Coca-Cola Bottling Company Building

Dr. John Smith Pemberton invented the soft drink Coca-Cola in 1886 in Atlanta. His partner and bookkeeper, Frank Robinson, came up with the name and the now famous logo. In 1888, Atlanta businessman Asa G. Chandler bought all of the shares of the company. Under his tenure, Coca-Cola grew significantly around the country starting in 1894 when Vicksburg, Mississippi bottler Joseph A. Biedenharm became the first to be awarded Coca-Cola bottling rights. By the late 1910s, the company boasted over 1,000 bottling plants, most of which were locally owned. 

Ed Roberson, who was from Newport, Arkansas, was one of these franchise owners. He was very familiar with the business as his father owned a franchise in Newport. Roberson bought the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in 1932 and built the plant on Hitt Street three years later. In addition to running the company, Roberson was also active in the community, serving as a member of several civic organizations. He and his family operated the plant for just over three decades before moving operations to a bigger building in 1966.

The Hitt Street building then became the location of a printing company, which seems to have operated until the mid-2000s. Ragtag Cinema's roots date to 1997 but it was not officially founded until 2004 when it became a non-profit arts organization. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.