My Memories of Kinsey Distilling

[gothbat]

Great thread, Dave! I read it start to finish over the past few weeks at work, sure makes me wish I had a job like that instead of one where I sit at a desk all day. (Then again, I guess it's not all bad; it did afford me plenty of time to read this thread! :] ) I actually had a Kinsey item and I didn't realize it until I read this thread; not too long ago we had a collectibles shop by me and I picked up an Old Hickory ashtray for a couple of bucks.
Anyway, I'll look forward to reading whatever else you're going to add!

[dave ziegler]

This cold Morning I am thinking back to the cold & Old Days of long gone times at Kinsey! I remember well going into work wearing the Nice Sub Zero WI Army Coat they gave us every year. They had no problem with us wearing them home and also got us discounted Shoes paid almost nothing if we went to the old Work men Suppy in Pottstown. They also aways made sure we had Good Leather Gloves and what ever else we needed to do the job safe. We would take our breaks in the old Lunch room in Building Building O. Those were simple times and a pack of Lance crackers and a bottle of A treat soda were just fine for break then. We also had a Cig Machine and Walt Harrington ( Good Guy ) would always be there selling Kinsey Benefit Club tickets and Fire House Tickets and Baskets of Cheer from the Catholic Church in Linfield. We had about 10 minutes then Mike Zuno would truck us on the back of the Old 1953 Dodge truck back to the Buildings we were working at! When I was in the Yard crew John Zuber our Boss would take us in the 1951 Ford Pickup we used. Guys would always make sure to have their bottle with them and I can remember one very Cold day having one of the Old Timers tell me when I had to leave that gang to fill in another one that was short, He Said Dave or Ziggy as they called me Don't forget your Flask its cold out there! Everyday was interesting as especialy when we went in one of the Old Wood And Brick Warehouses you would see dates from the 1950's on some of the barrels. It was such a big place that allot of time was spent just going from warehouse to warehouse and if the truck was busy we would walk no matter how far out in the plant. Those days the Plant just sparkled it was so clean and well kept. Summer Flower Beds and perfect lawns. Winter salt put out and snow cleaned up asap. It looked Like a Jewel on the river Peninsala and Even in the winter we kept watch that the lawns were clean and free of Junk. When I talk about Kinsey it is like taking a trip back in time to a special and amazing place and when I take my walks there I in my mind can see things working back in those days of old! I can hear the 3 Boilers roaring and see the Old Clark Michigan Loader taking coal into the 2 coal boilers. I can see the Old Number DSP-Pa-12 standing there looking like it was ready to fire up and I can see all my Old Friends long passed on there working and singing and rolling endless barrels of Whiskey to be Made into the Finest of Bourbons and Blendeds. For me it is a trip back to the Future and I love it every time I go there!
Dave Z
__________________________________________
It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most magnificent Bourbon
Join The Switch to Kinsey
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[Jono]

Dave it is too bad the location is not restored somewhat like the Distillery district in Toronto...those are brick period buildings...very nice area....I just wonder how many buildings on the Kinsey site would be worth restoring and could they be used for either shops, craft brewers, restaurants etc.?

P.S. Did you realize at the time how much you enjoyed your work and how special it would be in later years?

[dave ziegler]

Dave it is too bad the location is not restored somewhat like the Distillery district in Toronto...those are brick period buildings...very nice area....I just wonder how many buildings on the Kinsey site would be worth restoring and could they be used for either shops, craft brewers, restaurants etc.?

P.S. Did you realize at the time how much you enjoyed your work and how special it would be in later years?

Jono First I do not think I really knew how much I liked the Place back then and I had a neighbor then that talked me into becoming a Phone Company Truck builder for the old Baker equipment which was one mile from my house. Within 3 weeks I knew I had made a very big Mistake and that I could not go back and I wanted to badly, you make mistakes like that when you are young.

