Drinkable History Walking Tour

Tour stops

1) P D & E RR / I C RR 2) Chero Cola 3) Weber Hall / Carpenter Hall 4) Old Brewery 5) Fulton Ave Brewery / Sterling Brewery 6) Evansville Furniture Co 7) Indiana Stove Works / Craddock Finishing 8) Heyns Furniture / Tin Man

Tour Map

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Drinking background

• Germans like beer • Early beer small-scale, much like home brew • “Old Brewery” first large operation • Smaller breweries gave way to larger ones – F W Cook Brewing Co – Evansville Brewing Association - comprised of Fulton Ave Brewery, Evansville Brewing Co, and Hartmetz Brewery • Survived Prohibition by making other products • Notable brands included Cook’s Goldblume and Sterling • Last major brewery in Evansville closed 1988 • Evansville Brewing Company revived beer making in Evansville, but the venture failed 1997 • Tin Man brings large scale brewing back to the city

Illinois Central RR

• Peoria Decatur & Evansville (P D & E) RR reached town 1881 • Later Illinois Central (I C) RR • Freight Depot rebuilt circa 1916 • Abandoned 1980s, repair shops and turn table razed • Repurposed for Case Engineering

I C RR freight station 1929

Chero-Cola

• New bottling factory built 1922 • Distributed Chero-Cola and later Nehi • Becomes Double Cola plant c1950s, expands • Now Lensing Wholesale

Chero Cola fleet 1922

Weber Hall / Carpenter Hall

• Weber’s Hall built c1890 • Weber’s Malt House on Fourth Ave, also known as Franklin Brewery, made malt extract • Carpenters’ union purchases building 1922 and becomes known as Carpenter’s Hall • 1940 addition in rear

Headquarters of Local 90 Carpenter Union 1932

Old Brewery

• Brothers-in-law Rice & Kroener establish first brewery in area 1837 • Situated along the Wabash & Erie Canal (Indiana St) • Became known as “Old Brewery” when Rice split off to form City Brewery (later FW Cook) in 1853 • Ran simultaneously to Fulton Ave Brewery across street 1880s • Newer factory saw the old one out of business • Closed 1884 and razed 1886

Old Brewery complex from the 1880 aerial map

Fulton Ave Brewery

• Built 1881 across from Old Brewery • Large collapse 1890 saw the iconic stock house erected (corner building) • Becomes part of Evansville Brewing Association (EBA) 1894 • Bottling plant completed 1914 • New offices built 1955 • Razed 1999. Wagon shed (c1890) and grain dryer/storage (c1900) still standing

Above – Original Fulton Ave Brewery building c1888 Below – 1969 view of the corner of Pennsylvania and Fulton

Fulton Ave Brewery

Aerial view of the brewery area around 1940

Evansville Furniture Co

• Evansville Furniture Co dates back to c1870 • Present structure built 1879 • Large additions added around 1900 and 1920 • Becomes Universal Furniture 1936 • Big fire in February 1975 claimed half of the factory • More recently antique mall and now offices

Evansville Furniture Co 1931

Indiana Stove Works

• Founded in 1881 by stove makers Schrader, Fischer & Boehne at the southeast corner of Illinois and Seventh • Incorporated 1887 as Indiana Stove Works • Best known for making Darling Stoves • Expanded over the years and eventually occupied the entire block • 1936 becomes Craddock Furniture • Large fire Feb 1972

Indiana Stove Works c1900

Franklin House / Heyns Furniture

• Franklin House boarding house and saloon built c1870 • William Heyns establishes his furniture company around 1889 • Business grows and 1901 expands building (see next slide). Ornamentation at top added into the brickwork • A variety of uses after the furniture company closes c1930, but primarily boarding/hotel and a restaurant/saloon • Fire 1961 claims the left third • Miscellaneous uses including liquor store and used furniture company • Tin Man finishes an earlier restoration in 2012. Cheers!

Heyns Block

Heyns Furniture Co 1901

Heyns Furniture

c1870 1886 c1889 1901 1930s-1940s 1950s 1961 1960s-1970s 1970s-1980s 1990s 2000s 2008 2012 Franklin St House built as boarding house / saloon Heyns takes ownership Heyns & Co established as a furniture company Building enlarged as Heyns Block Spillman’s Restaurant and Hotel Bud Bays Indian Sales and Service (motorcycles) / Irwin Liquors / West Side Swap Shop Left (east) section is destroyed by fire Blue Bell Liquors / Rite Deal Furniture Al Hocker / Rogers Used Furniture Store West Side Consignment & Resale Shoppe Tri-State Printing Remodeled for restaurant, stalled Renovated for Tin Man Brewing Co

Other breweries - F W Cook Brewing Co

• Established as City Brewery 1853 • 1885 renamed F W Cook Brewing Co • Closed 1957 • Razed 1965 for Civic Center

Left – F W Cook Brewing Co c1890 Mid – Brewery in 1947 Right – Demolition 1965

Other Breweries - Evansville Brewing Association (EBA)

Top – Hartmetz Brewery c1900 Bottom – Evansville Brewery 2010

• Hartmetz Brewery – Opened 1863 – Located on Harmony Way in West Heights – Closed c1910 – Razed c1940 • Evansville Brewery – Opened 1891 – Brewing ceased 1914 – Various operations – Brucken’s since 1969

Other Bottling Works

• Bernardin Bottle Cap Co – Founded 1880s – One of last industries to leave downtown – Opened plant 1949 at foot of Mt Auburn (now Silgan) • Coca Cola Bottling – Established locally 1903 – Existing structure rebuilt around 1926 with later additions – Recently repurposed as office space

Top – Bernardin Bottle Works 1948 Bottom – Coca Cola Bottling on Pennsylvania St