Staten Island Breweries
George Bechtel Brewery - Stapleton ( founded in 1853)
George Bechtel Brewery Bottle
Bechtel Brewery Workers 1897
George Bechtel Brewery Fire
History of Breweries on Staten Island
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- For at least a century, breweries were an important part of Staten Island’s industrial scene, reaching their peak just before the turn of the 20th century.
The industry was a respected tradition, providing good income for thousands of Islanders over the years, leading the way in technology and even adding its own special German flavor to the Island’s social scene.
FIRST DISTILLERY IN 1815 - As early as the 17th century, records show the presence of a still on the Island, and in 1815, Capt. Thomas Lawrence had a distillery in New Brighton that was important enough to warrant naming the locality Stillhouse Landing.
But the industry became a full-fledged part of the borough’s economy in the 1850s.
What was to become Bachmann’s Brewery was founded in 1851, the Constanz Brewery was formed in 1852, and Bechtel’s Brewery was opened in Stapleton in 1853. Rubsam and Horrmann’s Atlantic Brewing Co., founded in 1870, was one of the largest on the Island and was still being operated in the 1960s by the Piels Brothers Company.
During the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, the Atlantic, Bachmann and Bechtel breweries won three out of 11 gold medals for the quality of their beer.
The heyday for the industry could be marked in 1896, when the four major companies employed 260 people, producing an annual output of 325,000 barrels of beer and were valued at more than $2.6 million.
The Bechtel Brewery was the earliest business to convert to electricity on the Island, with owner George Bechtel installing electricity in 1885.
Constanz Brewery on Manor Road in Castleton Corners, later renamed the Eckstein
PROHIBITION HURT INDUSTRY - prohibition had a devastating impact on the industry and sharply curtailed the social activities associated with breweries. The Atlantic brewery plant was used for ice production until the law was repealed.
The popularity of Rubsam and Horrmann’s Atlantic Brewing Co. beer dwindled in later years, however, and it jokingly became known as R&H - “rotten and horrible.” The plant remained in business, even after it was bought by Piels Brothers Inc. in 1953. Employing about 375 people at its peak, the company produced and distributed Piels Beer and Trommer’s Red Letter Beer.
The following is from . . . .
History of Richmond County, from its discovery to the present time. (1887)
~ by Richard Mather Bayles
The breweries were among the most prominent industries of Staten Island. On account of the number and copious fullness of the springs and the excellent quality of the water, the island had been selected as a favorite place for the establishment of this business. The establishments located here together pay an enormous revenue to the government.
Bechtel's Brewery, perhaps the largest of these, was located at Stapleton, where it was founded by John Bechtel, in 1853. In 1865 he sold the concern to his son, George Bechtel, the present proprietor. The capital invested here amounts to well nigh half a million dollars. In 1865 the revenue tax of this brewery was $10,000, and ten years later it had increased to $60,000. It employs about fifty hands.
George Bechtel, was born in Germany in 1840. He came with his parents to America at the age of six months, and in 1851 entered the grammar school of ColumbiaCollege. After finishing his course at that institution he began an apprenticeship in the brewery which his father had established at Stapleton in 1853. From 1860 to 1865 he occupied the position of superintendent of the establishment, and while engaged in that capacity he established the first ice-house in the East. In 1865 he rented the property
from his father, and in 1870 purchased his entire interest, becoming the sole proprietor.
The original building proving too small for his rapidly increasing business, Mr. Bechtel concluded to tear it down and in its place he built the present elegant structure, special attention being given to its equipment. So energetically was the work of erection pushed that in ten weeks after the first stone was laid brewing had recommenced. The continued increase of his business is due to the high quality of excellence which he maintains in all his productions. Mr. Bechtel has been foremost in all public and benevolent matters. During the riots in 1861 he sheltered large numbers of these homeless people in the woods and sent them nourishment daily till the trouble had subsided, a circumstance which the colored people on Staten Island have never forgotten and for which they have been ever grateful.