I was going on 25 years old and Once I saw how hard I worked How Rotten we were treated and less pay and buying tools I really knew I had been nuts. I do not think I really Knew then How special the Place would be to me till many years later and then when I saw what happened to the Company I wished I could have been there till the end Helping all I could to keep it going. A then somehow I knew I had to find a way to write About it and saw looking on the web about SB and A fellow Named Chuck who was writting about his Granfather who Ran the Continental Distilling Bottling house I knew it was (Mr Thomas Holman Bryant ) and I joined to write to him and the Rest is History as not Knowing How to go about writting a book about How Special Kinsey was I can write and share my stories and History here and I love to talk about those great days! Most times in our Lives It turns out that stuff in the beginning is the stuff that was special!
Jono it is sad as I think at least 12 of the Explosion Proof warehouses could be saved you could call it the Distillery Shops on the River at Kinsey! And the other two are saveable too. The Q Building even though it has the hole in the wall could be fixed as it is strong and firm yet. Also a couple of the front buildings could be preserved. The Still & Kinsey Bottle Hose are done but the Walls from the Old Brick warehouses could be used to build Distillery Loafts. With all the lawns still there you could make it a beautiful Historic Place & Park but People do not think about those things, or That the Still and the front buildings when it shut down could have been made in a History Musuim!
Jono I can only Hope that my Writtings can open peoples eyes to what a great place Kinsey Distillery was and What a great Company Continental Distilling / Publicker Industries was to work for and The Joy Of A Job that You Loved and will always remember with Love and Joy in your Heart!
Dave Z
___________________________________________
It Seemss All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
_______________________________________________

[Jono]

Maybe Chuck could help you and both of you could produce a nice historical book on the company......

[dave ziegler]

Maybe Chuck could help you and both of you could produce a nice historical book on the company......

Jono If He would that would be something great I need someone with the ability to put it altogether and It could Happen it is not at all about me it is about the Company and its people their lives and the products we made Pa Distilling history. Do you think he would? It is something I have dreamed of for many a year to keep the History of Si Neuman & Harry Publicker & Jacob G Kinsey going on forever! It is funny that you said that as My friend here at work from India reads my stuff all the time and loves the way I write and just yesterday he said Maybe someone who knows how to put the product of a History Book is on the site and can be apart of it and help you to write a book! He is a very Highly Smart R&D Engineer and He loves reading About Kinsey. If I ever can get a book I would give it the title of this Thread == My Memories Of Kinsey Distilling ----
Dave Z

[Jono]

Or, if not Chuck...an enterprising writer from a local college or newspaper, magazine...especially a regional magazine....or a PA history publication....there are various ways to approach it....

Potential starting place:

http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=68

Tamara Gaskell, Director of Publications & Editor [email]

Tamara (Tammy) Gaskell is director of publications and edits ThePennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography and Pennsylvania Legacies, and also provides editorial support for the organization generally. She has been at HSP since October 2002. Tammy graduated with a degree in American Studies from Amherst College and received a PhD in American History from Brandeis University in 1995, with concentrations in early American history, social history, and women’s history. Her dissertation, “‘Seeking to Strengthen the Ties of Friendship’: Women and Community in Southeastern Ohio, 1788–850,” looks at the role of women in the building of community on the trans-Appalachian frontier. She has presented numerous conference papers and published articles on this work. More recently, she was assistant editor of the Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Papers project, a documentary editing project based at Rutgers. She is the assistant editor on the first two volumes of what will be a six-volume series. She has also worked as a reference librarian and as editor of the publications of the Center for Research on Women at the University of Memphis.

Dan Rolph, Historian & Head of Reference Services

Dan Rolph has worked at HSP since 1985. He received his BA in History with a minor in Anthropology from the University of Utah, an MS in History from the University of Kentucky, and a Ph.D. in Folklore and Folklife from the University of Pennsylvania. Dan has designed and taught many college level courses including “The American Civil War: 1861–65,” “Classical Mythology,” “Minorities in American History,” and “Your Family in History." In 1992 Dan published To Shoot Burn and Hang—Folk-History from a KentuckyMountain Family and Community. In 2002 he published My Brother’s Keeper: Union & Confederate Soldiers’ Acts of Mercy during the Civil War. Both books were well received and are still readily available through outlets such as Amazon.com. He has presented at numerous conferences and lectures and even appeared on C-Span and BookTV to promote his books.

