Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.

Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading.

Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.

 Wooden cases of Pequot Spring Soda at one time were found throughout Manchester. (Bob Kanehl/For the Journal Inquirer)

This Pequot soda bottle reminds us of happy summer days. (Bob Kanehl/For the Journal Inquirer)

 Wooden cases of Pequot Spring Soda at one time were found throughout Manchester. (Bob Kanehl/For the Journal Inquirer)

Highland Park was a source of fresh water, and more, for many town families

“You had wooden cases of soda?” My granddaughter asked as we uncovered another Pequot Springs soda case in my parents’ basement. “Was it made in Manchester?”

“No, it came from Glastonbury,” I responded, lifting the find out of the basement. Pequot Springs Soda was a standard in my house and many houses throughout the Manchester area. It was an alternative to the national brands found in the big stores.

Like Hosmer Mountain Bottling Company from Willimantic, Pequot Springs Soda was bottled here in the state. It came from the natural spring waters of the area.

Manchester had its own natural spring. In Highland Park, there was a spring that many residents used to supply fresh drinking water in their homes. Weekly, residents would travel to the spring outlet and fill up jugs, bottles, and barrels from the Case Mountain-generated spring.

The Tonica Springs Company, overseen by the Case Brothers, sold Manchester spring water as a cure-all.

This Pequot soda bottle reminds us of happy summer days. (Bob Kanehl/For the Journal Inquirer)

The Case Brothers also published the Highland News in South Manchester beginning in the 1880s. This monthly advertisement-based newspaper focused on good health. It featured articles on healthy living, practical uses of everyday home items, and the benefits of drinking Manchester’s “Highland Rock Water.”

Readers were treated to poetry singing the praises of tonic water — especially Manchester’s tonic. Alongside these poems were many personal accounts of how the water helped a user regain a healthy life.

There were ads by distributors of the water from throughout the nation and local ads for the Case Brothers paper, Cheney silk printers, and others.

A customer could receive their copy by paying 25 cents a year.

The Case brothers also hoped to establish a health spa in town. The venture did not go very far, and the area around Highland Park remained a park that today brings in hiking tourists, not visitors wanting to “take in the waters” of a spa.

The Manchester Bottling Company also had a long life in town. It operated under different owners from near the turn of the 20th century into the 1970s. It produced a variety of flavored soda, like Pequot Springs made, as well as the Town Club Sparkling Beverages.

Over the years, under the direction of Joseph and Benjamin Epstein, Max Louis, and founder Fred Sobielo, this company occupied locations on School Street and Henderson Road. Willies Steak Shop purchased this last location for its additions. Manchester Bottling’s final place was on Spencer Street when Warren Slater owned it. This building now houses the local branch of Hosmer Mountain Bottling Company.

There was also an establishment called Manchester Bottling Works from the late 1890s into the early 1900s. Arthur Cook operated this company. It had an office on Main Street and later on Middle Turnpike at the Green. The Cook family had established a small water company for residents of the Green, supplying running water to the area homes.

Another alternative to the big soda companies was the Pop Shoppe sodas distributors. When I was younger, this company sold plastic cases of small 10-ounce bottles featuring a variety of flavors. Unfortunately, these sodas were not produced in Manchester.

Like the existing Hosmer, a customer purchased the soda, rented the case, and returned it for refills. My granddaughters did not find any of these plastic cases in the basement. My father must have always returned his container to the shop.

Additional information on the various bottling companies and their role in the history of Manchester can be found at the Old Manchester Historical Museum at 126 Cedar St. It’s open the first Saturday of each month May to December from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Bob Kanehl is secretary of the Pitkin Glass Works Executive Board and a volunteer guide at the Old Manchester Museum.

Your comment has been submitted.

There was a problem reporting this.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.

Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

Breaking news alerts - delivered to your inbox - the minute we put it online.

The most important daily headlines from News, Sports, Business, Living, and Opinion.

All sports, all the time, plus unique coverage of UConn athletics, local high school sports, and Connecticut's pro teams, the Sun and Hartford Athletic.

Every Sunday, receive the most in-depth, interesting, and important stories of the week, picked by editors and readers.

Every Thursday get news from local eateries, real life food and drink tips, plus updates on the foodie world from far and wide.

Was Smith in custody when he made this statement?

Another day that makes Guvna Lamont look good while

paying off his many State employees yet again.