A Brief History of Brewing in
Southeastern Indiana
Aurora,
Brookville,
Columbus, Lawrenceburg,
Madison,
Metamora,
New
Alsace,
North Vernon, Oldenburg,
Salem,
Seymour,
Dearborn County,
Ripley County
Also see the combined page for
New Albany / Clarksville / Jeffersonville
Aurora
| The Indiana
State Gazetteer and Business Directory of 1859 lists "L. Simondel,
proprietor, City Brewery". The 1868
Business Directory for Indiana lists a brewery owned by M. Siementel on
Third Street. It also mentions Gaff's distillery. |
| Aurora Brewing and Malting
Company 1871 - 1873
Great Crescent Brewery
Crescent Brewing Company
1873 - 1899
(photo courtesy
Bruce Mobley)
|
Thomas and James Gaff built
the T. & J.W. Gaff & Co. distillery in downtown Aurora on the banks of Hogan
Creek in 1843. It made bourbon, rye, and Thistle Dew scotch whiskey. This
location became the foot of Mechanic St. The Gaffs seem to have owned The Aurora Brewing and Malting Company
before 1871 with an C.C. Kelsey, Ass't Sec'y mentioned in a lawsuit to
collect on a promissory note issued by the company. It is probable AB&M went
bankrupt.
|
"There is also a large distillery, which mashes from 1,000 to 1,200
bushels of corn daily. A mammoth brewery has recently been erected at
a cost of $150,000 dollars." Wiggins and Weaver's Ohio River
Directory for 1871-72
|
They started the Great Crescent Brewery in
1873 and owned other businesses in town as well as owning several steamboats
that transported the distillery and brewery products. The major brand was
Aurora Lager Beer. Very popular, it was even exported to Germany.
Thomas Gaff house, Hillforest Mansion,
as it looks now,
a National Historic Landmark.
|
"One of their steamboats, the Forest Queen, became headquarters for
Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman during the Siege of Vicksburg. The
steamboat, under the command of Capt. C. D. Conway of Aurora,
successfully ran the Vicksburg blockade, but was burned to the water
by Confederates in St. Louis, Missouri." - Destination Indiana:
Travels Through Hoosier History
|
The first fire company building, 1876, was
in Gaff's distillery building. The Thomas Gaff pumper was retired around
1907 and scrapped during a WWII metal recycling drive.
The Thomas Gaff steam pumper
Charles Bauer, an immigrant from Wurtemberg,
Germany was the contractor who built the brewery and he was a stockholder.
Herman Bartels, an immigrant from
Richtenberg, Prussia invested in Crescent in 1878 and sold his interest in
1884. He then had interest in the J. Walker Brewery of Cincinnati and, in
1887 moved to Syracuse, NY where he was a brewer at Haberle Brewing Company.
In 1893 he bought the Germania brewery and changed its name to Bartels
Brewing Company. article
A fire at the brewery on October 25, 1881
caused $150,000 damage. It was insured for $43,500. (source: The Chronicle
vol XXIX - an Insurance journal in New York)
Charles F. Hopkins is listed as the
principle in 1887, presumably after the sale from Herman Bartels. C.L. Howe
was the President of the Aurora Distilling Co. at that time.
|
"Our distilleries are the best and our breweries can not be beaten. So
great is the demand of the Crescent Brewing Co., of Aurora, that the
Big Four R. R. has built a track from Lawrenceburg, a distance of four
miles, for its trade." - Annual Report of the Indiana State Board
of Agriculture, 1887
|
There was an explosion in the Crescent
Brewery in January, 1891 which killed two men (named Swift and Pfeister). By
this time the brewery was producing 80,000 bbls annually.
|
"It was reasonably certain that Thomas Gaff, pioneer distiller of
Aurora was the most outspoken supporter and financial contributor, as
the Aurora Number 1 was appropriately named "THOMAS GAFF" and a brass
nameplate was made and placed on the steam exhaust stack of the
engine. The THOMAS GAFF established a worlds steam engine record of
pumping continuously for seventy-two (72) straight hours on the
Crescent Brewery fire at the turn of the century." - Aurora
Volunteer Fire Department
|
The brewery assets seem to have been sold
in Cincinnati in April, 1899 to an English syndicate, Watneys.
