I thought I’d do a second part article this week on the Baker Steam Bottling Works which was originally located over on Washington Street and Lake Street. After the flamboyant Mrs. J. Ed Baker retired and sold the business to Mr. S. A. Humiston, of New York City, the facilities were relocated to the northwest corner of the intersection of Broadway and Robinson Avenue, the address now being 648 – 650 Broadway. Thus, a new bottle came into existence which displayed the new address. Mr. Humiston took possession of the concern on May 1, 1902.

Mr. Humiston’s goal was to increase the output of the operation by 100%! A rather ambitious undertaking, to say the least. His business roots in this industry dated back to his early days in Chicago before he relocated to New York City. Taking ownership of the Baker Steam Bottling Works, he took up residence at the Palatine Hotel.

Michael DeVasto purchased the original site for the Baker Steam Bottling Works. Mr. DeVasto also purchased the surrounding property, but then sold the original bottling site to a Mr. Abraham Joseph, to concentrate his energy on his budding automobile business. Frank Berg purchased the site of the original Baker Steam Bottling Works along with other nearby property and by 1921, had established a business selling and servicing the new conveyance of travel, the automobile. From what I’ve read, he originally began with Chalmers, switching to Chrysler and then to an exclusive franchise for the area for the then famous Rickenbacker automobile!

The Baker Steam Bottling Works occupied the building on Broadway, the John Flannigan Building, and was then purchased by Charles Fletcher, who expanded the business into the entire concrete building which was the Excelin Shirt Company, which was purchased from Herbert and Arthur Mitchell.

According to period newspaper articles I’ve read, the business was booming throughout Prohibition. Baker Steam Bottling was no longer confined to just the Newburgh area. Their products were reaching out to a much wider audience and were well accepted. As the local economy and business began to expand after the Great Depression, store fronts were created in the building by John Flannigan to provide services on the ground floors to the local community.

After a period of extraordinary success, the business fell on hard times and went into receivership, evident in a legal notice of receivership from 1935, as noted in the April 26, 1935, edition of the Beacon News which proclaims a Mr. John Cashin has been appointed receiver in the bankruptcy in Federal Court for the Baker Steam Bottling Works.

Time marches on, businesses prosper and fade and our landscape changes. Perhaps in another century, someone will be digging in their backyard and uncover a 7-Eleven Big Gulp plastic drink container or maybe a Dunkin’ Donuts Styrofoam coffee container. One can only wonder.