hutchinson – Bay Bottles

Suffolk County Bottling Works, Amityville, L.I.

suffolk

The “Suffolk County Bottling Works” was owned by Jacob Hartmann from 1890 to 1902.

Hartmann’s biography, included in the “Portrait and Biographical Record of Suffolk County N.Y.,” published in 1896, indicated that he was born in Prussia in 1842 and arrived in the United States in 1859. He lived and worked in New York City as a glass cutter and, later, a manufacturer of paints before moving to Long Island. His biography goes on to document his first few years on Long Island leading up to the start of the bottling business.

…On account of his health, he moved with his family to Amityville, where he purchased a small piece of property. Settling this about 1877, or a little later, he began dealing in stoves, crockery and tinware, and meeting with some success, followed the business for a few years. Selling out in 1890, he embarked on his present business, and is a leader in his line on the island.

Started on January 1, 1890, the bottling business was originally a partnership between Hartmann and Charles W. Smith, however it appears that, based on this May 28, 1890 story in the Brooklyn Citizen, their relationship was not on the firmest of ground.

Bottling beer and soda water is a profitable business in Suffolk County, if the affidavits produced this morning before Judge Pratt in the Supreme Court are to be believed.

Charles W. Smith and Jacob Hartmann are the Suffolk County Bottling Company, doing business at Amityville. Mr. Smith, through Lawyers Fishel and Reid, asked for a receiver because Mr. Hartmann, as alleged, was taking the receipts and refusing Mr. Smith a share. The business and copartnership was begun on Jan. 1, to last a year, and the business is yielding a profit of $150 to $175 a week.

Lawyer George A. Hooper said that Mr. Hartmann furnished all the machinery and bottles and the plaintiff put in only $150. Smith drove the wagon and did the selling and Hartmann managed the business and took care of the proceeds.

Judge Pratt solved the difficulty by requiring the defendant to give a bond in $2000 to pay the plaintiff what might be due to him on an accounting. If the defendant fails to do this in five days, William G. Nicoll, of Babylon, is to be the receiver.

The “SH” insignia representing Hartmann and Smith’s last names is embossed on both bottle types (hutchinson and tooled crown) found in the bay.

Recognizing that the crown finish wasn’t patented until 1892 and wasn’t widely used for several years after, its likely that this bottle wasn’t blown until the mid to late 1890’s at the earliest. So, it’s possible that their partnership survived this disagreement.

In addition to owning the Suffolk County Bottling Works Hartmann was also proprietor of the Suffolk County Ice Company.

A large pond, once known as Oak Street Lake and later known as Hartmann’s Pond was named for Hartmann. His home and businesses were located adjacent to the pond on Lake Street. The pond supplied the Suffolk County Ice Company with ice each winter. (Today, the area around the lake is named Peterkin Park.)

A June 3, 1902 story in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle contained a description of the pond and Hartman’s businesses.

Hartmman’s Pond, which is owned by Jacob Hartmann, a bottler of beer and mineral waters, is situated a few hundred feet north of Oak Street or what has long been known as “the new road” and about one quarter mile east of the village proper. The pond is a little more than an acre in size and is fed by springs that flow through the woods north of the railroad track. The pond is surrounded by a grove in which is the residence and grounds of the owner. On the banks of the pond are buildings used by Mr Hartmann for his bottling establishment.

The story goes on to say that Brooklyn may buy the pond and use it as an extension of their water system. Hartman sold the business less than five months after this story was printed so it could very well have been the reason he sold out. The October 13, 1902 issue of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported the sale.

Jacob Hartman, for a long period proprietor of the Suffolk County Bottling Works and the Suffolk County Ice Company has sold both enterprises to George Lyons of Coney Island and is to retire from active business. Mr. Hartman is a German by birth, but came to this country when a young man, and by hard work, thrift and enterprise has accumulated a comfortable fortune.

Approximately one year later, on October 4, 1903, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that Lyons had failed to meet the mortgage payments to Hartmann and the property was seized and offered for sale.

The plant and personal effects of George W Lyons, proprietor of the Suffolk County Bottling Works of Amityville were seized recently by Deputy Sheriff Morris, who will expose them for sale on Thursday. The cause of the goods being seized was that Mr. Lyons failed to meet the payment of a $4,000 chattel mortgage held by Jacob Hartmann.