|
"Sold at Cincinnati. By order of the London (England) trustees, the
Crescent brewery at Aurora, Ind. was sold for $50,000 which is a
sacrifice The buyer's name will not be known till the sale is passed
upon by the London trustees. This is one of the numerous breweries
bought by the English syndicate several years ago." - Sandusky
Star, April 12, 1899
|
Correspondence from Robin Bowers
(8/3/2006):
I am an archaeologist working in Nevada.
Just a few days ago, I found a small metal cap on a historic mule trail.
It is marked "Crescent Brewing Co. Aurora Ind" with a crescent moon in the
center. I'm not sure what the cap would have been used for. It's made of
thin sheet metal. My guess would be it was either attached to a wooden
barrel or to a bottle cork. I'm not sure. Out here, it is more common for
us to find old beer bottles and beer paraphernalia from St. Louis and
Milwaukee. I thought you'd be interested to know that Indiana beer made it
all the way out to Nevada. The mining district I was working in was
booming from about 1880 to 1915.
The cap definitely seemed to be the sort
of thing that would be attached to a wooden container of some kind. It had
metal flanges around its edge to attach it to something, anyway.
The artifact is pretty intriguing
considering where I found it. The mule trail it was found on was used for
procuring wood for a nearby gold mine. Unless the wood cutters were living
in the forest for extended periods, there wouldn't be much need to pack a
lot of supplies in. But then again, wood cutters get thirsty and whiskey
and beer seem to be the libation of choice out here in the 19th century.
Historic maps of the area show the trail extending to a place called
"Francis Cabin" but I lost the trail at a spring head and couldn't verify
this. It's possible that the trail was used to get supplies out to the
cabin or that the wood cutters used the cabin as a sort of headquarters.
The Gaff's were involved in other
businesses including Nevada silver mines according to the Hillforest Mansion
web site. They also owned a dry goods and
groceries store and Tomas was the President of the First National Bank. |
|
Great
Crescent Brewery 2008 -
Present |
 Microbrewer
in downtown Aurora in a storefront at 327 Second St.
Owners: Dan and Lani Valas
Brewmaster Dan Valas
Dan was homebrewer who is fulfilling a
dream of making a living from his hobby. Sales are through local liquor
stores and restaurants as well as over the counter at the brewery. |
Brookville
(Franklin County)
According to The Register
of United States Breweries 1876-1976 there were four breweries in
Brookville:
- Seibel, Godfried & Co. (155 bbls).
Closed before 1875.
- Adam Stock (355 bbls) Closed before
1875.
- Conrad Wissel (200 bbls) Closed before
1875.
- John A. Bussard (250 bbls). This may
have been in Franklin County outside of the town of Brookville, either in
Brookville Township or Highland Township. It lasted until at least 1882.
|
Columbus
| Eliz. Seeling |
The The Register of United
States Breweries 1876-1976 lists an Eliz. Seeling has having a small
brewery of less than 50 bbl capacity. It closed before 1875. |
| August Schreiber
Prior to 1868 - ~1885 |
The 1868 Business Directory
for Indiana lists a brewery owned by August Schreiber in Columbus near the
corner of Jackson St. and the Madison and Indianapolis RR.
It made up to 1000 bbls per year. |
|
Power House Brewing Company
2007 - Present |
 Two partners,
Doug Memering and Jon Myers bought the Columbus Bar in downtown Columbus.