Or - http://www.paheritage.org/pa-magazine.html

Michael O’Malley - Editor

Michael O’Malley has been the editor of Pennsylvania Heritage® since 1984, and has been with the PHMC since 1978. His most notable accomplishment was his editorial direction of the magazine series in the 1990s that profiled history makers in Pennsylvania such as Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers), David McCullough, Kitty Carlisle Hart, James Michener, and others notables. A native Pennsylvanian, O’Malley also enjoys reading, travel, antiques, and visiting museums and galleries.

[dave ziegler]

Jono Thanks for the Information I will check it all out Next week. Here is something I promised and could not find another picture of Our Old Kinsey Plant Lunch room. It was a Place where we enjoyed our breaks very much and even though small and none of the modern treats in the Machines like today we were happy with our Crackers and L&G Chips and A-Treat Soda's from Allentown pa. It was a getaway during a hard but good days work and during Christmas it was a supply for Soda for making Lots of drinks in the Plant! The day before the Christmas Holiday 1969 when everyone was getting wiped out and I watched they ran the soda machine dry in no time and the snack machine was empty very quick! Government Men where right next store and I can't tell you how many times I saw them getting Ginger Ale or Grapefruit Soda out of the old Machine. It is always hard for me to walk in and see our Bird bath type sink to wash up broken in pieces by Kids and the Lockers thrown over and the Machines standing there empty and papers thrown everywhere from Walts cabinet. You had to work there to know what I mean, we did not ask people to help we took care of our own there if you got hurt Walt was there with the Kinsey Benefit club check book to do what he could and we would also take collections. We did not look for Government to Help we took care of are own!
Dave Z
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Join The Swing To Kinsey
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[Jono]

Hey Dave...is that your time card on the left wall? Your last punch out?

[dave ziegler]

No Jono I did not use the card rack there when I worked there we had a Rack at the front of the plant! I think they most have done that after they Quit Bottling Whiskey and used the Bottle house for Antifreeze. Our Time Card rack was in the old Dsp- Pa - 12 building. I went back today after not being there for two weeks and here are some Pictures! The First couple of Pictures are at Ludy's as I went there at Noon to give him a barrel Bung With Kinsey Distillery on it and Ludy 42 yrs service and Linfield Pa. He had his daughter bring the 6 gal Barrel he made when he went to Cooper's school and I got some shots of it in the special rack the Company let them make to show case it on! Then I went to Kinsey and there are Pictures of the buildings and I went back in the Old Bottle House before it falls down all the way. The Pictures are Ludy's Barrel then A Picture of Ludy with the Bung that Fricky did up for me so I could give it to Him. Then going into the plant from going down to the river. The Well at O Building, The Time Card Rack in The O building Plant lunch room. Some more pictures of the lunch room and some pictures of the water distilling unit in O building. Next are some pictures of some of the Warehouses and a couple of Pictures showing the steel beam that was on each warehouse roof to lift things to the second and thrid floors.

Then some pictures out front of the Old Kinsey Gain silo and in the old Bottle House out front as the roof has not fallen in on the first floor yet. first sht in there shows to of the Windows at the end where the lines finished and they packed the cases Had shutters on them and Bars! then some shots of the big first room and then of the very back where the second floor had fallen down years ago you can see the trought for dumping and the floor fallen in on it. Then I finially figuered the Big tank in the back side it has what was a sort of wooden gage that had a glass tube to show how much whiskey was in it it is strange that it sits side ways on legs.

Last pictures are of a Explosion proof Glass and cover I got out of the old Bottle house when I took it loose it had been still perfectly sealed I wiped the inside and it was clean no dust or dirt. Then a inking Brush, A explosion prrof switch from the Maintance bard,A 1941 Ford Truck Wiper motor and a Old Kinsey Sample Bottle found near the Water distilling unit. Also a picture of Building P if you look you can see where the 3 signs for it used to be.
Dave Z
____________________________________________
It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
________________________________________________