Crockery City Brewery

Crockery City Brewery was a former brewery in East Liverpool, Ohio. Named for the city’s prominent pottery industry, it opened in 1900 and closed in 1952.

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Crockery City Brewery was a former brewery in East Liverpool, Ohio. Named for the city’s prominent pottery industry, it opened in 1900 and closed in 1952.

History

The Crockery City Brewing Company was organized in April 1899 by Joseph Turnbull and George W. Meredith to “manufacture spirits that lull that tired feeling.” ^{1 2} Turnbull and Meredith had previously operated the East Liverpool Ice & Coal Company, and the new brewery was designed to operate in tandem with their existing ice plant. ² The brewery, with an annual capacity of 30,000 barrels, opened on September 29, 1900. ^{1 2} Its five-story brewhouse, erected and furnished at a cost of $75,000, was the tallest structure in the county. The ice plant was subsequently enlarged, and the brewery expanded to seven stories. ²

Recognizing that alcohol production generated greater profits, Turnbull and Meredith sold the ice plant to Willis Gaston and the Andrews Ice Company in 1908. ^{1 2} In 1914, Crockery City Brewery leased the former Leetonia Brewery in Leetonia for storage and distribution. ²

At the turn of the twentieth century, the Temperance movement gained momentum nationwide. ² In 1900, the Anti-Saloon League petitioned the city to limit the operation of saloons. Voters chose to keep the bars open. The issue returned to the ballot in 1903 and 1907, when voters elected to make the city dry, resulting in the closure of 89 establishments. The prohibition was repealed in 1908.

Statewide prohibition followed in May 1919, prompting the brewery to reorganize as the Crockery City Ice & Products Company. ² In October of that year, the company acquired the Tatgenhorst Brothers dairy and established a subsidiary, the City Pure Milk & Ice Cream Company. After the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the brewery resumed operations on April 15, producing 3.2% beer. ¹ New brewing equipment increased annual capacity to 65,000 barrels.

In 1939, Crockery City sold its dairy operations to the Golden Star Dairy Company, which continued to operate adjacent to the brewery into the 1970s. ² The company also served as a local bottler of Coca-Cola and later acquired a farm along U.S. 30 near Lisbon.

On June 1, 1946, the brewery was sold to a group of investors, and the brewing division was reorganized as the Webb Corporation. ² A capital improvement campaign followed. The bottling house was rebuilt, enlarged, and modernized; new aging cellars were constructed in 1948; and automatic refrigeration units and steam boilers were installed in 1950. ¹ The new boilers eliminated smoke emissions, supporting a regional smoke abatement initiative. Additional equipment for handling barley malt was later installed.

Financial difficulties forced Webb to declare bankruptcy in September 1951. ² In an effort to satisfy creditors, the company attempted to liquidate its inventory and salvage materials from the plant, including scrap metal, steel kegs, and wood. ¹ These efforts proved insufficient, and Crockery City Brewery closed on February 9, 1952. ² Shortly thereafter, Federal Tax Agents arrived at the facility and dumped approximately 700 barrels and 9,000 cases of untaxed beer into the Ohio River.

On April 12, the bankruptcy court accepted an offer of $151,250 from John Eiferd, Edwin Bayley, and Grant Stover for the brewery property and equipment. ¹ The purchasers proposed converting the complex into space for the Four Star Dairy Company and other small businesses. The Coca-Cola Bottling Company continued operations in the bottling plant until relocating in 1965. ²

The abandoned brewhouse was razed in August 2021. ³

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Gallery

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Sources

1. Bartholomew, George. “A Giant Remembered: A Look at the Webber Brewery.” East Liverpool Historical Society, article. 6 Dec. 2016.
2. Musson, Robert A., MD. Brewing Beer In The Buckeye State. Vol. 1, Zepp, 2005.
3. Ujhelyi, Stephanie. “Storied downtown EL brewery demolished.” Morning Journal, 11 Aug. 2021.