My Memories of Kinsey Distilling

[dave ziegler]

Today I am going to post most of my Pictures from the past Sunday including the bundles of one inch rods in the woods where Continental was going to build two more Explosion proof warehouses.

There were 42 sets of 8 rod bundles per building some more rods per bundle in some, layed out to go into the large pillers that were in each of the buildings to make them as strong against explosion as possible sunk in cement about 5 to 7 feet down in the ground.

I also have some pictures in the Old grain prcess building and of other buildings. It was a beautiful day walking there on Sunday with nice breezes coming up from the river and bright sun I intended to stay just an hour and stayed 3 hours!

There was much damage from vandels and the long winter weather and it is a sad thing to see. Here are some of my pictures starting with some of the Old Bottling house.

1.thru 7. Looking down through the Old Bottling House both from the back and from out front in the Case packing room and the packing room itself.
8. All that is left of the fallen down second floor of the Old Bottling house.
9. Cathionnic and anatonic tanks Old bottling House.

Note in pictures that Rod bundles are differant hight's I have no idea why but do know these were to go through the floors and start the 42 pillars per building.


10 through 21 all pictures of the Rod bundles found up in the woods on the ridge above Warehouses 38 and T warehouse. They would have been warehouses V & W.
I still have more pictures to post and will later this week.
Dave Z
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Join The Swing To Kinsey The Unhurried
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[dave ziegler]

Here are a few more of the Pictures I took last Sunday,

1. The Old Water treatment tank in the Old Kinsey Bottling house.
2. An Old Whiskey Blender sticking out of the tank they blended Liquors in the Old Bottling House.
3 & 4. Old falling down racks in the two Oldest Warehouses in the Plant built in 1892 by Jacob G Kinsey wood and brick warehouses A & B.

When I started there these were not used much becuase of how hard it was to rack barrles and to take them out of the racks, but there was some Vintage Wiskey in them. You Had to on the upper ones stand on the edge of the wooden walk way and put a Hook from a chain lift on each side of the head and get the chain tight then lower it that way. Unlike the other wood Kinsey Warehouses that had turn of the century Frieght Elevators. It is sad to see these Historic Buildings falling down. But such is life new one day gone the next.

I plan if it is just raining lightly Sunday doing some more inside exploring, and I will post the rest of my Pictures next week and any new ones from Sunday.
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon.

[dave ziegler]

I am also tonight posting some pictures of my collection of Explosion proof pilot lights and switches from Kinsey here are some of the ones I have in my work office on a side cabinit and on my desk lit and unlit. I am having the company Electrcian make me up 4 or 5 more sets and I then will have about 23 differant sets of differant explosion proof switches and pilot lights from Kinsey to save for History!

When I get into work at 6:00-AM I turn them all on and they light the place up with red I am also going to have some blue and green ones as I am making up a couple more weather proof switch sets. If I would not have saved these they would have gone to the scrap man by some Vandel. I am on a mission to save all the History of a great company, a wonderful place to work and the most Prolic Distiller back in the day!

These when I turn them on take me back to the Warehouses and the blue fums up near the sealings the the rows and rows of Explosion proof switches and lights that greeted you back in the day when Kinsey was King.

There are really no words to discribe how great a place Kinsey was to work, think of your favorite park and Kinsey was very park like with wildlife walking around the plant. Beauty was our Gardens and flower beds trees and beautiful beyond compare lawns. Mr Neuman loved Kinsey and so did I.
Dave Z
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Join The Swing To Kinsey The Unhurried
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[dave ziegler]

I have now created a few more Explosion proof Light setups for my office and will post pictures of a couple of very rare ones soon. I was at Kinsey about 2 weeks ago and the vandels just keep breaking into buildings to just ruin things. I just do not understand people any more they only think of ruining something or stealing scrap it seems.

I am very proud that I was able to get the Limerick Historic Society a Complete 48 gal Whiskey barrel with the year 3-22-71 stenciled on the head for their collection in donating it Fricky has agreed to put wood scews in all the staves on the top and bottom hoops and some staggered ones on the middle hoops to keep it together for History and I can't thank him enough.

He is also going to clean the head and put some coating on the top to preserve the writting. The barrel will be as it has been all these years toned as if it is still full for display and the society will be having a big open house on Sat May 8 ! to 4 and I will be there with some of my stuff on a table and to talk to people about Kinsey and Publicker. Anyone from my area please stop by I am fairly sure they will have some refreshments too!

I may even bring a couple of my light sets. I will present the Barrel in my name with credit to Fricky for his work some Sunday afternoon in a couple of weeks once he makes it solid for History.

