The proprietors of Schnaderbeck & Runge were Edward Schnaderbeck and Richard William Runge.
Edward Schnaderbeck apparently ran a dinner club in Farmingdale dating back to at least the mid-1880’s. There are several items in 1884 editions of the “South Side Signal” referencing his establishment which was called “Schnaderbeck’s Pavilion.” This particular item ran in the March 15, 1884 edition.
The Farmingdale Social Club observed ladies’ night on Thursday, February 28, notwithstanding the severity of the weather, at E. Schnaderbeck’s Pavilion. Dancing and sociability prevailed until midnight, when a collation was served, after which merry-making was again resumed until nearly morning…
It’s likely that he ran a bottling operation in conjunction with his club, and in fact, I’ve seen Huthinson style bottles advertised for sale on the Internet embossed “Schnaderbeck & Co. Farmingdale L.I.”
According to the local Historical Society, Richard William Frederick Runge was the founder of the Richard Runge Bottle Works in and around 1890. I’ve also seen Hutchinson style bottles embossed “R W F Runge Farmingdale L.I.” for sale on the Internet.
The Schnaderbeck and Runge partnership began sometime in the early 1890’s. The first reference I can find linking them was this minor item printed in the October 29, 1892 edition of the South Side Signal.
L. O. Tyler has contracted to build barns for Schnaderbeck & Runge and Phillip Zink.
That being said, they were certainly in business by 1896 when their bottle registration notice was printed in the May 23rd edition of the South Side Signal.
The 1900 census records listed both Edward Schnaderbeck and his son Martin as soda water bottlers in Oyster Bay Township. The 1900 census records also listed Richard Runge as a beer bottler and his father, Frederick, as a saloonkeeper. Living with the Runge’s was Richard’s wife Henrietta, the daughter of Edward Schnaderbeck, and Peter Schnaderbeck, one of Edward’s sons. Peter was also listed in the census as a beer bottler. So it appears that the two families merged their business as a result of the marriage. This fact was confirmed by a relative of Edward Schnaderbeck who contacted me after reading an earlier version of this post.
Edward was my Great Great Grandfather. The two families did merge together after they were married but it was originally the Schnaderbeck’s business in Farmingdale
One piece of information I could find that is directly related to the business is a great old photograph of two horse drawn delivery wagons taken in front of an old wooden building with shutters. A sign, both on one of the wagons and on the building reads: “Schnaderbeck & Runge, Mineral Waters, Farmingdale L.I.
According to Edward’s Great Great Grand Daughter:
The business was on Main Street (where the picture was taken). Fulton Street, I believe is where they lived.
According to the Farmingdale, New York Library website, Richard Runge died in 1908 and the 1910 census records listed Edward Schnaderbeck as widowed, 70 years old, and living with family. It was around this time, according to the Farmingdale website, Emil Schlicher, a nephew of Runge, took over the business. More on Emil Schlicher can be found in another post on this site. Emil Schlicher
The bottle I found is a Hutchinson (8 oz). The embossing on the base of the bottle is “K Hutter of New York” indicating this company made the bottle.
On a final note The Schnaderbeck family history actually dates back to the 1850’s in Williamsburg, Brooklyn where Edward’s father, Sebastian, was one of the first to brew lager beer there. According to a story in the Archaeological Institute of America’s January 2017 newsletter, only three lager beer brewers preceded him in Williamsburg. They were Schneider’s Congress Brewing Company, Nicholas Seitz and Samuel Liebmann’s Sons.
A German immigrant, the opening of his brewery was mentioned in the November 20, 1858 edition of the (Brooklyn) Times Union.
Mr. Sebastian Schnaderbeck’s brewery in Remson Street, near Lorimer (Street), the largest in the city except Schneider’s, was formally opened on Tuesday night, when Mr. S. entertained his friends, we understand, in a very handsome and agreeable manner. We had an invitation, but unluckily mislaid it; otherwise we should have been able to have described the affair at length.
The 1862 Brooklyn Directory listed Schnaderbeck & Co. as a lager beer brewery with the following addresses: 10 Wycoff Street and 30 Remson Street. The listing also included a depot located at 17 Spruce Street in Manhattan. Later listings referenced the brewery address as 34 Maujer Street. (Remson Street was renamed Maujer Street at some point in the early 1870’s).
In addition to brewing operations the Schnaderbeck operation also included a large meeting hall as evidenced by this notice printed October 15, 1870 edition of the (Brooklyn) Times Union.
The brewery apparently closed sometime in the late 1870’s. In the 1876 Brooklyn City Directory Sebastian Schnedrbeck was listed at his residence but there’s no mention of the brewery and by 1877 there’s no newspaper items that mention functions taking place at Schnederbeck’s Hall.
Finally a July 29, 1886 story in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle described what became of the brewery.
SCHNADERBECK’S OLD BREWERY
It Will Become a Theater After Numerous Metamorphoses
One of the most substantially constructed buildings in the Eastern District is that known as Schnaderbeck’s Brewery, on Maujer Street, near Union Avenue. Sebastian Schnaderbeck retired from it years ago, and since then it has passed through various vicissitudes. Some seven or eight years ago the Salvation Army made it their barracks. Afterward it was abandoned, and nobody looking after it, all the woodwork, iron and leaden materials of the interior were stolen and carried off, so that the place became a miserable wreck. The cellars, some of which are thirty feet deep, were thus exposed and without safeguards. A boy falling into one of them received fatal injuries. About two years ago an attempt was made to convert the old brewery into a theater, and the frame work of the parquet was already up when the project was abandoned. Within the past three weeks, however, the attempt has been resumed, and the work will no doubt be accomplished by October 1 at a probable cost of $75,000. There will be three tiers – orchestra, balcony, and gallery. The architect is Elbert D. Howes. The theater will be capable of seating 2,000 persons.
Recently, the lagering cellars associated with the brewery were rediscovered during construction of a low income housing project.