Two weeks later the October 17, 1903 edition of the South Side Signal reported that the sale of the property had taken place and that Lyons was again in business at a new location.

The sale of the property of George W. Lyons, seized under an execution obtained by Jacob Hartman took place on Thursday and was quite largely attended. Dispossess proceedings against Lyons have been initiated by Hartman, and the decision of Justice Wilmarth, before whom the case was tried, is being awaited. Lyons is again in business on Broadway.

Whether he continued to use the Suffolk County Bottling Works (Co.) name is not clear.

On May 28, 1904 the South Side Signal reported that Lyons had also opened a road house in Amityville. Note that it was quite common at the time that hotel operators also bottled their own beverages

George W. Lyons of this village has leased the Depue place on Upper Broadway and has opened a road house thereon, where he will entertain old and new patrons.

The bottling business was still in full operation as late as 1906 as evidenced by this June 9, 1906 story in the South Side Signal.

One of the most attractive delivery wagons in these parts is that of George W. Lyons, the well known bottler. It is very neatly painted and the lettering is such that he who runs may read where to obtain the bottled goods.

Lyons continued to list himself as a hotel operator in the 1910 census records and he’s listed as a N.Y.S. liquor tax certificate holder for the year ending Sept. 30, 1915 with a Broadway address (at Harrison Ave.). So, it’s likely that the bottling business, in association with the hotel/roadhouse, remained functional until at least 1915. I lose track of him at this point.

I’ve found 3 bottles all together, 2 Hutchinsons and an 8 oz tooled crown. This Hutchinson’s manufacture date lies within the 1890 to 1902 time period, while the tooled crown likely dates from the late 1890’s to 1902. Both periods could extend a little later if Lyons continued to use the “Suffolk County Bottling” name and insignia.

The slug plate on the tooled crown calls the company “Suffolk Co. Bot. Wks.” while both Hutchinsons call it “Suffolk Co Bot. Co.” Note that all references I could find on the Internet used the term “Works” not “Co”. (The Hutchinson Slug Plates are very crowded… the S in Wks wouldn’t fit unless they reduced the size of the lettering so maybe they changed it to Co to reduce the extra letter??).

Wm. Sierichs, No. 421 E 12th St., New York

Wm Sierichs first appears in the NYC directories between 1878 and 1883, listed as a grocer at 90 Stanton Street. Beginning in 1884 his occupation changed to waters with addresses of 89 Second Avenue in 1884 and 511 East 17th St from 1886 to 1888. Then in 1889 he moved to East 12th Street where he remained listed through 1916. 421 and 423 East 12th St were listed as his business addresses, while 425 East 12th, was his residence.

According to the November 15, 1910 issue of The American Bottler,Sierichs purchased the mineral water business of J.W. Baumann & Co. Baumann was listed at 349 East 19th Street in the 1909 NYC Directory. Two years later, in 1912, Sierichs reportedly purchased the plant of C D Seegers at 348 W 44^th St. The news item, also published in the “American Bottler,” reported that Sierichs will transfer the business to his own plant at 421 E 12^th Street.

Wm Sierichs died on February 28, 1918. Four years later, the New York Herald reported that his estate had sold the property at 421 East 12th Street. The news item stated:

John Peters sold for the estate of William Sierichs to Charles Kosches, a furniture dealer, 421 East 12th Street, a four story loft building, 25×103.3. The buyer will use the building as a warehouse.

Today 421 East 12th Street is a modern building that doesn’t date back to the business. 423 and 425 are old four story walk up’s that could have been utilized by the business.

On a sad note, Sierichs’s wife, Lotta Sierichs, died at the age of 38, a victim of the 1904 General Slocum disaster. The General Slocum was an excursion boat that caught fire in the East River with in excess of 1,300 people on board. Over 1,000 were killed. It was New York City’s worst disaster up until 9/11.

Subsequently, William Serichs was one of eleven incorporators of the General Slocum’s Survivor Organization – an association incorporated on October 15, 1904, to commemorate the disaster to the “General Slocum” by suitable religious services annually; by the assistance of those who suffered loss or injury in the wreck, and by the use of all proper means to prevent similar disasters in the future.

