↑ Buckner, Brett (May 6, 2001). "The storied past of a piece of Auburn 'pop' culture". Opelika-Auburn News.
  6. ↑ Buckner, Brett (May 6, 2001). "The storied past of a piece of Auburn 'pop' culture". Opelika-Auburn News.
  7. ↑ ebook by Jill Marci Sybalsky titled "Jill Marci and Her Ancestors Maternal Side (Library Edition)"
  8. ↑ Sybalsky, Jill (2015). "Lee County Bulletin July 22, 1937".
  9. ↑ Thursday, April 23, 2015, The Auburn Villager by Katy Thorson interviewing Jill Sybalsky and Anne Booth "Locals to remember 'The Bottle' in dedication"

Further info can be found in her book Jill Marci and Her Ancestors Maternal Side (Library Edition)

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