Logansport's Famous Brewery

We get questioned often about the brewery which stood on High Street in Logansport. Bottles from both the Columbia brand and the K G Schmidt brand of beer come through the museum doors. We average 3 to 4 bottles per year. Bottles which were unearthed or found between the walls or maybe under the porch of a home being renovated...once in a while someone will present a bottle, usually K G Schmidt brand, that is still sealed, with product inside. The museum has a large collection of both brands, both empty and with product. We only accept them if the owner intends to dispose of them in the waste or recycle bin. Fortunately most people end up keeping them.

The brewery on High Street. The Bottling House was closest to the photographer.

This would be on the west side of the brewery looking east up High Street.

 

BREWERY HISTORY

1889-1890
CITY BREWERY John Mutschler, German immigrant - a brew master - started the first brewery in that location. There had been other, smaller operations in Logansport, at other locations. The High Street location is the best known and lasted the longest.

1890-1895
LOGANSPORT BREWING COMPANY President and manager Eugene Prager. The address 418-420-422 High Street. Employees included Adolph Mutschler.

Logansport Journal, May 30, 1889, page 3
There will be a general meeting at J. Mutchler's city brewery, for the purpose of organizing a stock company to purchase and operate the above brewery. All saloonkeepers and business men in general are most earnestly requested to attend.

Logansport Journal, Feb. 27, 1890, page 3
Medland & Gleitz  have secured the contract for building the addition to the city brewery, in which will be placed the artificial ice machine.

Logansport Pharos Tribune, January 16, 1891, page 4
A little over a year ago Eugene Prager and August Binz with several Chicago parties purchased the city brewery of the late John Mutchler and at once set to work remodeling and otherwise improving it, expanding about $65,000 in making needed changes. (omissions) It is such enterprises that make a thriving city. Mr. Prager has just returned from Chicago and while there succeeded in purchasing the interests in the brewery owned by Chicago parties and hereafter he and August Binz will be sole owners.

1895-1920
COLUMBIA BREWERY General Managers - 1895, Harry Brookmeyer Jr.; 1897, John G. Keip; 1920 Frank V. Albert. By 1915 Jacob Maier was the brew master.

Logansport Pharos Tribune, Oct. 23, 1895, page 4

Robert Boerger,one of the proprietors of the Columbia brewery is in the city. His visit means the erection of a $20,000 addition to the brewery, an expenditure made necessary by the rapid increase in business since the present management took hold of it. Accompanying Mr. Boerger is Mr. Lewis Leahle, an architect, who has made the construction of breweries a study. He has prepared plans for many of the largest breweries of the country.

The new addition shall be constructed just west of the new building. In dimensions it will be 35 feet front by 100 feet deep, two stories high and will have a cellar capacity of 30,000 barrels. It will be built of stone, brick and iron, and the estimated cost complete is $20.000.

It should be noted here that Prohibition put a halt to production of beer, however the Columbia company can still be found in the City Directory under "soft drinks".

PROHIBITION

Logansport Daily Tribune, November 16, 1919, page 3

BIG QUANTITY OF BEER POURED INTO RIVER

Many thirsty souls of Logansport would undoubtedly have taken a swim in the chilly waters of the Eel River last week if they had only known what occurred near the Columbia Brewery. A large quantity of' 8 per cent beer which had been held at the brewery in the hopes that prohibition would be defeated, was poured into the river. A hose attached to the vat in which the beer was contained and throughout the week, a continual stream of the liquor was poured into the river. The plant will now be closed down until the quantity of  dry beer which is now on hand is disposed of.

The Bottling House - the west end of the brewery aka "beer plant".

This building was torn down in the 1950s or 60s.

 

The brewery looking toward the bottling house on the west end on High Street.

 

COLUMBIA BREWERY

 



The clear Columbia bottles are the most common found. The dark

bottles are a little less common.

