#Vernor's

[detroitlib]

View of the Vernor's Ginger Ale Company building. Printed on front: "Home of Vernor's ginger ale, Detroit, Michigan." Handwritten on front: "Atwater. Woodbridge. Mariners Church before moving." Printed on back: "An attraction to Detroiters and out of town visitors is the Vernor Ginger Ale Co. Located at the foot of Woodward Avenue on the Detroit River it serves a refreshing beverage and displays its assembly line technique for bottling its products. Pub. by Bennett Bros., Detroit, Mich."

Clarence Faber Collection

Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library

[fxdltc88]

James Vernor was a junior clerk at Higby and Sterns’ Drug Store in Detroit when he enlisted in the 4th Michigan Cavalry and was called to fight in the Civil War. At the time (according to company lore), he was experimenting with a stomach calming tonic of vanilla, spices and ginger, which he left behind in an oak cask. When Vernor returned four years later, he found that his elixir had transformed into a zesty, sweet, gingery drink complimented by the wood’s aging process. Soon after, Vernor opened his own pharmacy 235 Woodward Avenue, and its soda fountain became the first – and only! – place in the world to buy Vernor’s ginger ale in 1866.

Vernor was admired as a pharmacist. He closely scrutinized his prescriptions for quality, accuracy, and possible drug interactions. Vernor was meticulous about his work. Everything he did needed to meet his high standards. He served on the State Board of Pharmacy for eight years and was one of the driving forces to pass the state's first pharmacy law. He held Michigan's pharmacy license #1 all the years he practiced.

Like all good pharmacists, Vernor also had a soda fountain in his drug store.

As demand grew, Vernor began to sell his product to other Detroit soda fountains, but required that vendors purchase special equipment to serve the soda in order to ensure its quality. After gaining enough fame, Vernor was able to sell his soda throughout the Midwest. In 1896, he closed his pharmacy and opened a bottling plant at the foot of Woodward so that Vernors could be mass produced. 

James Vernor passed away at the age of 84 in 1927. The Vernor family was once asked when the first Mr. Vernor retired from business. The answer was, "A few hours before he died." He was a hard-working and energetic man. One that made his mark on the city of Detroit with both business and civic contributions.

The second James Vernor came into the business as early as he could, working alongside his father in the old drug store. In the beginning, the father and son team were the only employees. They often worked 16 hour days together washing bottles, making and bottling the ginger ale, delivering it to various sites in the city, and taking care of clerical duties. He was born in Detroit on March 25, 1877. It wasn't until his father died in 1927, though, that he became President of the James Vernor Company. It was in a great way due to the second James Vernor's influence and style that the company grew into an international organization. In 1896, James Vernor II entered the business and his father decided to concentrate full time on ginger ale.

The same standards that had been applied to the consistency of his prescriptions were applied to the consistency of Vernor's Ginger Ale. The water had to be specially purified. The blending needed the finest Jamaican Ginger distilled in the absolute proper proportion with other fruit juices. Even the carbonic gas used was produced by Vernor so it would meet their requirements.

In 1896, James Vernor II entered the business and his father decided to concentrate full time on ginger ale.

The drug store was closed in 1896 and a small plant established at the foot of Woodward Avenue, several blocks from his former drug store's location. The plant was devoted to the blending, aging, and bottling of Vernor's Ginger Ale.

In 1918, Vernor purchased the old Riverside Power Plant. In 1919 a six story main building was erected adjacent to the other two. In 1939, the 10-story Siegel building was purchased and renovated. In 1941, the "most modern bottling facility in the world" was completed at 239 Woodward Avenue.

The plant also had a spectacular soda fountain. Everyone who lived in Detroit in the 1940's and 1950's has a story about going to the Vernor's soda fountain, usually before or after a ride on the Bob-lo Boat. One of the favorite drinks to have was a Boston Cooler. The drink is a milkshake-like mixture of Vernor's and vanilla ice cream. Contrary to many incorrect web sites, the Boston Cooler is not named after Boston Boulevard in Detroit. At that period of time, any soda pop mixed with ice cream was called a Boston Cooler. So, you could have a Hire's Boston Cooler or a Vernor's Boston Cooler. Vernor's copyrighted the name in the late 1960’s.

James Vernor II had a son; another James Vernor. James Vernor III also had a son; James Vernor. Yet, the company did not pass on to either one of them. It is impossible to predict if the company would have remained in the family if either had been president. J. Vernor Davis, the grandson of the founder, took over the presidency of the company.

