Woodstock Brewery & Bottling Works Fire
Title
Woodstock Brewery & Bottling Works Fire
Description
Washington Street
Woodstock Brewery & Bottling Works was founded about 1858 to bottle beer. A photo of the building is on page 15 of Headlight Sights & Scenes (ca. 1898) along with a history.
May 8 "Fire Wipes Out Main Building of Woodstock Brewery: - 5:30 a.m. last Monday -origin unknown (Woodstock Brewing & Bottling Co.). City water main reaches only within about3000 feet of building and city only has about 2000 feet of hose, so unable to "thrown a stream onto the blaze". Also, the boiler in the brewery was cold so not possible to get water from that source until steam was generated - at least an hour before any water could be put on the fire. Mayor Jewett called Harvard for help - they arrived 1 1/2 hours later & connected their hose to Woodstock's, so water could finally be utilized, but main building ("malt house") already gone. Able to save nearby bottling house, ice house and stables. Loss estimate $70,000 with $32,000 insurance. Brewery had also supplied many homes with ice for a number of years. [Notes for 2002 Sesqui History pp 62-62]
"Some time after the fire above described, a blaze was discovered at the brewery of Zimmer, Herman & Co., on Washington street, a large part of which was totally destroyed, in spite of the valiant efforts of the fire department, whose members had a long ways to go by foot to reach the scene. The company never rebuilt the establishment, but Emil Arnold, its secretary for many years, maintained the ice business there until his death, the company having maintained a lake adjoining the brewery for the harvest of ice of a good quality. This brewery was an employer of considerable labor during its maintainance and provided a market for much of the grain raised by farmers in the community". [Wdstk Sentinel 3-13-1937 Sed. 3 p.1]
Woodstock Brewery & Bottling Works was founded about 1858 to bottle beer. A photo of the building is on page 15 of Headlight Sights & Scenes (ca. 1898) along with a history.
May 8 "Fire Wipes Out Main Building of Woodstock Brewery: - 5:30 a.m. last Monday -origin unknown (Woodstock Brewing & Bottling Co.). City water main reaches only within about3000 feet of building and city only has about 2000 feet of hose, so unable to "thrown a stream onto the blaze". Also, the boiler in the brewery was cold so not possible to get water from that source until steam was generated - at least an hour before any water could be put on the fire. Mayor Jewett called Harvard for help - they arrived 1 1/2 hours later & connected their hose to Woodstock's, so water could finally be utilized, but main building ("malt house") already gone. Able to save nearby bottling house, ice house and stables. Loss estimate $70,000 with $32,000 insurance. Brewery had also supplied many homes with ice for a number of years. [Notes for 2002 Sesqui History pp 62-62]
"Some time after the fire above described, a blaze was discovered at the brewery of Zimmer, Herman & Co., on Washington street, a large part of which was totally destroyed, in spite of the valiant efforts of the fire department, whose members had a long ways to go by foot to reach the scene. The company never rebuilt the establishment, but Emil Arnold, its secretary for many years, maintained the ice business there until his death, the company having maintained a lake adjoining the brewery for the harvest of ice of a good quality. This brewery was an employer of considerable labor during its maintainance and provided a market for much of the grain raised by farmers in the community". [Wdstk Sentinel 3-13-1937 Sed. 3 p.1]
Creator
Source
Edna Wienke
Date
1902-05-05
Collection
Citation
Medlar Studios, Woodstock, “Woodstock Brewery & Bottling Works Fire,” Woodstock Public Library Archives, accessed May 20, 2025, https://woodstockpubliclibraryarchives.omeka.net/items/show/471.
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