Legends and Lore of the Mississippi Golden Gulf Coast (20 page)

This Barq's float appeared in a 1950 parade in downtown Biloxi.
Courtesy of Alan Santa Cruz Collection
.

In the early 1900s, Edward Barq Sr. served as councilman for the city of Biloxi. On January 19, 1911, the
Daily Herald
repored, “Councilmen Edward Barq Sr. and Mr. Heidenheim almost come to blows when councilman Heidenheim accuses councilmen Barq & Kennedy of bottling beer and Barq calls councilman Heidenheim a liar.”

On August 17, 1919, Edward Barq Jr. married Lillian Adella King. In 1921, Edward Barq Jr. and Lillian had their first son, Edward Charles Barq III. In 1922, William was born, and in 1924, their first girl, Ella Mae, arrived. During Prohibition in the 1920s, the sales of Barq's root beer increased dramatically. About 1931, Edward Barq Jr. convinced his father to bottle Barq's in a twelve-ounce bottle for five cents rather than just the traditional six- and eight-ounce bottles. Edward Sr. convinced the Fabachers, a New Orleans beer brewing family, to sell him clear twelve-ounce bottles. Most locals will recognize the Fabachers' brewery as the Jax Brewery.

In 1933, Edward Barq Jr. and Lillian became the parents of their fourth child, Lillian Dorothy. In 1934, Edward Barq Sr. sold his first franchise to a bottler in Mobile, Alabama. Then in 1935, the New Orleans franchise opened under the leadership of Jesse Robinson, whom the Barq family had raised. Edward Barq Sr. moved his business in 1936 from his one-room production facility on Kelly Avenue to a larger building on the corner of Lameuse Street and Railroad Street. By 1937, there were sixty-two Barq's bottling plants in twenty-two states, but the Barq family continued to produce the syrup only in Biloxi and then shipped it to each plant. Edward Barq Sr. believed that Barq's would sell itself and spent only small amounts of money on advertising. The logo most locals remember was “Drink Barq's. It's Good.”

In 1938, the federal government outlawed the use of caffeine in root beer. This forced the Barq family to create a caffeine-free root beer that was called Barq's Sr. At the same time, Edward Barq Jr. and Lillian's family continued to grow with the birth of their fifth child, Beryl Frances, in 1939. Then on May 22, 1943, tragedy struck the Barq family when Edward Barq Sr. died at seventy-two years of age. His son, Edward Jr., assumed the controls of the Barq's Company of Biloxi. By 1950, the number of Barq's franchise bottlers had grown to more than two hundred. During the early 1960s, the government ban on caffeine in root beer was lifted. The Barq family began to bottle Barq's again, and Barq's Sr. was removed from distribution.

On November 8, 1968, the Barq family would grieve the loss of Mrs. Ellodie Graugnard Barq at eight-five years old. The matriarch of the family was considered the co-founder of Barq's. Then on April 1, 1970, Edward Barq Jr. passed away in Biloxi.

In 1976, John Oudt and John Koerner purchased the Biloxi Barq's Company and had hopes of marketing it nationwide, but the Barq family retained rights to the formula. Things became complicated when John Oudt and John Koerner realized that Louisiana Barq's company was running independently of the Biloxi company. Jesse Robinson, whom Edward Barq had treated like a son and placed in charge of the New Orleans Barq's, had entered into an oral agreement whereby the Louisiana Barq's made its own syrup and operated independently of the Biloxi branch. What followed was a series of legal conflicts over who had the rights to the Barq name and, most importantly, the formula.

There are some indications that in about 1983, the last bottles of Barq's ran through the Biloxi Barq's Company. Then about 1988, Coca-Cola purchased franchise rights to sell Barq's, but the Barq family continued to manufacture the Barq's formula. In 1995, Coca-Cola purchased both the Biloxi Barq's and the Louisiana Barq's companies and the rights to the formula. Even though Barq's Root Beer has gone nationwide, it continues to be a local favorite, especially served with seafood and po-boys. Like the old bottles stated, “Drink Barq's. It's Good.”

R
EFERENCES

B
OOKS

Bearss, Edwin C.
Ship Island, Harrison County, Mississippi Gulf Islands National Seashore (Historic Resources Study)
. Denver, CO: US Department of the Interior–National Parks Service, 1984.

Builders of Our Nation: Twentieth Century Edition, Men of 1913
. Chicago, 1914.

Butler, Ruth Lapham, trans.
Journal of Paul Du Ru, Missionary Priest of Louisiana
. Chicago: printed for the Caxton Club, 1934.

