A Photo Essay of the Early History of Barq's Root Beer

Developed by Edward Barq, Sr., Barq's was the iconic root beer of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the greater South and eventually was marketed in cities from New Jersey to Hawaii. Barq bought the Biloxi Artesian Bottling Works on Keller Avenue in Biloxi in 1897 and invented Barq's root beer in 1898. It was there he began bottling his soft drinks (Figure 1). By day he and his wife sold the drinks, and then spent the rest of their time mixing the formula for them and refilling glass bottles. But first the bottles had to be sterilized and then each process had to be created in large pots in the couple's backyard. In 1936, Barq's operation was moved from Keller Avenue to a larger plant at 604 Lameuse Street, also in Biloxi. Demonstrating the product's appeal, by the 1950s, there were more than two hundred Barq plants across the United States.

Barq developed a line of soft drinks, including Barq's Sr. and Barq's Root Beer. Similar to root beer, Barq's Senior has its own unique flavor. But Barq's Root Beer was the older and turned out to be one of the most popular soft drinks in America. If someone asked for a "nicklebeer," as it came to be called, you knew it was a Barq's. Both Barq's Sr. and Barq's Root Beer became a leader in sales. A brochure from the Barq's Bottling Company claimed that 55.6% of all homes that purchased beverages in the 1950s chose Barq's. Tellingly, route men (distributors) were enthusiastic about selling and distributing Barq's. As one claimed, "It's easy to sell the best merchandise in any field, and Barq's is undoubtedly the best in the root beer field." Another pointed out that "the flavor of Barq's appeals to everyone" (Barq's Bottling). Barq also developed many other flavors, including strawberry, peach, orange, lemon-lime, black cherry, grape, ginger ale, and crème soda and was awarded a Gold Medal at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair for one of his first soft drinks, Orangine.

My family boasts a long history of being involved in the Barq's business from the early 1930s until 1976. My grandfather John Martin, Sr., and later my father, John (Jack) Martin, Jr., owned the Barq's franchise for the Hattiesburg-Laurel area from the 1930s through the 1950s. My younger brother Johnny Martin also worked at the Barq's plant. Over the years, my brother and I have collected numerous Barq's memorabilia—signs, bottles, cans, posters, logos, and advertisements—to document how and where this legendary soft drink was produced and how it was advertised. The photos of Barq's memorabilia that follow this essay reflect Barq's creativity in appealing to the taste of the times by taking advantage of various marketing strategies that won over appreciative consumers and thus increased business.

Perhaps the most popular advertisements involved painting the Barq's logo on the sides of various places that sold the product (Figure 2). Barq's distinctive royal blue and orange accented logo was ubiquitous in South Mississippi and elsewhere across the South. Before the 1950s, most rural Mississippi stores were unpainted, and displaying a Barq's logo was one way to get them painted. In fact, my grandfather actually hired a painter to travel to all of his locations and paint these advertisements. Small, inexpensive advertisements were also a popular place to attach to doors that lead in and out of stores (Figure 3). The logo was painted on Barq's trucks as well (Figure 4). There were even small, oval Barq's signs attached to trees in rural areas. Variations of Barq's colorful logo also appeared on cardboard signs throughout the 1940s and the 1950s (Figure 5) as well as being placed on doors in stores and restaurants. In the 1950s, many larger signs could be found in cafes and stores letting customers know that the businesses sold Barq's. Signs with chalkboards (Figure 6) were...