Mr. Bechtel' s benevolent qualities show themselves on all occasions, and many poor families on Staten Island have been the recipients of his charity. It is said of him that he is ever ready to help where it is needed. In 1879 the Japanese embassy, together with the secretary of state and several other gentlemen, paid a visit to Mr. Bechtel' s brewery. As a result they ordered one hundred thousand bottles of beer to be sent to Japan. On their return they sent him several very flattering letters and a pair of costly vases as a token of their esteem.
The Clifton Brewery, in Edgewater, is one of considerable importance. It is invested with some degree of interest from the fact that it was established by General Garabaldi and his partner, Antonio Meucci, in 1851. Since their day it has passed through the hands of several proprietors, among who was Louis Gross, Christian Trefz arid Gabriel Mayer, at whose decease it passed into the hands of David Mayer and Fr.Bachmann. The capital invested is about a quarter of a million dollars and the work employs about fifty hands. This brewery was destroyed by fire on the 31st of October, 1881. The buildings were of brick, but they fell before the devouring flames, together with an ice house and a saloon connected with the brewery. The loss was estimated at about two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars.
The Atlantic Brewery, at Stapleton, is owned by Rubsam & Herrmann. It was established in 1870, and employs a capital of about one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars, and a force of thirty to forty men.
The Bischoff's Brewery was established at Stapleton, in 1854, or soon after that date, by one Gillich. Subsequently it became the property of Wolf & Reinhardt, and later passed into the possession of George Bischoff. About twenty hands are employed.
The Constanz Brewery is located at Castleton Corners. It was established in August, 1852, by August Schmid. Subsequently passing into the hands of Joseph Setz, it was conveyed by him to Monroe Eckstein, in 1875, and by him it has been greatly improved and is still owned. The original number of buildings was two, and its capacity until 1875 only three, thousand barrels. Six large buildings
have since been added and the capacity increased to forty thousand barrels. Improved machinery has been introduced, which is driven by steam. The water here is of first quality. About forty men are employed and ninety to one hundred thousand bushels of malt and three hundred bales of hops are annually used. There are a few other similar establishments on the island, but none so large as those we have noticed. At the centennial exhibition at Philadelphia eleven prizes were awarded to brewers in the United States, three of which were awarded to Staten Island brewers: Mayer & Bachmann, George Bechtel and Rubsam & Herrmann. Eckstein, Bischoff and some others did not compete.
Monroe Eckstein, one of the most enterprising men among the brewers of Staten Island, is the seventh of twelve children of Henry Eckstein, formerly a wealthy merchant of New York, who came to this country from Bavaria in 1835. He was born in the city of New York, June 23, 1849, and during his youth attended private and public schools in his native place. Subsequently he enjoyed a term in the
College of New York, after which, in 1865, he engaged in the tobacco business with the firm of Wertheimer & Co., of New York and San Francisco. Here his business abilities soon won for him the favor of his employers and he was rapidly advanced till at the time of his leave taking in 1875 he was buyer for the firm. In the latter year Mr. Eckstein purchased from Joseph Setz the Constanz brewery
at Four Corners, Staten Island which had been founded in 1852, by August Schmid, one of the organizers of the United States Brewers' Association. The brewery was located on rising ground whence a magnificent view of the Kill Von Kull, the Jersey country and vicinity can be obtained, and has about it twenty-two acres of ground, most of which is attractively laid out as a pleasure park, with summer houses, seats, etc. The immense increase in the business which Mr. Eckstein has succeeded in bringing about has compelled him to enlarge the building from time to time, and he is at the present writing engaged in rebuilding the whole structure, and replacing the old machinery at a cost of $125,000. This will make his outfit one of the most complete brewing plants in the country.
Mr. Eckstein had given large amounts to charitable purposes nd his spirit of benevolence is well known throughout RichmondCounty. His genial nature and thorough integrity in the transaction of his business have won for him many and lasting friends.
