New Bern, North Carolina: Birthplace of Pepsi

Corner drug store commemorates where Caleb Bradham invented Pepsi in New Bern's pharmacy.

Birthplace of Pepsi

There's a working soda fountain at the birthplace of Pepsi in the drug store.

[Jason Guiher, 04/14/2012]

Birthplace of Pepsi

The state highway marker mentioned on the Hard and Soft Drink web page is still located in New Bern, but the building that originally housed Caleb D. Bradham's pharmacy has now been turned into a weird pseudo-pepsi museum (closed on Sundays - bummer). Looking through the glass I could see that there were lots of Pepsi-themed pieces of art located in the museum as well as an old-time soda counter and fountain. It's no World of Coca-Cola but at least it's a tribute!

Across the steet from Bradham's old pharmacy is a competing Pepsi Museum (also closed on Sundays). Although Coke is still King at least the peoples of New Bern, NC are finally getting around to acknowledging that their sleepy little town is the birthplace of Pepsi.

Two other interesting things to note... when I trying to get a picture of Bradham's old pharmacy I backed into a cannon sunk into a concete sidewalk! The cannon was taken from a British ship back during the war for US independance and, for some reason, buried open end down in the sidewalk. A weathered plaque tells the story.

The second thing of interest is the grave of Caleb D. Bradham himself -- located in Cedar Grove Cemetery in New Bern. It seems that neither the inventor of Coke or Pepsi has a concrete Coke or Pepsi bottle headstone. Both Dr. John Pemberton and Caleb D. Bradham's graves simply mention that they were the inventors of Coke and Pepsi but no big concrete celebration of that fact.

[Greg Brown, 03/04/2001]