Jon, an avid homebrewer set up a 20 gallon brewery in the front bay window
and got a federal brewing license in 2007. They serve one or two of their
own beers along with a large selection of craft beers. |
Dearborn County
(including Dover, Newtown, St. Leon,
West Harrison)
In 1833, Balthasar Hammerle,
and immigrant from Wersterville, Gelheim, Bavaria, moved his family to Dover
in Dearborn County and bought 50 acres of land for $50.
|
"His occupation was tailoring, but this proved to be unprofitable, so
he built a brewery -- the first in Indiana. He managed this business
until 1856, when he turned over the business to his son." - History
of Marion County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, J. Wilbur Jacoby,
1907
|
"About 1845 (John Beckenholdt, an immigrant from Germany) built the
Beckenholdt Brewery in Newtown, and for many years did quite an
extensive brewing business in that city. He died in 1860." -
History of Dearborn and Ohio Counties, Indiana - 1885. |
Newtown no longer exists.
The Register of United
States Breweries 1876-1976 lists a brewery owned by L. Bischoff in St.
Leon that closed about 1885. It's capacity was less than 500 bbls.
George Kocher, a German immigrant, started
a brewery in 1882 in Harrison OH or West Harrison, IN. His son, Anthony
Kocher, worked with him in that brewery; "serving in the capacity of
bookkeeper and collector for a number of years".
|
"George Kocher, retired farmer and brewer, Harrison, was born in
Germany April 23, 1827, son of Frank and Barbara Kocher. His father
emigrated to this country in 1878, and located in Dearborn county,
Ind., on a farm, where he remained until his death, in 1883. Their son
came to this country in March, 1847, at the age of twenty . . . In
1882 be went to Harrison and engaged in the brewing business,
conducting same until 1891, when he retired to private life." -
History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio - 1894
|
Also see the cities of Aurora,
Lawrenceburg, and New Alsace on
this page. |
Lawrenceburg
| Dunn & Ludlow Distillery
1807 - ???? |
In 1807 Dunn & Ludlow built a
distillery at the confluence of Tanners Creek and the Ohio River. Initial
production was about 2 barrels per week. By 1825 they were shipping by boat
as far away as New Orleans. |
| Squibb Distillery
1846 - After WWII |
William P. and G.W. Squibb
started a distillery in Aurora in 1846.
Kosmos Fredrick joined them in 1867
building a new distillery in Lawrenceburg that could process 300 bushels of
grain per day. This was at 2nd St. near Main. Fredrick sold his shares to W.
P. Squibb in 1871. He went on to form a new distillery with Nicholas Oester.
In 1885 they installed a continuous still.
When the two Squibbs both died in 1913 they left the distillery to their
seven sons and cousins.
By 1914 four of the sons and one cousin
build a new distillery on the same site.
From 1937 until 1949 they also used the
defunct Eagle Brewery in Vincennes.
This operation produced Chimney Corner, Old
Dearborn, Rock Castle, and Gold Leaf Rye.
It was called the Old Quaker distillery.
"Old Quaker Distilling Frankfort KY, Lawrenceburg IN, and Fresno, CA". The
motto is "Old Quaker is in tune with today's growing preference for
mildness and mellowness. You don't have to be rich to enjoy rich whiskey."
Just before prohibition ended Schenley
bought the plant and rolled it into a new conglomerate along with the
Schenley, Finch, Ancient Age, James E Pepper, Blanton, Old Stagg, and more
distilleries.
Legend says they made 80 barrels of whiskey
eight days before prohibition ended and the whiskey was ready in 1936.
During WWII they made penicillin at the
plant. |
| Kosmos Fredrick Brewery ????
- 1857
J. B. Garnier Malt House & Brewery
1840 - 1916 |
John B. Garnier, an immigrant
from France, began a malting and brewing business in Lawrenceburgh (later to
drop the "h") in 1840. In 1857 he bought the rival Kosmos Fredrick Brewery
and in 1866 he enlarged the entire operation by building a new brewery with
his brother August at 3rd and Shipping Streets.
|
"The late Mr. Garnier, immediately after his arrival in Lawrenceburg,
started a malt house, which he conducted with admirable success until
the 'fifties, when he erected a brewery, the product of which found an
extensive sale in Lawrenceburg, as well as in the villages near at
hand and towns more remote. His previous handling of malt had well
qualified him for the selection of material used in brewing, and from
the start his product was recognized as being far superior to the
ordinary beverage turned out by breweries of greater pretensions, and
even of metropolitan celebrity. In this business he acquired a
competency, although he continued to actively superintend the details
of his brewing process until his lamented decease, which occurred at
Lawrenceburg March 7, 1897." - History of the Catholic church in
Indiana - 1898
|
 The brewery was taken over by
Garnier's son-in-law, Victor Oberting (right), in 1896. It closed officially
in 1916. The maximum capacity was 8,000 bbls.