Cangelosi, Robert J., Jr., and Liz Ford.
Marine Resources & History of the Mississippi Gulf Coast
, Vol. 1. Biloxi: Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, 1999.

De le Harpe, Jean-Baptiste Benard.
The Historical Journal of the Establishment of the French in Louisiana
. Lafayette: University of Southwestern Louisiana, 1971.

Hecht, Eugene, and Robert A. Ellison.
The Mad Pottery of Biloxi: The Art & Life of George E. Ohr
. New York: Abbeville Press, 1989.

Howell, Grady.
To Live and Die in Dixie
. Jackson, MS: Chickasaw Bayou Press, 1991.

McWilliams, Richebourg Gaillard.
Fleur de Lys Calumet: Being the Penicaut Narrative of French Adventure in Louisiana
. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1988.

———.
Pierre Lemoyne d'Iberville Gulf Journals
. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1981.

Remini, Robert V.
The Battle of New Orleans
. New York: Penguin Books, 2001.

Scholtes, Captain Joe, and his mate [wife].
The First Edition 1970–71 Tour Guide & History of Mississippi's Golden Gulf Coast: From New Orleans to Mobile
. Biloxi, MS, 1971.

“Shoo Fly.” In
The Buildings of Biloxi: An Architectural Survey
. Biloxi, MS: City of Biloxi, 2000.

Suarez, Julie.
The Biloxi Cemetery
. Biloxi: Mississippi Coast Historical & Genealogical Society, 2002.

Sullivan, Charles L., and Murella Hebert Powell.
The Mississippi Gulf Coast: Portrait of a People
. Sun Valley, CA: American Historical Press, 1999.

N
EWSPAPERS
, C
ENSUS
, D
IRECTORIES
, M
AGAZINES AND
O
THER
R
ESOURCES

Archie Quinn Gautier Collection. Local History and Genealogy Wing, Pascagoula Library, Pascagoula, MS.

Barq, Beryl Lewis. Interview with Edmond Boudreaux.

Baton Rouge Morning Advocate
. “Many Are Legends.” February 9, 1941.

Bennet, Rob. “The Isle of Caprice.”
Deep South Magazine
(November–December 1985).

Beverage Industry Magazine
, March 1988.
http://www.angelfire.com/tn/traderz/barq.html
.

Biloxi Daily Herald
. “Astounding Discovery.” April 1 and 2, 1902.

———. “Back with Father Time, Ghost Stories.” May 20, 1922.

———. “Barq's.” October 1, 1978, and November 8, 1968.

———. “Biloxi Tourist Newspaper Contest.” June 29, 1925.

———. “Brother Isaiah Holds Services.” July 4, 1922.

———. “Brother Isaiah Now Blessing Handkerchiefs.” July 31, 1920.

———. “Brother Isaiah Reaches Biloxi by Automobile.” April 28, 1922.

———. “Brother Isaiah Works Miracles.” June 24, 1922.

———. “Don Emilio Cardenas.” April 1, 1902.

———. “Edward Barq Sr. Obituary.” May 24, 1943.

———. “Exposition Buildings, MS.” May 10, 1921.

———. “Indian Legends.” June 3, 1922.

———. “Legends of Biloxi.” October 2, 1967.

———. “Little Girl and President Wilson.” December 27, 1913.

———. “Monday, Brother Isaiah Coming to Biloxi.” April 10, 1922.

———. “No Change in Wilson Attitude Towards Mexico.”January 3, 1914.

———. “President Wilson.” January 12, 1914.

———. “President Wilson and Family.” January 5, 1914.

———. “Secretary Roosevelt Impressed with Biloxi.” November 17, 1913.

———. “Wilson Arrives at Coast.” December 26, 1913.

———. “Wilson Strength.” December 30, 1913.

Biloxi Herald
. “Biloxi Pottery.” December 3, 1892.

———. “Geo E. Ohr.” November 7, 1891.

———. “Jefferson Davis, A Fireside Chat.” March 31, 1888.

———. “A Mysterious Fine.” September 24, 1892.

———. “Tchoutacabouffa.” September 14, 1903.

Biloxi Sun Herald
. “Barq's.” March 23, 1980.

———. “Coast Chronicle.” April 15, 2012.

Censuses from 1800s to 1930s. Accessed on microfilm, Biloxi Public Library, Historical & Genealogical Section.

Guice, Julia, and Annette O'Keefe. “Families of the Tullis Manor.” Tullis-Toledano Collection, Vertical Files, Biloxi Library Local History & Genealogy Wing.

Hinsdale, Laura F. “Legends and Lyrics of the Gulf Coast.”
Biloxi Daily Herald
, 1896.

