During the early to mid 1890’s John Lellmann ran a bottling and hotel business in Greenport, Long Island along with a branch of the bottling business in Sag Harbor, Long Island. Though short-lived under the Lellmann name, successors to the business were active in Sag Harbor up through the early 1940’s.
Lellmann got his start, not on Long Island, but in New York City as evidenced by this item found in a March 4, 1893 story published in the “Brooklyn Daily Times.”
John Lellmann, previous to coming to Greenport was proprietor of a bottling works in Houston Street, New York, and of a saloon and hotel in Elizabeth Street
Born in Germany, circa 1839, he had certainly arrived in New York City by 1870, when he was included in census records with the occupation “liquors.” Later, New York City directories serve to confirm the information presented in the above newspaper item. In 1877/78 up through 1883/84, he’s listed with the occupation “beer,” at 251 Elizabeth Street and later, 1885/86 through 1888/89, as “waters” at 110 East Houston Street.
Subsequently he headed east to Greenport, Long Island where he acquired the bottling business of John Yack; the sale confirmed by a story on Yack published in the March 6, 1891 edition of the “Brooklyn Daily Times.”
For a number of years he (Yack) was proprietor of the Greenport Bottling Works, which he recently sold to John Lellmann of New York.
Yack’s bottling business was almost certainly conducted in concert with a boarding house/hotel on Main Street that also included a saloon. As early as 1872, the “Sag-Harbor Express” reported that Yack had applied to the Board of Excise for a liquor license.
An application was received from John Yack for license to sell ale and beer, but he was not willing to pay $30 and the Board had no authority to grant one for a less sum.
Whether the issue was resolved at that time is unclear but it had certainly worked itself out by 1875 when Yack was granted a liquor license by the Board of Excise. The list of approved licenses appeared in the June 12, 1875 edition of “The (Sag Harbor) Corrector.”
The Southhold Board of Excise met on Tuesday and granted licenses as follows: John Yack, Greenport, Ale and Beer…
Yack renewed his Greenport license as late as 1889 then, likely sometime in 1890, he sold the hotel to John Lellmann. This 1891 business card advertisement, specifically naming Lellmann as proprietor of the Main Street House, appeared in several May/June editions of the “Brooklyn Daily Times.”
At the same time he acquired the hotel, Lellmann also acquired Yack’s Greenport Bottling Company. An 1897 Sanborn Insurance Map located both the hotel and bottling operation in the block bounded by Main, Centre, First and South Streets. This close up shows the hotel fronting on Main Street (left side) near the corner of South Street (bottom) and the bottling works in the back yard behind the hotel.
Shortly after settling in Greenport Lellmann established another bottling works in Sag Harbor, near Bay and Main Streets. The announcement appeared in the April 10, 1890 edition of the “Sag Harbor Express.”
The Greenport Times says: “John Lellmann, of the Greenport Bottling Co., has established a branch office at Sag Harbor.” By the way, what is he to bottle? Remember it is dry times here now, as it was voted at the late town meeting to have no license.”
It was around this time that I suspect Lellmann partnered with Sag Harbor businessman John Emmel. According to Emmel’s March 15, 1918 obituary in the “Brooklyn Daily Times:”
Mr. Emmel lived in Sag Harbor since 1882 when he came here from Carlstadt N. J., to work in the Fahys watch factory. Later he successfully established a mercantile business and then became associated with the late John Lellmann of Greenport in the bottling business with plants in Greenport and Sag Harbor.
A long time Sag Harbor resident and businessman, it’s likely Emmel ran the Sag Harbor branch of the business while Lellmann looked after the Greenport operation.
Whether or not Emmel was bottling beer in Sag Harbor as the “Sag Harbor Express” feared is not clear. That being said, Lellmann was certainly bottling and selling beer at the Main Street House in Greenport, as evidenced by this brief description of the hotel found in the October 30, 1891 edition of the “Brooklyn Daily Times.”
John Lellmann is proprietor of the Greenport Bottling Works, also the Main Street Hotel. A large and expensive barroom is run in connection with the hotel.
In October, 1891, Lellmann’s Greenport hotel was severely impacted by fire. The blaze was described like this in the October 30, 1891 “Brooklyn Daily Times” story.
Fire broke out at 4 o’clock this morning in the rear of Lellmann’s Hotel on Main Street, Greenport. John Lellmann is proprietor of the Greenport Bottling Works, also the Main Street Hotel… It was in the icehouse adjoining the hotel that the fire originated. It was discovered by an old German named Koenig, who is janitor of the hotel and whose sleeping apartment is directly over the center of the fire. He was awakened and almost suffocated by smoke. He groped his way into the corridor and shouted, “Fire,” awakening the tenants. Mrs. Lellmann, wife of the proprietor, was almost smothered by smoke. John Lellmann, Jr., jumped from the second story window to the ground, severely cutting his feet with glass. He had no shoes on. Other people in the hotel also suffered from smoke.