Obertling was also chief of the fire
department and was a State Representative for Dearborn County.
|
"Lawrenceburg - Revenue collector poured into the Ohio river 470
barrels of beer seized at the Garnier Brewery here under the
prohibition law." - The Fort Wayne News and Sentinel, Mon Oct 21,
1918
|
The Lawrenceburg Workforce Development
Center is on the grounds of an old brewery - one of the oldest and best
known landmarks in the area. |
|
|
| The Register
of United States Breweries 1876-1976 lists a brewery owned by Anton
Ritze in Lawrenceburg with a capacity of less than 500 bbls. This closed
about 1885. |
Madison
Jacob Salmon Brewery
1823 - before 1856Greiner Brewery
Before 1856 - 1881
Madison Brewing Co.
1881 - 1918 |
The Jacob Salmon Brewery
operated at the east edge of Madison during the 1830s (drawn below). It was
established in 1823 on the south side of the Lawrenceburg Road "above
Baltimore". Also known as the Old Salmon Brewery as Jacob was known as "Ol'
Man Salmon".
 The Greiner family brewery occupied the
site of the Jacob Salmon Brewery by 1856. It's brand name was Madison XXX
Ale which was reportedly distributed as far away as New Orleans.
brewery picture -
brewery picture -
brewery picture
The Register of United States Breweries
1876-1976 lists the M. Greiner & Sons brewery being renamed before 1875
to John Greiner Brewery, then becoming the Madison Brewing Co. in about
1885. MBC had a peak production capacity of 14,000 bbls.
The Madison City Directory of 1887 includes
"Madison Brewing Co. Incorporated 1881. Capital stock $100,000. John B.
Ross, Pres., Charles A. Korbly, Sec., Thomas A. Pogue, Treas., A. C.
Greiner, Supt."
Sometime before 1889 the Greiner Brewery /
Madison Brewing Company was re-located to 220-226 Park Ave. (now numbered as
928 Park Ave.)
In the late 1860s, Frank Fehr, an immigrant
from the Alsace region of France, worked for the Madison Brewing Company. In
1872, Fehr opened a brewery in Louisville which became City Brewery in 1876.
By 1901 it was Louisville's biggest brewery and the company lasted until
1964. more info
|
"We Beg to Announce That The Jacob Metzger Co. Will act as our
distributors in Indianapolis and vicinity for our Famous Madison XXX
Ale. Beginning With Tomorrow Same may be obtained by calling them on
either Number or calling at 30-32 E. Maryland, their place of
business. DELIVERY FREE OF CHARGE The Madison Brewing Co. INDIANA" -
Display ad in the Indianapolis Star, Sunday, Nov 27, 1910
|
|
"MADISON XXX Ale Refreshes the Tired and Weary Satisfying after a
tiresome journey or shopping tour. No other beverage contributes the
same mild, refreshing qualities for the fagged (?) and laded (?).
Truly a welcome drink. Prompt city delivery. Fehrenbach, Bose Clements
122 S. Pennsylvania St. Telephone 407. (Brewery Bottling.) Madison
Brewing Company Madison, INDIANA" - Indianapolis Star, Friday, Nov
3, 1916
|
With Prohibition, the Madison Brewing Co.
went bankrupt and disappeared on Feb 2, 1918.
This picture, taken in 1929 is from the
Madison Courier1918
In later years this building has been a
grocery, farm store, machine shop, and a warehouse. |
Belser & Co.
Madison BreweryBefore 1859 - After
1868 |
The Indiana State
Gazetteer and Business Directory of 1859 lists:
- Belser & Co., Prop'rs Madison Brewery,
Manufacturers of Ale, Beer, and Lager Beer.
