Joseph Uhrig Brewing Company
The Joseph Uhrig Brewing Company was an American brewery in St. Louis .
history
Joseph Uhrig Brewing Company was founded in St. Louis in 1839 as Camp Spring Brewery . The founders were the German emigrants Joseph and Ignatz Uhrig and another business partner named Anton Kraut, who died two years after it was founded. Since then the brewery has operated under the name of Joseph Uhrigs.
To solve the problem of storage, a nearby property, which belonged to the doctor William Beaumont and was tunneled under by a cave system, was purchased. The Uhrig brothers built a tunnel with a connecting track between the brewery and the cave. In this way, the brewed beer could be transported directly to the storage room. The cave was enlarged piece by piece and covered with bricks to prevent water from entering.
In the 1850s, the Uhrig Brewery was the first to produce bock beer in St. Louis. During this time, the brewery received several quality awards, including an award for its lager beer at the St. Louis Fair in 1857.
The later head and co-owner of the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company , August Uihlein , was employed as an accountant and general manager from 1860 to 1867.
After the death of the Uhrig brothers, the brewery had to close within a few years because it did not survive the competition against Anheuser-Busch .
Uhrig's Cave
Due to the constant cool temperature in the cave, the brothers opened a restaurant, the Uhrig's Cave . This also included a beer garden . The pub gained local popularity during the 1850s. Concerts and plays were staged.
The company was sold to Chris Nunce during the 1860s. No events were held in the cave during the American Civil War . In June 1861, a Home Guard regiment was stationed in the cave. It was only reopened in 1879.
In 1884 the property was sold to restaurateur Thomas McNeary. Under his guidance and with the help of his brother Uhrig's Cave reached the height of its popularity. Up to 3000 people found space in the guest room. Well-known actors such as John Drew , Julia Marlow , Augustin Daly and Della Fox performed in the cave. Uhrig's Cave was the first St. Louis inn to use electric lights.
The successful period ended in 1888 when the McNeary brothers lost their liquor license. From 1900 to 1908 the cave was used as a theater, roller skating rink, bowling alley and mushroom farm, among other things.
In 1908 large parts of the cave collapsed when the St. Louis Coliseum was being built . The tunnels that were not affected by the collapse were used as a trading center for illegal alcohol and as a dive bar (eng. “ Speakeasy ”) during the prohibition era .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Sussex-Lisbon Area Historical Society, Inc .: From Miltenberg to Milwaukee ( Memento of the original of October 29, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
- ↑ a b c d Hubert Rother, Charlotte Rother: Lost Caves of St. Louis , p. 38 Available online on Google Books , accessed on June 14, 2013.
- ↑ a b c d WikiLou: Uhrig's Cave ( Memento of the original dated December 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English), accessed June 14, 2013.
- ↑ St. Louis Beer History: Underground Beginnings , accessed June 14, 2013.
- ^ Hubert Rother, Charlotte Rother: Lost Caves of St. Louis. P. 39 (English), accessed June 14, 2013.
- ^ Hubert Rother, Charlotte Rother: Lost Caves of St. Louis. P. 43 (English), accessed June 14, 2013.
