website watertownhistory.org
ebook History of Watertown,
Wisconsin
Hartig Brewery
1884–1946
100 E
Cady
William Hartig
1851–1923
1897
image [WHS_005_061] labeled with following areas of the brewery complex:
Office,
Bottling Department, Wash House, Shipping Room, Cold Storage,
Malt
House, Elevators, Boiler House, Fermentation, Stables.
Occupants
of this site:
Manz-Hartig
Brewery 1884 - 1896
Hartig Brewery 1896
- 1947
National Tea
Grocery 1954 - 1977
Tom's United Foods 1977 - 2007
Breselow's Family
Market 2007 -
The
brewery was started in 1884 by cousins William Hartig
and Carl Manz, both of Milwaukee. William Hartig had
come from Slinger where he had been in the brewery business with Charles Storck.
Hartig's
mother was a Krug and somehow related to Joseph Schlitz. His father's name remains unknown at this
time.
In
1896 he bought out Manz and the brewery became known
as the William Hartig Brewery and operated until
Prohibition. William Hartig
died in 1923 and is buried in Oak
Hill Cemetery in Watertown.
His
family re-opened the brewery in 1933 and ran it with modest success until the
early 1940s when they sold it to out of town investors. The quality began to suffer and it shut down
in 1946 and declared bankruptcy in 1947.
The buildings were torn down in 1953 and a
supermarket was built on the site in 1954.
Cross-Reference:
William Hartig Family Genealogy & Brewery History
[Compiled, Edited & Written by Mike Reilly]
Is one of the most complete and the quality of Beer that is turned out can not be excelled.
The plant covers an area of 80 x 300 feet and is complete in every
detail. The annual product is about
20,000 barrels of Beer and 200,000 bushels of Malt. Bottled Beer For
Family Use.
1906
04 20 William Hartig
the enterprising and progressive brewer has equipped his institution with a
large new boiler, reshingled his barn and removed the
old ice house north of the brewery and cleaned things up generally and is
making everything about the establishment as neat as a new pin.
1923
William
Hartig died in 1923 and is buried in Oak
Hill Cemetery in Watertown.
1939
PoliceDept, photo taken in Memorial
Park, Hartig Brewery
1948
Brewery tunnels, cellars, of early days discovered
1952-53
The Hartig brewery buildings were torn down in 1952-53 for a
National Tea Store. Later the site for
Tom’s Grocery (United Foods), still later Breselow's
Family Market
1971 Relic of a Happier Era
An
object which many older residents of Watertown will view as a sentimental relic
of a happier era was taken from Rock River here the other day by Bruce Kaesermann, aged 11, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Kaesermann,
The
keg still has on it a brass plate bearing the name of the Hartig
Brewing Co. whose plant was located in the block which now houses the National
Food Store in
The
brewery was the largest single building in Watertown. It was but one of several breweries here, but
it was the last to survive, having gone through the Prohibition era when it
converted to making “near beer” and ice cream. When Prohibition ended it
converted back to making beer. Along,
with most smaller breweries in the state, it finally faded from the scene,
leaving the field to the major breweries and monopolies which now turn out beer
that does not even approach the fine brew which Hartig’s
and other smaller breweries produced years and years ago.
Image Slide Show
Cross-References:
Philip Hartig, obit, president of Hartig
Co after father’s (William) death and up until business was sold to outside
interests in 1947.
Goose
Brand Beer, reference to Watertown Stuffed Geese
Hops
processing plant considered, 1986