A few minutes after the alarm was given Neptune, No. 2, Engine Company was at the scene of the fire, quickly followed by Torrent streamer. Soon the entire department was at work on the flames. Half an hour later the fire was extinguished, but not until it had damaged the saloon and bar fixings to the tune of $1,000. Lellmann carries insurance in several companies…
The saloon is a wreck and will have to be torn down and rebuilt. There were several small children in rooms over the saloon, and it is considered most fortunate that they were not suffocated or burned.
Whether the fire contributed to it or not is not certain, but within four years Lellmann’s business was apparently in such financial distress that he was forced to give up all his Greenport holdings to satisfy creditors. A notice to that effect appeared in the October 14, 1895 edition of the “Brooklyn Daily Times” under the heading “Suffolk County Transfers – October 12”
Subsequently, east-end Long Island native, D. C Petty, took over Lellmann’s bottling works in Greenport. The announcement appeared in the April 16, 1897 edition of the “Long Island Traveler.”
The Greenport Bottling Works which for years was carried on by John Lellman is now being put in order and will be run by D. C. Petty.
Calling it the Sterling Bottling Works, Petty went on to run the business in Greenport up until his death in 1914. More on the history of the business under Petty can be found in another post on this site.
In Sag Harbor, with the Lellmann/Emmel partnership dissolved, Emmel continued to run the bottling business there. Now operating under the name “Emmel Bottling Works,” this September 23, 1897 item found in the “Sag Harbor Express,” described the business shortly after he assumed full control.
EMMEL BOTTLING WORKS
No better criterion on which to judge a city’s progress and improvement can be ascertained than by the character and number of its commercial enterprises, and in this connection we would call attention to the establishment of Mr. John Emmel, located on Bay Street. This business was founded 6 years ago by Messrs John Lellmann & Co., and has been conducted as the Emmel Bottling Works since last Spring, since which time it has grown and expanded until today it enjoys the largest patronage of any similar house on this part of Long Island. The premises are large and are particularly adapted for the purpose in hand. They are equipped with all the latest machinery and appliances known to the trade. Experienced hands and an average of 3 wagons are constantly employed and goods are delivered free of charge. Mr. Emmel is a bottler of ales, porter, lager beer, high grade carbonated beverages, mineral waters, etc., a specialty is made of extra quality ginger ale. His long experience gives him many advantages, and as he gives all branches of the business his own undivided attention and employs only reliable help he is enabled to fill all orders promptly and to quote the lowest prices in every instance. Mr. Emmel is a conscientious business man and well deserves the success he has achieved.
One of his earliest advertisements appeared in the November 19, 1898 edition of Sag Harbor’s newspaper “The Corrector.”
A year later Emmel had apparently outgrown the original Lellmann plant and was planning to construct a new facility, also in Sag Harbor. The announcement appeared in a February 6, 1899 story in the “Brooklyn Daily Times.”
M’NALLY MUST GO
The Site of the Metropolitan Club Purchased by a Bottling Concern
Notice to vacate the premises has been served upon John Roach McNally, who for the past two years, has conducted an establishment on Division Street, under the name of the Metropolitan Club. His removal will terminate the war which has been waged between the neighbors, law and order organizations, licensed saloon keepers and McNally. John Emmel of the Emmel Bottling Works, has purchased the premises, and the corner property, and intends erecting a large building for bottling purposes on the site. The old houses will be torn down or moved off, and McNally has been given until March 1 to vacate the premises…
Later that month, a February 25th story in the “Brooklyn Daily Times” announced that construction was underway.
Laborers have broken ground at the corner of Division and Burke Streets for the cellar and foundation of the new Emmel Bottling Works. Matthew Clark is under contract to do the excavating and Boss Carpenter Cleveland has charge of the building. The structure will be of wood, 72 x 24 feet, two stories high, with a driveway and stable in the rear. The building will face Division Street. Mr. Emmel expects to occupy the works by the middle of April.
Amazingly, the frame structure built for Emmel’s business remains to this day and is pictured below courtesy of Google Maps.
Later that year, November advertisements for their Cider found in “The Corrector” exhibit their new Division Street location.
Well into the next decade, regardless of their many improvements, Emmel still made the point that his company had “succeeded Lellmann & Co.,” with that phrase appearing directly above their address in this July 23, 1904 advertisement published in the “Brooklyn Daily Times.”