The James Vernor Company had always been a family owned company. The death of James Vernor II in 1954 forced the company to sell some stock to the public. In 1957, James Vernor III died. His majority ownership of Vernor’s went through a court battle and was ultimately sold to investors. As a result, Vernor’s was no longer in the hands of the founding family. Vernor's became Vernors in 1959. (Note the lack of the apostrophe between the 'r' and the 's'.)

Vernor Davis had been with the firm since 1931. Prior to the death of his uncle, he became president of the company, in 1952. James Vernor III was concurrently named vice president. Under Davis' leadership, company sales grew tremendously. A stockholder's annual report from 1963 indicates sales grew from just over $6,000,000 in 1961 to over $9,000,000 in 1963.

In 1966, the one hundredth birthday of the James Vernor Company, Davis became chairman of the board. That same year, Vernors was sold to another group of investors, members of the New York Stock Exchange. The company would soon go through a number of different owners.

Again in 1971, Vernors was sold to American Consumer Products. By 1979, another company, United Brands, owned Vernors. This ownership would be the one most costly to the City of Detroit. In January of 1985, Cincinnati-based United Brands abruptly ended bottling operations at the plant.

The property was purchased in 1986 by Shula Associates, who had plans to knock it down for a shopping mall. The plant was eventually demolished in 1987. A high-rise apartment building for Wayne State University is now on the Cass Avenue side of the site. On the Woodward frontage, a four story apartment complex with first floor retail space has been built. The property is directly north of the Whitney Restaurant and two properties north of Hop Cat Detroit.

Just two years after abandoning Detroit, United Brands sold Vernors to A & W Brands. All of A & W was subsequently purchased by Dr. Pepper/Cadbury in 1993. In 1996, Dr. Pepper/Cadbury merged with 7UP and moved to Plano. Cadbury continued to own Vernor's until stock holders made the candy company give up the beverage firm. Dr Pepper Snapple was born! The company merged with Keurig and is now Keurig Dr Pepper. The company has been very supportive of the Vernor's brand.

[sohannabarberaesque]

You can just imagine how many Hanna-Barbera Funtastics could be considered Vernor's addicts just by the sheer barrel-aged mellowness of the taste.

I’m tired of having Covid. Time for the big guns

[70sscifiart]

Paul Lehr's 1969 cover to 'Grimm's World' by Vernor Vinge

[input-command]

Made a Tine! Her name is "Seeker" or "Ramdimirukam" Carver and I have been obsessed over this book/species for a while now.

Tines are a pack species from "A Fire Upon the Deep" - What you see here is one character, spread between four fragments. They use those patches on their heads and hips to transmit thoughts through the air, and to receive thoughts of nearby members. I very highly recommend the book. It is so much better than I can do it justice

[stephlautersadhd]

I just KNOW in my bones Peter Spankoffski is a ginger ale liker

[sohannabarberaesque]

Food for thought:

How would your favourite Hanna-Barbera characters react to the sight of this or similar vehicles ... especially if it were dispensing some other soft drink like Moxie, Vernor's, Ale81 or Cheerwine?

Coca-Cola dispenser truck, 1934

[sandmandaddy69]

Vernor Vinge

[retzin]

Percys I drew before I got horribly sick. I think I'm gonna die

[colemanm]

The Zones of thought from Vernor Vinge's eponymous science fiction series.

[spacekidcomics]

new episode of Not That Magic: Tales of Vernor Magus (the Wizard of More Or Less)

[detroitlib]

View of the Club Martin, located at 77 East Vernor Highway. Man stands on sidewalk with hose; automobile on right. Sign on building reads: "Club Martin, dining, dancing." Stamped on back: "Free Press." Handwritten on back: "Martin W. Cohn and new cabaret next door to Study Club." 1930.

Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library

[thelastofthebookworms]

You'll find the other polls in my 'sf polls' tag / my pinned post.

[adelaiy]

Thanks for the translation into English - Erika-xero  

[petoskeystones]

world's most anxious neurotic quaker historian thinks if she accidentally says incorrect historical information she will be taken out back by a Real Historian and shot in the head like old yeller. and then she will go to hell for lying accidentally

[ginger-ale-official]

I fully believed your icon was a duck until now. in my defense icons are very small and yours has duck colors

A lot of people seem to think that how funny,