Lager, Lymph, Germans and Templars in Manchester — Part 1 of 6
by Ray Berg and Alan Dyer
Introduction
In previous articles, we noted the post-Civil War economic boom in Michigan that caused a renewed demand for consumer goods and led to higher commodity prices, conditions that benefited both farmers and merchants. A second railroad in 1870 opened Manchester to new markets, especially those in Indiana and beyond. At the same time, this development provided the promise of more competitive prices for companies and individuals shipping goods. These factors, and the prosperity they created, led directly to the construction of many of the Italianate downtown buildings and homes along Main and Ann Arbor Streets built between 1865 and 1880. Another characteristic of the period was the assumption of a greater leadership role by the German population in Manchester’s commercial, business, and political life. This, in turn, was met by resistance from the “established” English settlers of the area.
The struggle between the two groups was based upon several factors: the propensity for Germans to live and socialize largely with other Germans; their ability, through hard work, to be very successful economically; the establishment of German schools and churches; a desire by German immigrants to maintain their native language; and the belief by others that Germans were overly fond of alcohol, especially in the form of lager beer. The disapproval of German conduct that resulted from these factors was expressed in a movement termed “nativism.” The easiest avenue through which the German way of life could be attacked, by the largely “English” nativist movement, was on the issue of morality. Thus, the temperance and prohibition forces, which viewed any form of alcoholic drink as morally wrong and a detriment to both the individual and society, played a large role in this movement. Inevitably, the ideas of morality would clash with economic reality and, in Manchester’s case, result in an uneasy middle ground being reached.
Over six articles, we will look at the rise and fall of the lager beer industry in Manchester, using the Michigan Southern Brewery as our example, and the related rise and fall of the local temperance/prohibition movements. Along the way, we will see how Manchester achieved a reputation as the “wettest city” in the lower tier of Michigan counties, resulting in an unanticipated, but not always welcome, economic stimulus for the downtown.
This story is greatly aided by the reporting of Mat Blosser, editor and publisher of the Manchester Enterprise for 65 years. By accessing records of the Enterprise, we can follow the physical developments and shifting attitudes of the wet-vs-dry arguments. Blosser took over the paper in 1867 as the economic boom was underway. He was careful to report on the happenings of the week, without allowing his personal opinions to overshadow the news. Sometimes Blosser appeared to favor abstinence. At other times, he seemed to take the opposite viewpoint. Whichever the case, he acted as the village’s foremost promoter and defender of Manchester as a good place to live and work.
Manchester around 1870 is shown in Figure 1. According to the Enterprise dated April 30, 1874, our small village then held seven saloons, run by Conrad Lehn, William Kirchgessner, Charles Gwinner, Michael Bailey, John Waltz, Conrad Newman and Mrs. Catherine Traub. Not surprisingly, all seven owners welcomed German and American patrons alike, and all refused at that time to sign a pledge not to sell alcoholic drinks, as local temperance leaders requested. At Gwinner’s saloon, a patron lit up a cigar in the face of a Women’s Temperance League representative when the pledge was brought in for consideration. The battle was just beginning.
Figure 1 – Downtown Manchester circa 1870
The Beginning of Lager Brewing in Manchester
Breweries and distilleries were located in most small Michigan towns in the mid-19th century, and Manchester was no exception. The first distillery was built here in 1838 by Barnabas Case and other investors, and stood on the bank of the River Raisin near the Furnace Street Bridge. The distiller was John Falconer, who came from Inverness County, Scotland in 1832 and located in Freedom Township before coming to Manchester. The first brewery was situated on the east bank of the river, near the Duncan Street bridge, and was operated in 1870 by Newman Granger, the first Village Council President. Granger’s father had started the business, and it was known at various times as the Granger and Morgan Brewery, Granger and Strickland Brewery, and finally Lawrence Traub’s Brewery. This property is where the Gistinger Law Office now stands.
