Near Auburn in Lee County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

The Bottle

Photographed by Mark Hilton, June 26, 2015

1. The Bottle Marker

Inscription. Built in 1924 and billed as "the world's largest bottle", The Bottle (also know as the "Twist Inn") was built by John F. Williams, owner of the Nehi Bottling Company in Opelika, Alabama. A wooden replica of a bright orange Nehi soda bottle, it stood 64 feet tall and measured 49 feet in diameter at the base and 16 feet at the cap. The ground floor was a grocery store and service station and the second and third floors were living quarters and storage. The neck of The Bottle had windows for use 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. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt stopped briefly at The Bottle after visiting Auburn. The Bottle burned one morning in the fall of 1936. Even though the structure no longer exists the name survives on Alabama maps which still identify the area as "The Bottle."

Erected 2015 by the Auburn Heritage Association, Hayley-Redd Development and the Historic Chattahoochee Commission.

Topics.

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This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Notable Places. A significant historical year for this entry is 1924.

Location. 32° 40.575′ N, 85° 29.196′ W. Marker is near Auburn, Alabama, in Lee County. It is at the intersection of Birmingham Highway (U.S. 280) and North College Street (State Route 147), on the right when traveling south on Birmingham Highway. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7355 US-280, Auburn AL 36830, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East Alabama and in Greater Columbus.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Botsford School (approx. ¼ mile away); Noble Hall (approx. 2.9 miles away); General James Henry Lane House

Marker at former 'Bottle' location. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, June 26, 2015

2. Marker at former 'Bottle' location.

(approx. 3.9 miles away); J. F. Drake High School / Alma Mater (approx. 4.1 miles away); North College Street Historic District (approx. 4.3 miles away); The Auburn Guards Reviewed by Jefferson Davis (approx. 4.6 miles away); The Crescent (approx. 4.6 miles away); The Auburn Guards (approx. 4.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Auburn.

Also see . . .
1. Opelika-Auburn News article on "The Bottle". (Submitted on June 26, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
2. Wikipedia article on "The Bottle". (Submitted on June 26, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

"The Bottle" image. Click for full size.

Pre-1978 Public Domain, 1924

3. "The Bottle"

This work is irrevocably in the public domain in the United States because it was first published in the United States without copyright notice prior to 1978.

Wide shot of marker looking north on U.S. 280. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, June 26, 2015

4. Wide shot of marker looking north on U.S. 280.

Marker at intersection of Birmingham Highway and North College Street. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, June 26, 2015

5. Marker at intersection of Birmingham Highway and North College Street.

Google map indicating area is known as "The Bottle". image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Google Map

6. Google map indicating area is known as "The Bottle".

Area noted as "The Bottle" despite the store burning down in 1936! "Map data: Google, Maxar Technologies."

Credits. This page was last revised on October 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 26, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 3,868 times since then and 280 times this year. Last updated on July 8, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1. submitted on August 29, 2023, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 26, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.