Dr Pepper Museum | Waco History (2024)

By Jim Stingley

Few major products are as closely identified with the people and environment where they began as Dr Pepper in Waco. Developing from a soft drink invented at a local drugstore to one of the largest and most popular industries in the world, Dr Pepper has remained attached to the city of Waco. This close identification with Waco is perhaps best exemplified in the former bottling plant building which now houses a museum on the corner of Fifth Street and Mary Avenue in downtown Waco.

In 1885, one year before the invention of Coca-Cola, a young pharmacist named Charles Alderton began experimenting by mixing different fruit flavors together at The Old Corner Drug Store on Fourth Street and Austin Avenue. The resulting concoction would become the formula for Dr Pepper. The drink became a favorite of fountain patrons, and soon people all across town ordered the drink originally known as a Waco. From around 1885 to 1891, the drink, could only be served at fountains or the drugstore, where the syrup was mixed with the carbonated water and served individually. The popularity of the beverage influenced the drugstore owner and manager, Wade Morrison and Robert S. Lazenby to form the Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Co. in 1891 to bottle the drink.

In 1906, a three-story building was built at the corner of Fifth and Mary for the purpose of bottling and shipping the new drink. In 1922, the base of operations moved to Dallas after the formation of the formal Dr Pepper Company. Local bottling production continued until around 1965, when operations were moved to a more modern facility. The building was given to Baylor University and subsequently used as a storage warehouse for the next thirteen years.

On May 11, 1953, an F5 tornado struck downtown Waco, devastating the city. Although it did not sustain a direct hit, the bottling building was among the casualties of the tornado. The tornado damaged the Mary Street side of the building leaving a scar which is still visible today. The relatively sound construction of the bottling building, including 18-inch thick brick walls, massive timber underpinnings, and tile roof, is the reason for the fairly minor damage to the plant. The building was repaired with a lighter colored brick but not restored, and business was back to as usual until the move in 1965.

At Waco’s centennial celebration of the invention of Dr Pepper in 1985, ideas of creating a museum to tell the story of Dr Pepper production in Waco sprang up. On May 11, 1991, the thirty-eighth anniversary of the tornado, the Dr Pepper Museum and Free Enterprise Institute opened. Since then, the museum has entertained and educated thousands of visitors, with a mission of being the best museum to tell the story of the soft drink industry and to use this very industry as a testament to the free enterprise system. Complete with exhibit areas, a gift shop, soda fountain, and restored building features, the Dr Pepper Museum helps tell the story of the growth of Dr Pepper and its special place in Waco.

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FAQs

What is the true story of Dr Pepper? ›

A theory often cited is that the drink was named after an actual doctor, one Charles T. Pepper of Rural Retreat, Virginia. Morrison may have named the drink after the doctor in gratitude for Pepper having given Morrison his first job.

How old is the Dr Pepper Museum? ›

The Dr Pepper Museum opened to the public in May 1991 and has hosted over 2.5 million visitors. It is located in Waco, Texas and is the home of the Nation's oldest major soft drink.

Where is the original Dr Pepper plant? ›

History. Dr Pepper debuted in Waco, Texas, in 1885. The Dublin Dr Pepper Bottling was the oldest remaining Dr Pepper bottler until 2012, producing the beverage continuously since 1891.

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What is the history of Dr Pepper? ›

Originally made in Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store in Waco, Texas, the drink's unique flavor was a hit when it was first sold in 1885. Wade Morrison, the drug store owner, named it "Dr. Pepper" after Dr. Charles Pepper, a Virginia doctor who was the father of a girl Morrison was once in love with.

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Where is Dr Pepper buried? ›

Charles Taylor Pepper rest with those of his wife and several children in Mountain View Cemetery overlooking the town. He died in 1903 in his 73rd year, a man destined to be remembered at least in legend.

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What was Dr Pepper originally called? ›

The drink became a favorite of fountain patrons, and soon people all across town ordered the drink originally known as a Waco. From around 1885 to 1891, the drink, could only be served at fountains or the drugstore, where the syrup was mixed with the carbonated water and served individually.

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Who owns Dr Pepper Museum? ›

Make sure you visit the Gift Shop and stop at the Soda Fountain for one of our famous Dr Pepper Floats! The Dr Pepper Museum is an independent nonprofit history museum and is not owned or operated by Keurig Dr Pepper, the parent company of Dr Pepper.

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Is Dr Pepper owned by co*ke? ›

Pepper is just one brand owned by a company called Dr. Pepper Snapple. In many regions throughout North America, the company owns and operates its own bottling and distribution facilities where you may find the Dr. Pepper soft drinks merchandised seperately from co*ke and Pepsi.

Why is Dr Pepper called Dr Pepper? ›

Dr. Pepper was a physician and surgeon during the American Civil War. To win the approval of her father, Morrison named the small town-famous drink after the doctor, although he had nothing to do with the drink's conception. Another version of the story is that Morrison worked at Dr.

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What are the 23 flavors in Dr Pepper soda? ›

The 23 flavors are; cola, cherry, licorice, almond, vanilla, blackberry, apricot, (blackberry again), caramel, pepper, anise, sarsaparilla, ginger, molasses, lemon, plum, orange, nutmeg, cardamom, all spice, coriander, juniper, birch and prickly ash.

What are some fun facts about Dr Pepper? ›

Dr Pepper is the oldest soft drink in America. Older than Coca-Cola, in fact, by a full year. It was created in 1885 by a pharmacist, Charles Alderton, in Waco, Texas. And its original name was Waco – it was served there at the soda fountain in the drugstore.