Graupner Brewery was last in a once thriving local brewery town

Graupner Brewery was last in a once thriving local brewery town

by Ed Yashinsky

When the Appalachian Brewing Company opened it’s doors for business on May 14, 1997, it was 46 years to the day since the Graupner Brewing Company, Harrisburg’s last brewery, shipped its last case of beer.

The Graupner Brewery, founded in 1892 by German brewer Robert Henry Graupner, was located near the corner of 10th and Market Streets. The brewery underwent several renovations and stayed in business during prohibition by producing near-beers and soft drinks. When prohibition was repealed in 1932, the brewery returned to making beer and ale. The last Graupner’s beer was delivered to retailers on May 14, 1951, with the last ale delivered the following day. The Graupner Brewery was condemned in March 1961, and razed the following month.

Although Graupner’s was the last brewery standing in the city, it was just one in a long line of Harrisburg breweries. One of the first known breweries, owned and operated by Jacob Hise, was located on South Front Street below Washington Street. At one time, there was an area along
Forster Street that was know as Heaven’s Corner because of its four businesses–a brewery, a brothel, a church and a general store.

In 1839 John C. Barnitz operated a brewery at the corner of Third and Cranberry Streets, and Philip and Henry Garman produced a non-alcoholic cream beer at 123 Chestnut Street.

In 1856, George Doehne, a native of Germany, opened a small brewery at the corner of Chestnut and Dewberry Streets. It had a brewing capacity of fourteen barrels a day. In 1891, Doehne rebuilt the brewery and increased annual capacity to 8,000 barrels. Doehne’s sons, George and Charles, continued to operate the brewery after his death. Due to prohibition, they built storage vaults underneath a steep hill at a property they owned at 327 S. Cameron Street. They also used a small cave on their property in Bellevue Park for storage. After prohibition was repealed, the Doehne’s continued to operate for a few more years, before going out of business.

In 1860, Harrisburg City directory listed Leonard Kramer as the operator of a brewery on Cherry Alley.

The 1869 city directory contains numerous breweries. The Frisch Brothers, Barnhart and Herman, operated a brewery at 117 N. Fourth Street. Lucas Koening operated a brewery at 213 Chestnut Street. Charles and Samuel Buehler were listed as ale and porter manufacturers at 328 Chestnut Street. John Walford had a small brewery at Calder and Penn Streets.

In 1876, Christian Boyer built The Centennial Brewing Company at 214 Liberty Street. It was in operation for at least 11 years.

Edward and John Koening operated a brewery in 1877, on the Eastside of South Cameron Street below Market Street. Christian A. Dressel bought the brewery in 1883. In 1892, he sold the brewery to Robert Graupner and George Bauer. After Bauer’s death, Graupner became the sole owner and continued to operate there until 1896, when he built a new brewery at Market and Tenth Streets.

In 1881, Henry Fink moved his brewery from Third and Cranberry Streets to the Keystone Brewery at 312 Forster Street. The facility had an annual capacity of 25,000 barrels. Fink died in 1897, but his sons, Henry and Robert, continued to brew in the facility. During prohibition the Keystone Brewery served as the Fink Ice Company. After prohibition, Alex Jacobs bought the Keystone Brewery. A few years later he sold the property to the state and the land was used to build the State Liquor Control Building.