The 1868 Business Directory for Indiana
lists:
- Madison Brewery, Belser & Co.
proprietors.
The Register of United States Breweries
1876-1976 lists:
- Belser & Co. - closed before 1875 -
production 3,865 bbls
|
| Union Brewery
1862 - 1901 |
Peter Weber, an Alsatian
immigrant, inherited his father, Adam Weber's, brewery at Main and Vine (602
W. Main) before 1875. He rebuilt it in grand style in 1876 (below). 
This fine structure was used by the Hampton
Cracker Co.
and other businesses until a fire destroyed it in 1939.
Peak production was about 4,000 bbls. Weber
lived next door at 608 W. Main.
Peter Weber later became a partner in Weber
and Schillinger brewery in Louisville and bought it outright in 1891,
renaming it Phoenix Brewing Company. His son, Charles A. Weber was president
of the Union Brewery from 1892 until its closing in 1901. |
| Various
Pre-prohibition breweries in Madison |
The first brewery in the
Madison area is said to be McQuiston's Malt House located at the east end of
4th St. The Scheik Brewery opened in
1841. It was on Jefferson, north of Fourth St. It closed shortly after and
the building became a canning factory.
The Madison City Guide of 1860 lists:
- Appel's Brewery, George Appel, prop.,
located on Walnut between 4th and 5th Streets.
- Madison Brewery, AKA Bleser & Co., Wm
F.B. & Charles Geisbauer, located on Main between 4th and 5th Streets.
The 1868 Business Directory for Indiana
lists:
- Greiner & Son east of the city.
- Madison Brewery, Belser & Co.
proprietors.
- Walnut Brewery, John Butz, prop. on
Walnut
- P. Weber's brewery at the corner of Vine
and Main.
Wiggins and Weaver's Ohio River Directory
for 1871-72 lists:
- Appel, George & Son, West End Brewery,
Third and Depot
- Greiner, M. & Sons, brewery,
Lawrenceburg road, nr Fulton
The Register of United States Breweries
1876-1976 lists:
- Elizabeth Butz - closed before 1875.
|
Metamora
(Franklin County)
John & Daniel Walker
1850s - 1860sA. I. Senior
1860s - ???? |
 "This two
story house is constructed of rubble limestone, it was built in the 1850's
by John and Daniel Walker. They operated several businesses in Metamora, a
general store, a distillery and a mill. This building served as a warehouse
for the whiskey produced in their distillery. The barrels were loaded onto
canal boats at a dock immediately below the Metamora Lock south of this
building. By 1867, it was used as a brewery by A.I. Senior. In the late
1800's, it was converted into a residence. Two architectural changes have
been made since that time, the addition of the east-facing porch and a
recent third story." more
info |
New
Alsace
(Dearborn County)
| Zix
1830s - 1893 |
There was a Zix brewery near
New Alsace in the 1830s until 1893. Joseph Zix (born 1825), emigrated from
Baden-Baden Germany in 1830 with his father, Charles Zix (born 1799).
Charles'
genealogy lists him as a brewer and Joseph's
genealogy also lists him as a brewmeister. Joseph died 1895 in
New Alsace. The Register of United
States Breweries 1876-1976 lists the owner as being Michael Zix who sold
it to George Zix in 1889. Production was under 500 bbls per year.
Also, an Anton Zix was with the Wellston
Brewing & Ice Co. in Wellston, OH, and became the brewmaster of the Crockery
City Brewery in PA in the 1910s. We have no hard evidence that these two are
related but Anton Zix may have been George A. Zix, son of Joseph Zix, who's
genealogy also lists him as a "Brew Meister" |
| Martin Meyer ????