The bottle I found is mouth blown and shaped like a Hutchinson but with a longer neck. In addition to the 12^th Street address it also has the 1889 registration year and Sierichs monogram embossed on it.

The embossing matches the description contained in his bottle registration notice that was printed in the March 28, 1889 issue of the newspaper “The Daily Graphic”

I William Sierichs certify that I am engaged in bottling and selling soda water, root beer and other beverages, and use and have the sole right to use my name, marks and devices branded, stamped, etched, blown or otherwise produced upon my bottles, boxes and kegs, a description of which distinguishing names and marks is as follows: Glass bottles on which is “Wm Sierichs” and the letters“WS” in a monogram. Boxes and kegs on which are the letters: “WS”. WILLIAM SIERICHS.

It was probably manufactured during the early part of the period that they occupied the 12th Street facility, say 1889 to early 1900’s.

Henry Sierichs, who was listed at the same address as William in the 1896 directory, apparently established his own bottling business as well. I’ve seen bottles listed on the Internet embossed Henry Sierichs with an address of 159 Elizabeth Street N.Y. and later, Rockaway Beach.

Schnaderbeck & Runge, Farmingdale, Long Island, N.Y.

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.

Henry Mueller, 7 Cross St., Paterson, N.J.

mueller

According to a New Jersey Bottling web site, Henry Mueller took over George Spreitzer’s bottling operation in and around 1900.

This timing is confirmed by the Paterson NJ City Directories. George Spreitzer & Co was listed in the 1900 Directory at 7 Cross St and Henry Mueller was listed at the same address in the 1901 Directory. Both were listed under “Mineral Water.” Mueller remained at 7 Cross Street through 1911. Then he’s listed at 17 White Street from 1911 to 1914. I actually found him at both locations in 1911. In 1915 he’s not listed.

Cross Street has been subsequently renamed and is currently called Cianci Street. If the Cianci Street numbering system is similar to Cross Street the business was located in what is now Lou Costello Memorial Park.

The bottle I have is a Hutchinson soda (8oz) embossed with the Cross Street address so it dates between 1901 and 1911.

Minck Bro’s & Co., 45 to 53 Beaver St., Brooklyn, E.D.

minck

Minck Brothers was a mineral water manufacturer and beverage bottler that was active from the 1870’s up through the 1950’s and possibly longer.

According to “The History of Long Island From its Earliest Settlement to Present Time, Vol. III” published in 1902, Henry Minck established the bottling business and was later joined by his brothers Julius, Adolph and Theodore, and a man named George Doscher. Much of this is confirmed in the Brooklyn City Directories.

Henry Minck was first listed in the 1871 Brooklyn City Directory as soda water with a home address of Yates Place.
1875 – Henry’s address moved to Beaver Street, corner of Park Street, the long time location of Minck Brothers and Company.
1879 – Julius was listed for the first time as soda water at the Beaver Street address. Adolph Minck was also listed in 1879. Theodore and Peter were also listed at various times in later years.
1886 – Minck Brothers & Co was listed for the first time (with the Beaver Street address). Henry, Julius and Theodore were all listed at the Beaver Street address as well.

According to his obituary in the April 24,1925 issue of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Henry retired from active business in 1887. Theodore passed away in 1894, so by the late 1890’s this left Julius and Adolph Minck and George Doscher running the business.

The 1890 Lain’s Business Directory of Brooklyn listed Minck Brothers under the category of Soda & Mineral Water, however, in this July 5, 1891 advertisement in the Brooklyn Citizen, the company called themselves the “largest and best mineral water manufacturers and beer bottlers in the country,” so they were obviously bottling beer at that time as well.

Another 1891 advertisement, this one in the January 4, edition of the Brooklyn Citizen, mentioned Anheuser Busch, Claus Lipsius and Wm. Ulmer as brands they were bottling.

It was their mineral waters however that apparently achieved the company wide spread recognition. Mention of their mineral waters was included in a number of advertisements for high class restaurants and entertainment facilities. One 1903 advertisement for Superba Bowling Parlors which sold themselves as “The Finest, Most Complete High Class Establishment of its Kind in the World,” mentioned “Minck Brothers Mineral Waters” in their advertisement in the same sentence with “”Santiso” Clear Havana Cigars.

