The late Jim Croce wished he could save “Time in a Bottle.” The 1970s-era singer-songwriter was lamenting the fact that time goes by too quickly. He wanted to save every day “until eternity passes away” and spend it with his loved ones.
Unfortunately, we can’t save time in a bottle. But there are occasions when bottles tell stories about times gone by. Such is the case with the collection of old bottles owned by Lowell and Diane Kimble.
The Norfolk couple have been collecting historic memorabilia for years. Many of their items pertain to Norfolk, including a plethora of postcards showing scenes from Norfolk’s early days.
They also have a number of bottles that came from companies that were located in Norfolk years ago. Among the most unusual is the green, triangle bottle used by the Ankle Deep Beverage Co. that operated in Norfolk, David City and several other communities.
R. A. “Dick” Reid of David City, who bought the business in the early 1920s, designed the bottle “in order to be unique.” A 1931 advertisement in the Daily News said it was sold in triangle bottles only so customers would know they were getting genuine Ankle Deep manufactured in Norfolk. The beverage came in around a dozen flavors, with the flavor listed on the top of the bottle.
At one time, the Norfolk plant was located at 210 Northwestern Ave. The Depression and World War II led to Ankle Deep’s demise. Today, it lives on in the unusual bottles found in private collections and occasionally at auctions and flea markets.
The Kimble collection also includes three bottles from the Norfolk Bottling Co., including one with a red and white label spelling out “Nor Bo Co.” The company began operations around 1913. Twenty years later, it produced 500 cases of “soda water” a day as well as Ace Ginger Beer. It may have produced other beverages, also. At that time, William Koch owned the business, having bought it in 1925. In the 1960s, he sold the company to Melvin, Marvin and Gerald Hayes, who operated it as Hayes Brothers Pepsi-Cola until 1981, when they sold it to what is now Mahaska.
Two of the Kimbles’ bottles are embossed with the words “Graham Beverage,” which was a division of the Graham Ice Cream Co., that operated in Norfolk in the early to mid-1900s. According to the 1934 city directory, Graham Ice Cream produced ice cream, carbonated beverages and candy at its facility at 1205 Hendricks St.
A search of the Daily News’ archives revealed only one advertisement that included Graham Beverage. Dated June 4, 1941, it congratulated Jochum’s Bar on its grand opening. The bar was located at 503 Norfolk Ave.
A milk famine in Norfolk in the early 1900s caused J.W. Gillette to move to Norfolk and open a dairy in the basement of his house. He soon had a 30-gallon pasteurizer, ice box, milk wagon and horse, and Gillette Dairy was born. In the 1920s, he moved the business to 409 Madison Ave. and later to a plant on Omaha Avenue. Hiland Dairy bought the business in 1996.
Today, one of Gillette Dairy’s early milk bottles is included in the Kimble collection.
Another bottle — embossed with “Norfolk Brewery” and Habich & Co., Boston — actually does come from the Norfolk Brewery in Boston, which operated from the late 1800s to early 1900s.
Diane Kimble said the couple bought the bottles at various times and places. The couple, who were active in various organizations, including the Elkhorn Valley Historical Society and Antique Car Club, recently moved into a smaller house and are “downsizing,” so the future of the small pieces of Norfolk history is unclear. Kimble said they are considering donating the bottles to the Elkhorn Valley Museum or possibly selling them.
