My Memories of Kinsey Distilling

[dave ziegler]

Here are some more Kinsey Pictures taken today! I was nuts enough at 61 yrs old with Asthama to go there by myself and crawl in the old Warehouses all hooked together E,F,G to get these pictures. And I crawled down to get on my feet at what was the lower level for Pipes to walk in. Note on the warehouse Pictures inside the old Barrels that sat there till all the whiskey dryed up and they fell apart! Also look at the pictures up looking at all the levels where there were barrles at one time. These 3 building made into one were the second oldest warehouse buildings built just before prohibition! Building H on there left was built in 1936 when Kinsey had reopened it is on the Picture Ludy Gave me! I am going to call Ludy this week and ask him if he remembers just how many Men we had in each gang. I am not sure I am thinking around 10 at least! Note on Picture 6 a name written on the Rail I knew Old George Kuterbach.

Other pictures are of Building O, Then Building P and looking up from Building R plus a shot of signs on Building M. Very Last picture is of the outside of Building E,F,G
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
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[dave ziegler]

I just talked to Ludy and the Barrel gangs were between 5 and 6 men on each gang. One Lead man, one Checker who took down the serial numbers of the barrels we dumped and 3 to 4 Barrel rollers! There were around 8 gangs of 6 Men those days and we pulled and dumped about somewhere between 125 to 150 Barrels every day Per Team that were dumping as some teams at times would be racking new Barrels also!

The Old Wood And Brick Warehouses held around 20,000 barrels of Whiskey full each. And a big Bottle house had enough People working 2 shifts that they did not have much overtime and did not need to Hire any extra people as there was around 600 people working there back then!

The Big Bottling House ran a full first and full second shift and the small Liquor Bottling house ( Old Kinsey One ) ran day shift and there was only day shift in the warehouses.
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
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[dave ziegler]

Here are 4 pictures of the most Beautiful Continental Distilling Barrel Head I own! I found this one in a bundle that never got sent to Scotland in one of the old Buildings a few years ago it was a job carring it for over a mile plus but for the sake of Kinsey History I made it and now it is safe at my home.

It will someday go to the Getz when I am gone. I remember well using the stenciles and ink roller and letterng these heads and when they were shipped to Scotland the center would have been painted out with white special paint we used so it could be relettered Malt Scotch! I have some other neat heads one Scotch one Just says Whiskey and one Corn whiskey. I will take pictures of them some time also. This one is the very best one I own!
The thought of it being thrown in a pile of wood to burn just kills me. I have been told by Friends that if I could I would have brought the whole distillery home and If I could I would for the sake of True History and each item is to me priceless! To Me Continental Distilling Was The Greatest Distiller in Pa History and An Amazing operation who's greatness came from a Man I will always Admire Mr Si Neuman!


Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
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[dave ziegler]

When I get a chance I am going to take some pictures of Different Letters that I have from the last days of Continental and some pictures of my 3 other barrel Heads and some other stuff from Kinsey. It is my passion to preserve as much as I can for History. And for the memory of the 600 people that worked at Kinsey!
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most magnificent Bourbon
====================================

[dave ziegler]

Last night I went to see Ludy to get the two pictures his daughter took of him with the Barrel Stave I had fricky make me up with Ludys years of service and a Blown up aerial picture of Kinsey I made up from a broshure called the Place with space from the early 1980's. Ludy turned 90 in Sept.


Picture one Ludy with his Stave
Picture two Ludy with his Barrel stave and the Picture which is laminated and has his years of service there on it like the Stave does 42 years as He was layed off 2 yrs till Continental was able to buy Kinsey in early 1941 it sat from Fall 1939 till then being watched by the feds till it could be sold as there was a good bit of Whiskies in barrels there. Mr Kinsey went Bankrupt in fall 1939. Ludy Started there in spring 1936 and worked there till Nov 1980. His daughter is going to try and get him to a computer so he can see some of my Pictures of Kinesy and read some of my writtings.

In the next couple of weeks I am going to scan some of my Letter heads and some of my promotional stuff and put them on here.

It is my Hope that this is going to keep the History of the Many People that worked at Kinsey & Continental and the History of the Company and what a great Company it was to work for " I was very Proud to work for them' And they were the most Prolithic Maker of Alcohol in their time under Mr Si Neuman. Ludy has told me many times about How Mr Neuman stopped at the door way to the Maintaince shop walked in and talked to him. He said to him anything I can do for you and Ludy said I would love a ride in Your Rolls Bently!
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
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Kinsey The Unhurried Whiskey
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[dave ziegler]

Here are some pictures of stuff I have from Kinsey / Contiental Distilling including my gate Pass card from 1969 which you needed to get your Pay and my Pay check stub from Dec 1969 which i have had all these 39 & 3/4 years. Also my new Insurance cards from early 1969. A Federal tax sticker. Rare Linfield Bourbon and Sweepstakes Whiskey Labels and Rare 3 Kings Straight Rye Whiskey Distilled by Kinsey Distilling back in the 1930's.