Our story will follow the Michigan Southern Brewery, which existed from 1871 through 1920. The brewery was located at what is now 606 S. Macomb Street, on the far southern reach of the village. On September 7, 1871, Mat Blosser reported: “We understand that there is to be a lager beer brewery built at this place this Fall.” There were two initial developers. John Baur, sometimes spelled Bauer, was born May 7, 1832 in Württemberg, Germany, and died February 22, 1914 in Bridgewater Township as a retired farmer. Baur bought a lot and settled in Manchester in 1868, coming from Bridgewater. In the 1870 census, he is found as a butcher in Manchester. After his stint as a brewer, he relocated to Adrian where, in 1880, he was a hotel keeper. Before 1900, he had relocated back to Bridgewater Township as a farmer. Nothing has been found about the second developer, Henry Einbeck, other than he was living in Manchester in 1871.
On September 1, 1871, Baur and Einbeck purchased a parcel of land in Section 11 of Manchester Township, approximately 3 acres in size, from Aaron W. Case and Sophia Case for $600. It included “the use of a certain spring of water for brewing purposes brought in pipes there from about thirty rods to said premises”. This parcel remains this same size today as 606 S. Macomb Street.
Henry and Barbara Einbeck left the partnership in June 1872 via quit claim deed for $150. On January 4, 1873, Blosser reported the project’s completion: “The Germans had a pretty nice time on Tuesday evening, Dec. 26th, which was the occasion of the dedication of the new brewery in this village. The Poet says: ‘You cannot pluck roses without fear of thorns, Nor enjoy a fair wife without danger of horns’, and we think the rule will apply full well to this occasion. At any rate the ‘horns’ were produced (two kinds), and the evenings sport was appreciated by each and every one.”
No record or photos have been found of the extent or size of Baur’s 1872 brewery. Neither is it known if Baur assigned any particular name to the brewery. However, to finance the project, he executed mortgages for $3,000 to Christian Mack and Frederick Schmid, and $600 to Alfred Torrey, all prominent Manchester developers. This action would come back to haunt others later on.
Figure 2 locates the brewery on the 1874 Manchester Township plat map. The large star and word “Brewery” were paid for as a “sponsorship placement” by John Baur as the atlas was being prepared in 1873.
Figure 2 – The Michigan Southern Brewery, noted by a star and the word “Brewery” in the center of the image
Gemütlichkeit
Baur’s investment and sponsorship were indicative of the importance placed on the role of lager beer by the German immigrant community. The term “lager beer” derives from the German “lager”, or “storehouse”, referring to a light beer brewed by slow fermentation and matured in storage containers under refrigeration. It was a staple of German life, a daily part of the diet. But it also represented family, friends, and German camaraderie, as well as “gemütlichkeit”, a sort of cozy, warm state of being, created only by the presence of good friends, close family, a relaxing environment, and, more often than not, plenty of beer.
In a September 25, 1873 letter to the Enterprise, a reader identified only as “Americus” wrote in regard to the ongoing temperance movement’s criticism of Germans: “Beer is food and better for man than tea. Beer also has sustenances which in their action are like good food, altho’ the amount of action is not equal to that produced from bread or milk. So says science.” Indeed, given concern about the purity of available drinking water and water-borne diseases like cholera and cerebro-spinal meningitis, early Manchester-area residents often drank beer, other liquors, hard cider, and for the children, a diluted form of hard cider called “ciderkin”, as daily nourishment, and sometimes as a general medicinal agent.
Another German attitude toward beer drinking can be found in an inscription commonly found on beer steins of the time:
He who drinks beer falls down. He who falls down falls asleep. He who sleeps cannot sin. He who does not sin goes to heaven.
John Baur only ran the brewery for about 9 months, when on October 2, 1873 the Enterprise reported that: “John Bauer has sold his Brewery to two Indiana gentlemen.” These men were Christian Renz of Winchester, Indiana and Albert Eckerle of Ft. Wayne, Indiana. They purchased the site as well as all the brewery machinery, fixtures, furniture and appurtenances for $11,000, subject to the mortgages mentioned earlier.
The reason for Baur’s sale after this short time is not known, but the price he obtained was extraordinarily high, considering that two weeks previously the country had entered what was to be known as the Panic of 1873. Never again as a brewery would the property sell for so much money.
In Part 2 next week, we’ll look at the growth of temperance and nativism movements in Manchester, as the patronage of the brewery keeps growing.
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