The First Coca-Cola in Shelby Was Served Before Ice Cream

Before Shelby ever had ice cream cones or even regular bottled sodas, the first Coca-Cola was sold in the early 1890s at the Kendrick & Kendall drugstore, located where Messick’s later stood. The drink was not bottled at all but purchased in five-gallon cans and served over imported ice. Even earlier than Coke, the same store served a dessert called “pineapple snow,” made by shaving ice into a custard mixture. So Shelby’s introduction to Coca-Cola actually came through its earliest experiments with artificial ice.