Breezy Beverage offered an orange drink and ginger ale to customers in a clear bottle with blue and white lettering in the 1940s. "Refreshing sailing" was promised by the product.

The Breezy bottle is part of a 22-bottle exhibit at the Old Jail Museum in Warsaw on display through the end of October. The items are part of a 19-bottle collection provided by Loyd Thomas of Warsaw with an additional three containers locally bottled owned by Larry Armey. The earliest pieces date back to the 1800s including a bottle of mineral water from M.M. Syphers.

Thomas has collected Coca-Cola bottles and memorabilia for 48 years. In his quest for Coca-Cola, he came across bottles with "Warsaw IN" embossed on the sides or bottoms.

At one time, Athrope beer was bottled in Warsaw. Rose Bud Root Beer was bottled in Warsaw. Big Boy Bottling Co. also had operations in Warsaw at one time.

Thomas said he's found Warsaw bottles in Goshen, Muncie, Wabash and Sweetser.

Blob top bottles or a hutchinson bottle had a pewter stopper at one time. The bottles were shipped upside down. Thirsty customers would hit the top of the bottle to send the stopper to the bottom of the bottle. A distinctive pop would be heard - thus the term "soda pop."

Several bottles in the exhibit were originally sold at Godman's Roof Garden. The Roof Garden was a popular gathering place where dances were held during the summer at the beginning of the 20th century. The screened-in "garden" was west of North Buffalo Street along the shore of Center Lake.

James Vinton Godman owned this establishment, where he also operated an ice cream factory featuring a maple-syrup flavored concoction. He became city engineer and supervised the laying of the first brick pavements in 1902 through 1904, according to research by Jerry Gerard.

The Old Jail Museum is at 121 N. Indiana St., Warsaw. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday. [[In-content Ad]]