The advertisement pointed out that in addition to both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, you could even pick up a good cigar there.
One beverage that was bottled by Emmel that caught my attention was almost certainly a knock-off of “Coca-Cola” called “Koca-Nola.” It’s the focus of this April 14, 1906 advertisement found in “The Corrector.”
John Emmel passed away in March, 1918 after which, according to a March 18, 1919 “Brooklyn Daily Times” item, the bottling plant remained operational under lease to a man named Fred Wilson.
BOTTLE WORKS EXPECTS BOOM IN BUSINESS
Expecting a greatly increased demand for soft drinks after the saloons and hotels will be forced to close on July 1, 1919, Fred Wilson, who leases the Emmel Bottling Works business, has made additions to the plant. Some of the latest labor saving machinery has been installed… It serves a large territory including the Hamptons, Shelter Island and Sag Harbor.
Later that year, a November 19, 1919 “Brooklyn Daily Times” story made it clear that by then Wilson had purchased the business.
Fred Wilson, who now owns the Emmel Bottling Works, corner of Division and Burke Streets, is building a large frame structure near the bottling and storage plant. A part of the property purchased from Mrs. Emmel by Mr. Wilson includes the “old umbrella house,” a story and half brick structure, said to be the oldest house now standing in Sag Harbor….
On a side Note: Ten years later Wilson actually incorporated the historic “umbrella house” into his business, converting it into the company office. An announcement to that effect that appeared in the April 1, 1929 edition of the “Brooklyn Daily Eagle” touched on the history of the structure.
Old “Umbrella House” At Sag Harbor Now Fixed Up for Office
The old “Umbrella House,” on Division St., has been cleaned up and converted to an office for the Fred W. Wilson Bottling Works. It is the oldest house here and was occupied in 1777 by British soldiers. It bears the imprint of a cannon ball fired into the settlement in 1813 , when boats from Commodore Hardy’s fleet bombarded the waterfront.
The house is of rough, native-made brick and the shingles of the dormer roof, replacing thatch, are hand-hewed cypress.
Dennison Bros. used the building for a hat factory in 1791. It was called Morro Castle during the Spanish-American War and later used as a saloon.
The Umbrella House also remains to this day, having been preserved by the Sag Harbor Historical Museum.
The following is a link to the Historical Museum’s web site.
http://sagharborhistorical.org/organization.php
In 1922 the bottling business incorporated under the name Fred W. Wilson, Inc., while at the same time adding a second bottling plant in Patchogue Long Island. According to a story in the June 2, 1922 edition of the “Suffolk County Review:”
Mr. Wilson established his bottling business at Sag Harbor about three years ago and he built up a very large trade in the villages of Eastern Long Island. On May 22 of this year the Premier Bottling Works of Patchogue was taken over and the company was incorporated under the name of Fred W. Wilson, Inc. with a capital of $50,000.
On a side note: The Premier Bottling Works was a successor to another old-time Long Island bottling firm called Hawkins & Weeks. More on the history that firm can also be found on this web site. Hawkins & Weeks.
Fred W. Wilson, Inc. continued in business for the next 20 years or so, serving, among other things, as the Suffolk County agent for “Whistle” soda products, as evidenced by this June 23, 1922 advertisement in the “Suffolk County Review.”
Still in business in the early 1940’s, by then the company was serving as the local bottler/distributor for Clicquot Club, as evidenced by this July 25, 1940 advertisement in the Sag Harbor “Express-News & Corrector.”
Fred Wilson passed away in June, 1942. Six months before his death this item, one of many included on a list under the heading “Mortgages,” appeared in the December 11th edition of “The Long-Islander.” It suggests that the Wilson corporation may have turned the Wilson property over to the Clicquot Club Company at that time.
Less than a year later, the Ciquot Club Bottling Company of Long Island, located in Sag Harbor, declared bankruptcy, the notice appearing in the August 6, 1942 edition of the “Patchogue Advance.”
The notice stated in part:
… the assets of the above named bankrupt consisting of Bottles, Soft Drinks, Materials, Machinery, Fixtures and Real Property, will be sold at Public Auction…on the premises at Sag Harbor.
While I can’t confirm it, it’s highly likely that the premises mentioned in the above notice is the former Emmel/Wilson property at Division and Burke, marking the end of the bottling business started in Sag Harbor by Lellmann and Emmel some fifty years prior.
The bottle I found contains roughly eight ounces and is mouth blown with a blob finish. It’s embossed with the John Lellmanm & Co. name as well as both the Sag Harbor and Greenport locations. This dates the bottle to the 1890 to 1896 time period when Lellmann was associated with the business.