By 1953, Rubsam & Herrmann was bought out by the Piels Company, which had its own brewery
in East New York. Piels closed the R&H plant and the brand entirely a decade later.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- For at least a century, breweries were an important part of Staten Island’s industrial scene, reaching their peak just before the turn of the 20th century.
The industry was a respected tradition, providing good income for thousands of Islanders over the years, leading the way in technology and even adding its own special German flavor to the Island’s social scene.
FIRST DISTILLERY IN 1815 - As early as the 17th century, records show the presence of a still on the Island, and in 1815, Capt. Thomas Lawrence had a distillery in New Brighton that was important enough to warrant naming the locality Stillhouse Landing.
But the industry became a full-fledged part of the borough’s economy in the 1850s.
What was to become Bachmann’s Brewery was founded in 1851, the Constanz Brewery was formed in 1852, and Bechtel’s Brewery was opened in Stapleton in 1853. Rubsam and Horrmann’s Atlantic Brewing Co., founded in 1870, was one of the largest on the Island and was still being operated in the 1960s by the Piels Brothers Company.
During the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, the Atlantic, Bachmann and Bechtel breweries won three out of 11 gold medals for the quality of their beer.
The heyday for the industry could be marked in 1896, when the four major companies employed 260 people, producing an annual output of 325,000 barrels of beer and were valued at more than $2.6 million.
The Bechtel Brewery was the earliest business to convert to electricity on the Island, with owner George Bechtel installing electricity in 1885.
Constanz Brewery on Manor Road in Castleton Corners, later renamed the Eckstein
PROHIBITION HURT INDUSTRY - prohibition had a devastating impact on the industry and sharply curtailed the social activities associated with breweries. The Atlantic brewery plant was used for ice production until the law was repealed.
The popularity of Rubsam and Horrmann’s Atlantic Brewing Co. beer dwindled in later years, however, and it jokingly became known as R&H - “rotten and horrible.” The plant remained in business, even after it was bought by Piels Brothers Inc. in 1953. Employing about 375 people at its peak, the company produced and distributed Piels Beer and Trommer’s Red Letter Beer.
The following is from . . . .
History of Richmond County, from its discovery to the present time. (1887)
~ by Richard Mather Bayles
The breweries were among the most prominent industries of Staten Island. On account of the number and copious fullness of the springs and the excellent quality of the water, the island had been selected as a favorite place for the establishment of this business. The establishments located here together pay an enormous revenue to the government.
Bechtel's Brewery, perhaps the largest of these, was located at Stapleton, where it was founded by John Bechtel, in 1853. In 1865 he sold the concern to his son, George Bechtel, the present proprietor. The capital invested here amounts to well nigh half a million dollars. In 1865 the revenue tax of this brewery was $10,000, and ten years later it had increased to $60,000. It employs about fifty hands.
George Bechtel, was born in Germany in 1840. He came with his parents to America at the age of six months, and in 1851 entered the grammar school of ColumbiaCollege. After finishing his course at that institution he began an apprenticeship in the brewery which his father had established at Stapleton in 1853. From 1860 to 1865 he occupied the position of superintendent of the establishment, and while engaged in that capacity he established the first ice-house in the East. In 1865 he rented the property
from his father, and in 1870 purchased his entire interest, becoming the sole proprietor.
The original building proving too small for his rapidly increasing business, Mr. Bechtel concluded to tear it down and in its place he built the present elegant structure, special attention being given to its equipment. So energetically was the work of erection pushed that in ten weeks after the first stone was laid brewing had recommenced. The continued increase of his business is due to the high quality of excellence which he maintains in all his productions. Mr. Bechtel has been foremost in all public and benevolent matters. During the riots in 1861 he sheltered large numbers of these homeless people in the woods and sent them nourishment daily till the trouble had subsided, a circumstance which the colored people on Staten Island have never forgotten and for which they have been ever grateful.
