City of Edna

Edna, Did You Know?

The Dr Pepper Museum in Waco just celebrated its 35th birthday with the unveiling of the world’s largest Dr Pepper bottle.

But there’s plenty of vintage Dr Pepper bottles around Edna, due to the city being home to one of the regional bottling facilities.

According to information from local historians Frank Condron and Roy Ortolon, as well as the Dr Pepper Museum, Edna businessmen and brothers Dewey and Schley Strane opened a bottling facility in 1925 on E. Main Street, close to where Efficiency Air is located today. The plant acquired the Dr Pepper franchise in 1931 and bottled Dr Pepper, 7UP, and Delaware Punch. It was regarded as one of the better facilities in the region.

In December 1943 the brothers acquired the Victoria bottling facility, and around 1945 or 1946 they moved their operations to S. East Street near where Kotlar Plumbing is located today. In 1955 Schley bought out his brother and combined the Edna and Victoria operations so the Edna plant was closed.

- Information and photos provided by Roy Ortolon, including text from Frank Condron
- Dr Pepper Museum historical information pinned at https://www.historypin.org/pins/92081/

Edna, Did You Know?

On Jan. 2, 1926, Edna residents voted 212-69 to for a “Commission Government”, thus becoming an incorporated city with S.G. Drushel elected as Edna’s first mayor.

According to I.T. Taylor’s book, “The Cavalcade of Jackson County, Third Edition,” P.W. Clement and J.M. Hutcheson were elected as the Commissioners, but when Hutcheson did not qualify to serve, E.T. Rose was appointed to the position. In addition, A.E. Lovett was appointed City Clerk, Treasurer, Assessor, and Collector for the city.
- “The Cavalcade of Jackson County, Third Edition,” page 122.
- Photo Courtesy of City of Edna.

Edna, Did You Know?

Railroad owner Count J. Telfener loved his daughters so much that we recognize their names nearly 150 years later.
As the Count built the New York, Texas and Mexico Railroad between Victoria County and Wharton County, he named railway stations in his daughters’ honor. Those stations grew to be the towns of Edna and Inez. Louise, however, is a slightly different story. Although "The Cavalcade of Jackson County" lists Louise as a daughter, other records available at the Texana Museum show her to have been Count Telfener's sister-in-law and an aunt to Edna and Inez.
Nonetheless, Telfener’s 1881 map shows the entire length that he originally planned to build, prior to the creation of the stations that later became Louise and Inez.

- Texana Museum
- “The Cavalcade of Jackson County, Third Edition,” page 110.
- Map By Giuseppe Telfener - UTA Libraries Cartographic Connections: map / text, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=106360262

Edna, Did You Know?

Have you ever driven or walked on Ed Linn Street by the theater and wondered what that large metal object in the pavement is?

It formed the base that held a stop sign before the signs were moved to the side of the road. They were installed in 1937 around town, but only the one by the Edna Theater remains. As traffic lights were installed, the signs in the middle of the roads were removed.

- Photos courtesy of Mr. Roy Ortolon.

Edna City Manager Gary Broz, along with Victoria Economic Development Corp. Regional Partnership President Jonas Titas, CEcD, and Operations Director Diane Drussell, traveled to Washington, D.C. for the 2026 SelectUSA Investment Summit where Bauner Inc. announced it will build a $15 million facility in Edna. The facility will be located at the old rice dryer on Fannin Street and will produce aluminum siding products.

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