Coke Plaque
The Inverness Walk of History, best viewed in person as pictures and words rarely do this area credit, commemorates buildings in downtown Inverness by officially recording the story of the building and its tenants by placement of a permanent monument on the structure. We invite you to tour the downtown, take in the sights and enjoy the atmosphere created by these historic buildings. The following text is inscribed on the plaque that was placed on a pedestal in front of the Coca Cola building during the dedication ceremony in October of 2000.

“The all American drink was introduced to Citrus County in the early 1900’s. W. T. Baxley acted as a sub-bottler to the Tampa Coca Cola Bottling Company, and began bottling Coca Cola in Hernando in 1906. Empty bottles were washed in Hernando Lake, then filled and transported by horse drawn wagon to Inverness. In 1914, World War I was underway in Europe, and the phosphate mines in Hernando started closing. W. T. Baxley then moved his building and business to Inverness behind his home at 110 n. Pine Street. After Mr. Baxley’s death on December 29, 1931, Mrs. Pearl Baxley headed the operation in this brick building (pictured above) at 112 n. Apopka Avenue. In 1933 the Inverness plant bought the Brooksville territory. Mrs. Baxley died in May of 1960 at 85, and the business was continued by their son, Carey Baxley, and daughter Ina Lee Baxley Green. In the early years, it would take a year to use a 50 gallon barrel of syrup, producing around 250 cases a year – of course it developed into a thriving and prosperous business. The family business and building were sold to Florida coca-cola in 1979, with the county purchasing the building from coca cola in 1983. “