Barq’s Rootbeer bottled in Biloxi 126 years ago

Barq’s Rootbeer was bottled in Biloxi for the first time 126 years ago.

Edward Charles Edmond Barq invented Barq’s Root beer in 1898 in a small factory on Keller Avenue.

By the 1950s, Barq’s Rootbeer was a southern staple and exponentially grew in popularity, forcing Barq to find a bigger place to make and bottle the delicious beverage.

Unfortunately, the original building was placed on Mississippi’s top 10 endangered places by the Mississippi Heritage Trust, which led to the Barq family renovating the building.

It looks different now, but Biloxi historian Mandy Hornsby says change doesn’t take away from the history.

“History is more than just dates on a page. We have our cultural history,” Hornsby said. “We have our local legacies, our local culture that we want to uphold. And this place represents a big part of Biloxi’s cultural history. Barq’s root beer is iconic with Biloxi and everyone enjoys it in a glass bottle with a shrimp poboy.”

The building will be a Barq’s Rootbeer-themed short-term rental home.