TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — One of America’s most recognizable soft drink symbols — the contour Coca-Cola bottle — turns 100 years old this year, and as part of the celebration, the company is recognizing its connection with the icon’s birthplace.

Terre Haute’s Root Glass Works obtained a patent for the Coke bottle’s design on Nov. 16, 1915.

“It’s the world’s most recognized consumer package,” said Todd Marty, Coca-Cola’s Indiana market unit food service and on-premise director. “I think a lot of times folks forget that there is so much history here in Vigo County and this is a big part of it and something to be extremely proud of.”

Timeline: The Coca-Cola bottle through the years

Commemorative Coca-Cola bottles were made available at retail stores in the city, with the company promising a 25-cent donation from the sale of each case of bottles to a local historical museum.

“Terre Haute is on the map because of the Coke bottle,” said Mayor Duke Bennett. “Wherever it may be discussed or if someone asks. ‘Hey, what is the story behind that?’, Terre Haute gets mentioned, so that is a very positive thing.”

John Root, whose great-grandfather, Chapman J. Root, owned the Root Glass Works where the contour bottle was designed and produced, recalled the story of the bottle’s creation being passed down through his family.

“One hundred years of a special icon like the Coca-Cola bottle is indeed very special,” Root said Wednesday at the celebration. “There are not too many companies that have such a global symbol as this.”

The contour bottle is sold in more than 200 countries worldwide, according to Ted Ryan, Coca-Cola’s director of heritage communications. He said that after Coca-Cola purchased a sketch of the bottle from the family of Earl R. Dean, the company sent a creative brief to other glass companies laying out manufacturing instructions, including a requirement that the bottle be recognizable “broken on the ground and by feel in the dark.”

“We like to say it was a team that did that bottle, and the bottle could not have been done without every single member of the team,” Ryan said. “The Root family played a huge role. Don’t ever forget for a second that [Chapman J. Root] was a glass manufacturer and knew the ins and outs. Alexander Samuelson, the shop foreman, knew everything too. It took every member of the crew to pull together that fantastic bottle.”

The Terre Haute (Ind.) Tribune Star contributed to this story.