La Pointe–Krebs House & the Old Spanish Fort Museum.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2011/06/restoration_of_la_pointe-krebs.html
.

New Orleans Item
. “Biloxi Indian Legend.” December 15, 1892.

———. “Death Threat.” July 25, 1922.

New Orleans Times-Picayune
. “Agricultural.” October 7, 1877.

———. “At the Bay Death of a Christina Woman.” July 14, 1894.

———. “Aunt Jane's Letter Club.” July 5, 1925.

———. “Ayres Duly Ordained.” December 21, 1896.

———. “Biloxi Legend.” July 31, 1840.

———. “British Officer Letter Battle of New Orleans.” January 7, 1917.

———. “Brother Isaiah Ceases Healing.” April 17, 1920.

———. “Brother Isaiah Denies He's John Cudney.” April 12, 1920.

———. “The Carved Magnolias.” December 27, 1896.

———. “Cult Is Awaiting.” July 25, 1934.

———. “Deer Island's Hermit.” July 31, 1966.

———. “Isaiah Goes West.” July 7, 1921.

———. “Legend of Pascagoula Bay.” March 25, 1866.

———. “Legend of the Pascagoula.” August 3, 1890.

———. “Letter from Across the Lake.” August 14, 1851.

———. “Letter from East Pascagoula.” August 16, 1849.

———. “The Live Oak Ring.” October 6, 1889.

———. “Our Summer Retreats.” July 23, 1865.

———. “Pascagoula & Vicinity.” June 25, 1871.

———. “Pirate House.” March 18, 1939, and March 10, 1940.

———. “The Pirate's Cave.” January 11, 1891.

———. “The Pirate's House Waveland.” May 18, 1947.

———. “Pirates to Be Hosts.” March 11, 1939.

———. “Rabbi Disbelieves.” May 20, 1920.

———. “The Ring in the Oak.” December 9, 1945.

———. “Ring in Tree.” December 6, 1936.

———. “Singing River Legend.” August 7, 1838.

———. “Society.” August 26, 1894.

———. “Wars of Bloodshed.” March 15, 1920.

———. “Woodward's Show Opens at Newcomb.” April 12, 1970.

Pennsylvania Patriot
. “The Liberty Bell South.” January 29, 1885.

Philadelphia Inquirer
. “Freedom Bell.” January 27, 1885.

———. “Home Again.” June 18, 1885.

———. “Liberty Bell.” December 24, 1884, and January 6, 1885.

Poitevent Family Papers, Z1751.000 S & Z1751.1. 1848–1976. MS Department of Archives & History.

Riverside Independent Enterprise
. “Brother Isaiah.” May 02, 1922.

San Diego Evening Tribune
. “Brother Disowned.” November 10, 1931.

———. “White Robes.” July 24, 1934.

Stevens Collection. “Gulf Coast Islands,” “Buried Treasure Stories about Bayou Porteaux” and “Mississippi Gulf Coast Lighthouses.” Biloxi Library, Historical & Genealogical Section.

Thompson, Ray. “Know Your Coast: Carronade at Old Spanish Fort.”
Daily Herald
, July 22, 1958.

———. “Know Your Coast: Shoo-Fly.”
Daily Herald
, May 2 and 12, 1956.

Thompson, Ray M. “Isle of Caprice.”
Deep South Magazine
(May–June 1962).

A
BOUT THE
A
UTHOR

Edmond Boudreaux was born in 1949 to Edmond Boudreaux Sr. and Nita Mae Thomas. He is a 1967 graduate of Notre Dame High School in Biloxi, Mississippi. He is married to Virginia L. Bertucci, and they have three sons: Edmond III, married to Christy Cranston; Brandon, husband of Heather Swetman; and Marcus, married to Michelle Wagner. Edmond and Virginia have nine grandchildren. He is the administrative vice-president of the Mississippi Coast Historical and Genealogical Society; past president of the Gulf Coast Chapter of the Mississippi Archaeological Association; acquisition committee member of the Ohr/O'Keefe Museum of Art; advisory board member of the Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum; member of the Community Advisory Committee Mississippi State Historical Museum; and a French Colonial reenactor since 1992. He is author of the “Time Traveler” article series for the
Biloxi/D'Iberville Press
newspaper. He was awarded the Calvin Brown Award and the Mississippi Governor Commendation for archaeology in 1992, as well as being named City of Biloxi's Historian of the Year in 1993. In 2011, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History presented him with a Resolution of Commendation for his leadership in historical causes, his work in support of MDAH programs and his scholarship on the history of the Gulf Coast. He is the author of
The Seafood Capital of the World: Biloxi's Maritime History
, published in 2011 by The History Press.

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