A Sheet of Alabama Tax stickers, Some rare labels including a Peach Brandy Kinsey label a sweepsatkes Whiskey label some Old Hickory Labels including a very rare strange 75 Proof Label never saw any 75 Proof Old Hickory?

A Notice from the Bottle House about Childeren being in the plant and a 1974 Letter Head to the Gov about tank expansion! And Much More.
Also some rare Labels from our Family of A&P Whiskeys which Continental Had the rights to make all of them at Linfield! An Old Label from back in the forties for mailing stuff from Kinsey says Dist #10 on Pic 5, Our Midwest Straight Corn Whiskey Label Bottled in Bond. Also the Still Brook brand we bought from American distilling And grain and Ethyl Alcohol Labels
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most magnificent Bourbon
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[dave ziegler]

Here are many Pictures around the Plant I took on Sunday Afternoon! Here are many of my shots including the Kinsey Fire House just a building built againest a Big Blue Water tank.
Pictures are
1. A complete shot of 0 Building showing How big these warehouses are
2.&3. In Building J abandon caases of Whiskey Bottles
4. Valve at Big Tanks area
5. Vavve at Big Tanks
6. Cases falling over in Building J
7 & 8 Building Signs
9. Looking behind the tanks at the back of some of the Buildings
10. Shot of Building J
11. Thru 16 The Kinsey Fire House I crawled in the weeds to get to it.
17. Thru 25 Inside Warehouse G I crawled down in shot 24 to look for Barrel staves
Other shots show where the Rail cars came in to the plant, Grain silo's and the dryer building and where charlie Seipler Used to pull out in his buggy and shots of where the #12 used to stand and a doorway in the wall where you used to go into the tunnel. Also a round Cement Tank that sat at the Bottom of the still building also ruins of Boiler room and the Old Oil Boiler still in the building beside the Grain dying room.

I will be posting some more shots later today
as my Home Computer is down and not working so doing these from work.
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest people Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
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[dave ziegler]

Here are some more Pictures out front of Warehouse D inside it the set of short rails we used to bring Barrels out and on the rails that run behine the old Bottle House. You can from Picture 9 through 17 see the Old Kinsey Plant Mantaince barn it was a cold place, Picture one of these if you click you can see where it says Ludy and a old time Phone number and Pottstown. The second to last shot if you look on the table are a Windshield Wiper Motor a Carberator and Generator for a 1941 Ford Trucks. I put them there to get the shot they were laying in differant spots on the table. Two shots inside the still standing Bottom floor of the Old Kinsey Bottle house shots in Warehouse D and Uprights in the DSP-PA-10 Barn. For some reason the two pictures showing the Old Bottle house falling down are still to big so I will have crop them and post them another day as my Home computer is down and doing this from work.
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most magnificent Bourbon
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[Gillman]

Dave, this may sound like a silly question, but do you think secreted here and there on the grounds there may be, still, some whiskey in the barrel or in bottles? Or is this impossible by now? Could a full case be buried somewhere, say?

Gary

[dave ziegler]

Dave, this may sound like a silly question, but do you think secreted here and there on the grounds there may be, still, some whiskey in the barrel or in bottles? Or is this impossible by now? Could a full case be buried somewhere, say?

Gary

Gary There May well be some there but it is real hard to find as I only ever found one bottle of Governors Gin on a desk. My friend found a bottle of Governors Whiskey but it and the peanut Liqour we found were buried under burned skids of Whiskies that Kids set on fire many years before I got there! It would be safe to say if there is any it is sitting where someone hid it many years ago to drink! I would think that the barrels that were in those racks were full and sat till they dried out. They would have to been full and just never got pulled till they were shot as we never racked barrels till full. Did you see Ludy's Name on the mantaince wall Picture? The weird part is the Peanut Liquor I got in the burn pile is fine even though very Hot above it during the fire even some caps melted but once you got them off and put a new one on the stuff was wonderful. I would think that way back there was lots of Whiskey they never were able to sell once they went to Antifreeze back then and went most likely the two guys that watch the Place if there was any most likely got it all or the outfit that said they were going to fix it up and stole all the copper from the still then let their option to buy it go and left!
It is such a giant place there well may be some hid somewhere but if you don't just run in it by luck you will never find it.
Dave Z
Old Hickory America's Most magnificent Bourbon
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