Category Archives: Breweries

‘Bock Beer Day’, 1870s-’80s

Posted on April 12, 2024 by editor

“Today is Bock Beer Day, and the boys will all imbibe freely of the foaming extract of hops,” the Illinois State Journal predicted the morning of May 1, 1882. It didn’t always end happily for “the boys.” Bock beer is … Continue reading →

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Springfield Brewing Co.

Posted on May 10, 2016 by editor

The Springfield Brewing Co. operated at 11th and Madison streets from 1933 until late 1946, when it closed in the wake of wartime grain shortages, a federal tax lawsuit, and an embezzling scandal. The grain shortage was unavoidable. The United … Continue reading →

Posted in Breweries, Business, Crime and vice, Prominent figures | 5 Comments

West End Brewery

Posted on May 26, 2014 by editor

Henry Long operated a brewery near present-day Fayette and Feldkamp streets in the late 1860s and early 1870s Long paid $2,500 for a 14-acre tract of land from Peter and George Miller on Sept. 22, 1865. The land, at the … Continue reading →

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Herman-Laubheimer Brewery

Posted on October 26, 2013 by editor

The Herman-Laubheimer Brewery lasted only a few years in the 1860s and ’70s at the southwest corner of Amos and Jefferson streets, but a last few vestiges resurfaced — literally — in the 1990s. The operation began after Frank A. … Continue reading →

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Ice harvesting

Posted on October 23, 2013 by editor

Before artificial refrigeration was invented, ice was cut from rivers, ponds, and lakes during the winter and sent to storehouses, businesses, and homes. Bigger customers included produce shippers, grocery stores, and breweries, which needed huge quantities of ice. Springfield’s old … Continue reading →

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Robert Rudolph

Posted on October 22, 2013 by editor

Robert Rudolph (1824-68) was a master brewer who came into his fortune when he married Rosa Kun, the widow of Rudolph’s former employer, Andrew Kun, in 1864. Two years later, the Rudolphs built a lavish Italianate mansion at 511 W. … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Breweries, Business, Fever River, Industry, Prominent figures, Theaters | 2 Comments

Busher Brewery

Posted on October 22, 2013 by editor

See Springfield Brewery.

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Springfield Brewery

Posted on October 22, 2013 by editor

The earliest recorded brewery in Springfield was started in 1840 by James Busher. Busher and his brother John emigrated from their native England and settled in Springfield in 1839. The brothers were tanners by trade, or at least worked in … Continue reading →

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Kun Brewery

Posted on October 21, 2013 by editor

During its heyday, the Kun Brewery was one of the most prominent in the city, and one of its flamboyant brewmaster/owners erected a locally famed mansion at Walnut and Carpenter streets. Though long forgotten, the brewery came to light, literally, … Continue reading →

Posted in Breweries, Business, Fever River, Prominent figures | 11 Comments

Reisch Brewing Co.

Posted on October 12, 2013 by editor

The Reisch Brewing Co., which operated (with a few interruptions) from 1849 to 1966 on Springfield’s north end, remains the best-known of Springfield’s many 19th- and early 20th-century breweries. Bottles, cans, labels and other mementoes of the Reisch operation are … Continue reading →

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