10-2-4: The world’s largest Dr Pepper bottle stands in the courtyard at the Dr Pepper Museum in Waco, Texas. The bottle was added this year in honor of the museum’s 35th anniversary. This view features the 10-2-4 logo used by Dr Pepper for decades. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Artesian Bottling Company: The Artesian Bottling Company building was built in 1906 in Waco, Texas. This was the sole bottling company for Dr Pepper when manufacturing and bottling was done in Waco. This building is now home to the Dr Pepper Museum. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
1953 Delivery: A 1953 Chevrolet truck has been restored and now sits in the courtyard of the Dr Pepper Museum in Waco, Texas. This is an example of the company’s delivery vehicles during that era. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
When asked to describe the taste of a Dr Pepper drink, it is impossible to give the flavor a name other than Dr Pepper. It’s not a cola, not a fruit drink, not a root beer, it’s Dr Pepper.
Dr Pepper was created by pharmacist Charles Alderton, who worked at Morrison’s Old Corner Drugstore in downtown Waco, Texas. It is a blend of 23 flavors, but the exact recipe remains a closely guarded secret.
Another unknown is the origin of the Dr Pepper name. There are many theories but none of those theories have been confirmed so even the name itself is a mystery.
What is known without a doubt is Dr Pepper is the country’s oldest soft drink. After much experimentation, pharmacist Charles Alderton felt the final recipe of the 23 flavors was the best in 1885 when he began selling the drink at the Corner Drugstore. Coca-Cola was not invented until a year later in 1886 and Pepsi was not invented until 1893.
For the first few years Dr Pepper was only available in Waco as a fountain drink. Given the great popularity of the drink, it became a bottled drink a few years later. The Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company was the first company to bottle Dr Pepper. The bottling company’s building was constructed and opened in 1906 in downtown Waco to bottle Dr Pepper. Today, that building houses the Dr Pepper Museum.
The Dr Pepper Museum covers the three floors of the former Artesian Bottling Co. As stated in the museum’s mission statement “The Dr Pepper Museum educates, inspires, and entertains by sharing the stories of Dr Pepper and the soft drink industry.”
The museum thoroughly covers the history and beginning of Dr Pepper as well as the growth of the soft drink industry. Within the museum are examples of old manufacturing tools and equipment with photos of the original deliveries by horse and buggy which were concentrated around Waco.
Also featured in the museum are the historic marketing campaigns of the Dr Pepper drink. Beginning with the 10-2-4 campaign, which was featured on the Dr Pepper bottles for decades to the “I’m a Pepper”, “Just What the Dr. Ordered” and many other marketing campaigns have kept the soft drink in front of consumers for over a century. Also seen at the museum is a gift shop with any and everything Dr Pepper that one could imagine and the Soda Fountain where visitors can enjoy a drink. The museum also offers additional hands on features for an additional charge.
A highlight of the museum visit was a visit to the Soda Fountain. The Soda Fountain features Dr Pepper as well as other related drinks or for a small fee you can experience a Dr Pepper float.
In 1922, Dr Pepper headquarters were moved from Waco to Dallas, but the manufacturing and bottling operations remained in Waco. The drink was made and bottled in Waco until 1965 when the facility was shut down and manufacturing and bottling operations were moved to larger and more modern facilities.
Over the last 100 years Dr Pepper has sold and been a part of several drink companies. Today the parent company of Dr Pepper is Keurig Dr Pepper. The Dr Pepper Museum is an independent nonprofit history museum and is not owned or operated by Keurig Dr Pepper.
The Dr Pepper Museum first opened in 1991, making this year the 35th Anniversary of the museum. In the outdoor courtyard the largest Dr Pepper bottle in the world was added in 2026 to celebrate the anniversary. On one side it features the older logo Vim-Vigor-Vitality and the other side features the 10-2-4 logo. The bottle stands 23 feet tall which also celebrates the 23 flavors in the Dr Pepper recipe.
We found the Dr Pepper Museum entertaining and educational. We enjoyed all aspects of the visit and we can now better understand the bond between Waco and Dr Pepper more clearly.
The museum is open every day of the week, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $12 for those age 5-adult, ages 4 and under are free. The museum is family friendly, and all ages can enjoy the visit.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Vim-Vigor-Vitality: The very old Vim-Vigor-Vitality logo is seen on the 23-foot-tall Dr Pepper bottle at the Dr Pepper museum. This retro logo was used for years in the early 20 century. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
1920s Delivery Truck: A 1920s delivery truck sits on the second floor of the Dr Pepper Museum in Waco, Texas. The truck was disassembled and carried upstairs where it was reassembled where it sits today. The Model TT truck was built on a Model T chassis and in 1918 cost $600. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Bottle Display: The museum features many Dr Pepper artifacts and historical memorabilia such as this bottle display. This display features bottles from the 1890s to the 1950s. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Corner Drugstore: A replica of the Old Corner Drug Store is another feature in the Dr Pepper Museum. A historical photo seen in the museum reveals a building facade exactly like the replica. The drug store is where pharmacist Charles Alderton experimented with and perfected the recipe of 23 flavors that make up Dr Pepper. Drug stores almost always had a soda fountain because the pharmacist would mix the syrups on site. We love finding drug stores today that still have the soda fountain, a great excuse for a treat. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Memorabilia: This room of the Dr Pepper Museum features both Dr Pepper memorabilia and the modern convenience store and how drinks are displayed. The museum features many features of the soft drink industry as well as Dr Pepper history and stories. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Soda Fountain: The Soda Fountain at the Dr Pepper Museum is a highlight of the visit as each visitor receives a voucher for a free drink or for a small charge, they may choose a Dr Pepper float made fresh at the soda fountain. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
