The notice of incorporation for Plant & Ahrens was published in the January 3, 1919 edition of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
The directors, Humphrey L and Edward J Plant and O. Fred Ahrens appear to be the sons of two long time Brooklyn mineral water businessmen.
- O. Fred’s father, Henry Ahrens, was listed in the 1899 and 1907 Trow Business Directory under soda water and later in a 1917 issue of the American Bottler, all at the 212 Evergreen Avenue address.
- Edward J. and Humphrey L. were the sons of Humphrey Plant who was engaged in the soda water business in Brooklyn dating back to 1889 with the firm of Plant Bros. Humphrey Sr. was an initial director of the Long Island Bottlers Union established in 1895 and in 1904 was named president. Plant Bros. was listed up through 1906 at 101 Pearl Street, They moved to 146 Pearl Street in 1907 where they remained through 1913. (On a side note, the 101 Pearl Street address was acquired by NYC in and around 1905 as part of the Manhattan Bridge construction, requiring the move to 146 Pearl)
The business of Plant & Ahrens, 212 Evergreen Avenue, mineral waters, was listed in the Brooklyn Telephone Directories from 1920 to 1928. In 1929 H. L. Plant was listed individually at 212 Evergreen Avenue as mineral waters, but the company was no longer listed. By 1930, neither Plant or the business were listed.
Obviously established as a result of National Prohibition, this November 25, 1919 advertisement in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle named them as a local distributor for Milwaukee’s Blatz Brewery and their near beer, also named Blatz.
Today, 212 Evergreen Avenue is a renovated two-story brick building with a garage door entrance. Streeteasy.com indicates it was built in 1931, a year after Plant & Ahrens vanishes from the directories.
The bottle I found is machine made (27oz) and fits with a 1920’s manufacture.