Another, this one in 1907, associated the Minck Brothers mineral waters with the opening of the “Broadway Theater Cafe and Rathskeller.”

The business incorporated in New York State on June 8, 1911. The Copartnership and Corporation Directory of the Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens 1913 – 1914 listed Julius Minck as President, Adolph Minck as Vice President, Henry Minck as Treasurer and Charles Doscher as Secretary. By this time the Henry listed is one of Julius’s sons.

Their facility, located on the corner of Beaver Street and Park Street in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, maintained addresses on both streets.

A July 7, 1912 feature on Minck Brothers & Co., published in the Brooklyn Citizen described their operation at the time.

The firm of Minck Bros. & Co., located at 45 Beaver Street, Brooklyn is one of the largest concerns in the manufacture of soft drinks in the City of Brooklyn.

The plant occupies a four-story building with a complete equipment of modern sanitary machinery for the manufacture of temperance beverages. All the goods manufactured by the concern comply with the United States Pure Food Laws and have won a reputation for purity and quality excelled by none.

Mr. Julius Mink, proprietor of the concern is the active manager and devotes his personal attention to the supervision of the manufacturing of all his beverages. One of the features of his model plant is a large bottle soaker which is used in the process of washing and cleaning the bottles so that the public is assured of absolute safety in drinking Minck Bros. soft drinks. Over thirty men are employed by the concern. Three motor trucks and twelve delivery wagons are kept busy throughout Brooklyn supplying the trade.

The feature included a rendering of their four story building that was actually located at 34 – 40 Park Street.

Their facility also included the building on the corner that exhibited the Beaver Street address. A 1918 map of this corner shows a courtyard separating the Beaver Street and Park Street buildings. The courtyard gave the business an area for shipping and loading wagons and later trucks. The courtyard between the buildings as well as a canopy attached to the Park Street building is clearly visible in the above rendering of the Park Street building.

The company remained listed at Beaver Street up to 1940 but by 1942 they had moved to 18-26 Bainbridge Street. During this time they were using the name “Minck’s Better Beverages.” By the mid-1960’s I can’t find any listings for them. The corporation was dissolved on July 20, 1983.

Both buildings associated with the Beaver Street/Park Street location still exist to this day. This Google Earth photo of the Park Street building clearly shows the courtyard between the buildings.

I found a tooled blob top (8oz) that looks like a Hutchinson but with a slightly longer neck. It’s embossed “Minck Brothers and Co” so it’s probably no earlier than 1886. I also found a machine made crown, probably from the 1910’s or 1920’s.

Another bottle I found is embossed Minck’s Better Beverages.” It was most likely manufactured in the 1940’s and from the Bainbridge Street location. It was also embossed “Brown Boy,” probably the name of a soda line.

W. Z. Ketcham, Hempstead, L.I.

The W stands for William Z Ketcham. U.S Census records from 1880 to 1920 listed his occupation as a bottler (1880), soda business (1900) and caterer (1910 and 1920).

In the Hempstead Sentinel 1938-1940 files there is a story on Ketcham who at the time was 87 years old. It stated that he ran his business from the back of his house on Henry Street and bottled birch and root beer, ginger ale, cream, lemon, raspberry and plain soda. He also ran a catering business.

Directories and advertisements support this story. In the 1890 Lain’s Business Directory under Hempstead, William Z Ketcham was listed as a bottler with an address of 10 Henry. By 1906, advertisements for his business listed him as a caterer at 62 Henry Street. An advertisement in the May 20, 1914 issue of the Nassau Post in Freeport said he’ll provide catering for all social functions.

In 1930, census records listed him as widowed and living with his daughter’s family on Dureyea Place in Hempstead. Apparently retired by then, he listed his occupation as “none.”

Today 62 Henry Street is an old residence with a large driveway in the back that could easily have been utilized for a catering business. The house could date to the late 1800’s or early 1900’s. Today 10 Henry doesn’t exist and the former location appears to be within the right-of-way of Peninsula Blvd. So Ketcham either moved down the block when Peninsula Blvd was constructed or the Henry Street homes were re-numbered around the turn of the century.

I’ve found a total of 4 bottles, 3 Hutchinson’s and a champagne style bottle (12 oz) with a blob finish. All most likely date to around the mid point of the business at around the turn of the century.