As Prohibition was in effect - by 1921 the building housed “People’s Garage” in the west half of the building and the rest of the building was vacant. The building housed other various businesses including “Wide Awake Transfer” which was a buy, sell, trade business for large items such as stoves, ranges and furniture; John McCormick’s Feed Store; and Cass Co. Farm Products.

 

K G SCHMIDT BREWERY

 

 

1935-1951

K. G. SCHMIDT BREWERY operated in the building from 1935 to 1951. President of the company was George K. Schmidt, Ernest Schmidt was Vice President and George K. Schmidt Jr. served as secretary-treasurer. The name K. G. Schmidt came from George Sr.’ deceased son, Kasper.

George Schmidt



 

 

March 31, 1934, Logansport Pharos Tribune, page 2

SCHMIDT INAGURATES BREWING OPERATIONS
Two shifts of Wolf Construction worked every day and sometimes, when the nature of the work permitted it, gangs of men were kept on the job all night, too. The new buildings literally sprang up from the ground.

Day by day, the plant progressed closer and closer to the day when the test batch of beer could be made and the federal government notified to send their exacting inspector, a step necessary before a federal license can be issued.

Mr. Schmidt, patient but anxious to get into production, encountered some delays during the building and equipping days. It was hard to get orders filled promptly. The supply houses were swamped with business from all parts of the country. But he elected to wait when necessary rather than accept inferior equipment which might have been obtained on shorter notice.

The refrigeration equipment was built by Westerlln & Campbell. The Brew-House includes, copper brew kettle, Baudelot coolers by Atlas Copper & Brass Manufacturing Co., of Chicago, and Olsen & Tilgner Mash Tun and mill, both of which companies have for years been specialists in this line. The filtration process is taken care of by the famous Keifer filters which today are the standard of excellence, as during the many years before prohibition. The bottle plant consists of a complete Meyer Unit with a capacity of 120 bottles per minute, this includes the Meyer Dumore bottle cleaner, filler and crowner and the automatic pasteurizer. The George Meyer Manufacturing Co., of Wisconsin, who have pioneered this machinery, is known the world over. The racking room is equipped with an Atlas Copper & Brass racker. We have a deep well which gives high grade pure water for brewing.

  

I was told a couple of stories by a Logansport native named Bob Kendall. One was how Bob recalled, as a young boy, watching men go to a "spigot" at the brewery "plant" to fill their buckets with beer. Another time Bob told of how Schmidt could be found behind the building on hot summer days, sitting under a make shift tent, cooling at the Eel River, enjoying a breeze to cool himself. Because, as he reminded me, there was no air conditioning in the building nor in Schmidt's office area.

 

 

A CAN OF SCHMIDTS





 

 

 

KINNEAR CONNECTION

 



Famous actor Greg Kinnear’s maternal grandfather, Logansport businessman Richard G. Buck, of Buck-Hilkert, Inc. bought the building that housed the old brewery—twice.

 

SEPTEMBER. 17, 1951– NEWS ACCOUNT

The K. G. Schmidt brewery was sold for a second time this morning—this time at auction. Standing on the steps of the brewery with a paper in his hand in the midst of the interested crowd was Colonel Roland C. Poland, of Noblesville who conducted the sale.

The brewery was auctioned to Richard Buck and associates for $75,000. Originally Buck bought the brewery at a receiver's sale in July for $39,250. The sale was later set aside by Judge Clifford Wild in a legal contest.

The resale of the brewery was ordered by Judge Clifford O. Wild after Dewey Schmidt, one of the creditors, filed a petition, to reopen the sale and he and Fred and Lucille Drompp filed a bond guaranteeing to bid at least 10 percent more than the $39,250 for which it had been sold to Buck. Also filed in behalf of the resale was a petition by George K. Schmidt Jr., to intervene, alleging the original sale price was far too low. Buck's associates are said to be interested in obtaining the personal property, the most valuable item of which is 1,200 stainless steel beer kegs. Buck said he was still unable to say to what use the real estate would be put, but that it definitely would no longer be used as a brewery. He indicated that he intended to start a manufacturing establishment in the building.