Mr. Bechtel' s benevolent qualities show themselves on all occasions, and many poor families on Staten Island have been the recipients of his charity. It is said of him that he is ever ready to help where it is needed. In 1879 the Japanese embassy, together with the secretary of state and several other gentlemen, paid a visit to Mr. Bechtel' s brewery. As a result they ordered one hundred thousand bottles of beer to be sent to Japan. On their return they sent him several very flattering letters and a pair of costly vases as a token of their esteem.
The Clifton Brewery, in Edgewater, is one of considerable importance. It is invested with some degree of interest from the fact that it was established by General Garabaldi and his partner, Antonio Meucci, in 1851. Since their day it has passed through the hands of several proprietors, among who was Louis Gross, Christian Trefz arid Gabriel Mayer, at whose decease it passed into the hands of David Mayer and Fr.Bachmann. The capital invested is about a quarter of a million dollars and the work employs about fifty hands. This brewery was destroyed by fire on the 31st of October, 1881. The buildings were of brick, but they fell before the devouring flames, together with an ice house and a saloon connected with the brewery. The loss was estimated at about two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars.
The Atlantic Brewery, at Stapleton, is owned by Rubsam & Herrmann. It was established in 1870, and employs a capital of about one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars, and a force of thirty to forty men.
The Bischoff's Brewery was established at Stapleton, in 1854, or soon after that date, by one Gillich. Subsequently it became the property of Wolf & Reinhardt, and later passed into the possession of George Bischoff. About twenty hands are employed.
The Constanz Brewery is located at Castleton Corners. It was established in August, 1852, by August Schmid. Subsequently passing into the hands of Joseph Setz, it was conveyed by him to Monroe Eckstein, in 1875, and by him it has been greatly improved and is still owned. The original number of buildings was two, and its capacity until 1875 only three, thousand barrels. Six large buildings
have since been added and the capacity increased to forty thousand barrels. Improved machinery has been introduced, which is driven by steam. The water here is of first quality. About forty men are employed and ninety to one hundred thousand bushels of malt and three hundred bales of hops are annually used. There are a few other similar establishments on the island, but none so large as those we have noticed. At the centennial exhibition at Philadelphia eleven prizes were awarded to brewers in the United States, three of which were awarded to Staten Island brewers: Mayer & Bachmann, George Bechtel and Rubsam & Herrmann. Eckstein, Bischoff and some others did not compete.
Monroe Eckstein, one of the most enterprising men among the brewers of Staten Island, is the seventh of twelve children of Henry Eckstein, formerly a wealthy merchant of New York, who came to this country from Bavaria in 1835. He was born in the city of New York, June 23, 1849, and during his youth attended private and public schools in his native place. Subsequently he enjoyed a term in the
College of New York, after which, in 1865, he engaged in the tobacco business with the firm of Wertheimer & Co., of New York and San Francisco. Here his business abilities soon won for him the favor of his employers and he was rapidly advanced till at the time of his leave taking in 1875 he was buyer for the firm. In the latter year Mr. Eckstein purchased from Joseph Setz the Constanz brewery
at Four Corners, Staten Island which had been founded in 1852, by August Schmid, one of the organizers of the United States Brewers' Association. The brewery was located on rising ground whence a magnificent view of the Kill Von Kull, the Jersey country and vicinity can be obtained, and has about it twenty-two acres of ground, most of which is attractively laid out as a pleasure park, with summer houses, seats, etc. The immense increase in the business which Mr. Eckstein has succeeded in bringing about has compelled him to enlarge the building from time to time, and he is at the present writing engaged in rebuilding the whole structure, and replacing the old machinery at a cost of $125,000. This will make his outfit one of the most complete brewing plants in the country.
Mr. Eckstein had given large amounts to charitable purposes nd his spirit of benevolence is well known throughout RichmondCounty. His genial nature and thorough integrity in the transaction of his business have won for him many and lasting friends.
By 1953, Rubsam & Herrmann was bought out by the Piels Company, which had its own brewery
in East New York. Piels closed the R&H plant and the brand entirely a decade later.
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