Advertising Coca-Cola on the sides of buildings was quite common — especially throughout the southeastern United States, since the beverage was invented by John Pemberton 137 years ago and first sold for five cents in Atlanta on Saturday, May 8, 1886 — and although these advertisements still exist in many cities and small towns, where would you find the first Coca-Cola wall mural in the world?
The First Coca-Cola Wall Mural In the World Is In…
The first Coca-Cola wall mural in the world is painted on the side of Young Brothers Pharmacy on Main Street in the downtown area of Cartersville, which is located approximately 45 miles northwest of Atlanta.
Originally painted in 1894 by James Coudon — who sold the syrup to produce Coca-Cola — of what was then known as Young Brothers Drug Company, the mural had been painted over at least 25 times during the course of approximately 90 years; and the Coca-Cola Company was responsible for having the advertising freshly painted through the 1970s.
Dean Cox purchased the drug store in 1968 and wanted to restore the sign to its original glory. He called in Alison Free and Aggie Ferguson, who were known for restoring the old Coca-Cola signs on the walls of buildings. The two women spent several weeks carefully removing 25 layers of paint to uncover the original painting before restoring it in 1989 to its current version — which resulted in the mural earning the 1990 Georgia Trust Award for Preservation.
Final Boarding Call
When I first saw the mural in Cartersville, I thought it was one of the worst renditions of the Coca-Cola logo which I had ever seen — and I still feel that way…
…but I am certain that James Coudon was more of a salesman than an artist — and little did he know that he would spark a movement that became legendary in the history of the soft drink.
In other words — despite his elementary artistic capabilities — his marketing plan was successful; and that is what was important. After all, the mural is approximately 100 feet long and faces a busy train line in the heart of busy downtown Cartersville and still gets plenty of exposure today.
Young Brothers Pharmacy
2 West Main Street
Cartersville, Georgia 30120
1-770-382-4010
The mural can be viewed at any time, day or night — and no admission is charged to view the mural, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
All photographs ©2023 by Brian Cohen.