- 1897 |
The Register of United
States Breweries 1876-1976 lists a brewery in New Alsace owned by Martin
Meyer. No opening date given but it closed in 1898. Maximum capacity was
1,000 bbls. From the ancestry.org web
site: Martin Meyer, Born 1833, Dubuque, IA, Brewer Owner - New Alsace
Brewery, New Alsace, Dearborn County, Indiana. Died 1897. |
North Vernon
(and Vernon)
Michael Gooding owned a
brewery in Vernon in 1860. We don't know opening and closing dates. The only
references to it seem to be a false alarm due to a "burning out the flue" in
February, 1860 and reference in the Jennings Co. Historical Society notes of
"In the 1800's . . . Michael Gooding owned the brewery".
The 1868 Business Directory for Indiana
lists a brewery owned by Brunett & Nassay near the Madison & Indianapolis
Railroad in North Vernon.
The Register of United States Breweries
1876-1976 lists a brewery in North Vernon owned by John Schierling
closed about 1885. This brewery had a capacity of less than 500 bbls.
There is, or was, a town of Brewersville
about 5 miles north of North Vernon. Now it's an unincorporated horseshoe of
houses at CR 680N and N. Base Rd. There are no records available of a
brewery in the near vicinity. |
Oldenburg
(Franklin County)
Henry Roell
~1860 - 1867Balthasar Roell
1867 - 1905 |
|
"Rev. Frank A. Roell, pastor of the church of the Immaculate
Conception, at Aurora, Dearborn county, Ind., is one of nine sons born
to Henry and Catherine (Schacherer) Roell. The father was born in
Bavaria, Germany, came to the United States in 1854, first located in
Cincinnati, Ohio, and for several years was engaged in the brewery
business; he next moved to Oldenburg, Ind., following the same
business until 1867. He then disposed of his brewery, and located at
Morris, Ind., where he conducts a hardware store and at the same time
is connected with the Morris Cooperage Manufacturing company." -
History of the Catholic church in Indiana by Charles Blanchard,
1898
|
The Register of United States Breweries
1876-1976 lists a brewery in Oldenburg named B. Roell & Co. until about
1885 and Balthasar Roell until it closed about 1905. It had a capacity of
about 1,000 bbls. |
| There were three
breweries listed in the Franklin County 1882 Atlas - one each in the towns
of Brookville and Oldenburg, and one in Highland Township which may have
been near Cedar Grove. |
| A report by the
Indiana Bureau of Statistics in 1896 listed a brewery in Oldenburg with a
"value of $3,000, in which 3 men are employed, to whom were paid during past
year in wages $1,800. Cost of material, $3,000, and manufactured product,
$7,000. |
Ripley
County
(including Batesville, Osgood,
Napoleon, and Sunman)
| The 1868 Business Directory
for Indiana lists a Batesville Brewery owned by John Zuber in Batesville.
There may also have been a Henry Wachsman
Brewery in Batesville although no dates are known.
The Register of United States Breweries
1876-1976 lists a brewery in the town of Osgood owned by John Wagner.
This closed before 1875. It's maximum production was 220 bbls per annum.
The Register of United States Breweries
1876-1976 lists a brewery in the town of Napoleon owned by Nicholas
Morbach. This was a small brewery, capable of less than 500 bbls annually.
It closed about 1885.
The Register of United States Breweries
1876-1976 lists a brewery in the town of Sunman owned by P. Schneider.
This was a small brewery, capable of less than 500 bbls annually. It closed
about 1885.
The LiL' Charlies Steakhouse in Batesville
bought the adjacent house and converted it into a brewery and bar in 2009. |
Salem
| The Indiana
State Gazetteer and Business Directory of 1859 says in the list of
manufacturing facilities in Salem "one brewery" |
| Tucker Brewing Company
1996 - 1999
|
 Owner: Todd Tucker.
Brewer: Donald Russell.Their most
popular beers included Smoked Porter, Brown Ale, IPA, and Blackberry Wheat.
The equipment was sold to
Silver Creek Brewing Co.
of Sellersburg in 1999. |
Seymour
| The Register of United States
Breweries 1876-1976 lists two breweries in Seymour, both closing about 1885.
Both with a capacity of 1,000 bbls. One owned by Martin Dammrich and the
other owned by J. D. Kaufmann. |
Copyright 2004, 2006, 2009, Bob
Ostrander
|