Once Fricky and I got our Barrels and he made them perfect it has been my dream to give the society an original one they can safely roll out at special times for History and I will continue to donate stuff from Kinsey to preserve History. I will try to get some pictures taken of the event for those far away from here.
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most magnificent Bourbon

[dave ziegler]

I am very proud to anounce that Fricky has completed fixing the 48 gal barrel I got for the Historic Society done and I will be going with Him to give it to them on Suday I will take pictures of it when I give it to them.

It is from the same lot Fricky and my Barrels come from dated May 22 1971 Distilled from rye mash. I also want to invite anyone from my area to come to the Big Open House at the Limerick Historic Society on Sat May 8th from 1 to 4 Pm. I will be there with some of my Kinsey stuff and Hope to meet some people who write on here.

I had a vacation day yesterday and I went to see Ludy. Ludy will be 92 this Sept. He was telling me about our imported Bourbon Whiskey called Old Treasure. It was distilled in Belgium and shipped to Linfield where it was bottled.

It was made of Only 12 Year old Straight Whiskeys and I am lucky enough to have been given a pint of it and I find it awesome. Ludy told me that Bill Theodosis who was the Plant manager when I stated in 1966 and died a couple of weeks later having a bad heart attack, had traveled there in the very early 1950's.

He was sent there to get the Distillery going as Publicker built it and owned it. Ludy said Bill sent him many post cards and wrote regularly to him.

He also Said Bill Theodosis was a better Union man then the Union Boss's ever were he was a wonderful Company man who believed in doing right by the workers.

I also found out what some devises I found in the Plant were the last time I went in by showing them to Ludy. I will take pictures and post them of the dvises.
Turns out they are made to put over the Valves once a Tank is filled so a Government Man can put a seal wire and lead type seal on the valve so no one can take any whiskey out as they fit over all different size valves and were made for alll sizes.
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

[dave ziegler]

Well I finally got a chance to take pictures of the Government Valve Locks, thanks to Ludy telling me what they were as I admit I did not remember them.


1. Government Locks for Tank Valves you would put a wire through the loops and then the government Man would put a seal on different Sizes for each type of Valve.
7. Out front where the drives come in after over 25 years Flowers still bloom in the flower bed out front that I used to work on when I was in the yard gang!
6. The Grain Drying building on Left and the Old 1892 Barn that served as the shop for Maintaince all the years the Plant operated. Dsp-pa-10 Barn at far end of picture.
5. Old Grain drying Building & Silo
4. Looking down in the Plant from Warehouse O
2. & 3. Inside Explosion proof Warehouse C Tankage whiskey filter and a Shot of all the Barrels that are left from the Lot that Frick's and My Barrel came from.

These pictures were taken about 2 weeks ago I was totally amazed to see the Old flowers were still coming up in the spring after over 25 years abandoned. The Barrels in Warehouse C are from the Lot Fricky's and my barrels came from.

Also I am very Pleased to say that I was able to get one more barrel from C Building to donate to the local Historic Society and Fricky cleaned it put screws in the bands through the Staves to keep it together for good and He wiped it off and Schlacked it to preserve it for me. I will be donating it to the Limerick Historic Society at 1:15 Pm on Sunday in Memory of Si Neuman Chairman from spring 1933 through 1979 for His Leadership and for making Kinsey such a great Place to work! I am having a Laminated Paper made up that states this. Mr Neuman was a Giant in the Distilled spirits bussiness and in Industrial & Medical Alcohols.

I feel truely Blessed to Be able to donate this in Mr Neumans Memory He was a Hero to me and an Icon to the Distilling Industry!
Dave Z
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It Seems all the Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificnet Bourbon

[dave ziegler]

This weekend was a very exciting one for me as I was able to do something I have dreamed of doing with the Help of Fricky fixing a 48 Gal Rye mash whiskey Barrel from the same lot as His and Mine came from, and by fastening the hoops with scews and schlacing the barrel.

And the Help of a Professional lady where I work for creating the Laminated Paper and putting it in a Placard I had saved along time ago to donate The Barrel to the Limerick Historic Society. Many Thanks to Fricky and Val who's Husband worked at The Old Bottle House back in the day and who's Husbands father was a good friend of mine who worked there most of his life!
Here are some pictures from Sunday I donated the Barrel in memory of Mr Si Neuman the man who's vision made Continental distilling the great Company it was!
1. Placard
2. The Barrels head
3. The Barrel sadly I grabed it to quick knocking it out of Fricky's hands and it got scratches you can see but Fricky is going to go there and fix it very soon so it will be beautiful for the Open House May 8th 2010. Anyone living near Limerick please come I will be there with some stuff to show and to talk Kinsey.
4. Me with the Barrel ( Barrel looks Alot Better )
5. Another shot of the Beautiful Head
6. This is my Rare Inver House Barrel head Fricky shined it up for me also
7. And this is my 1963 Bourbon Head fricky shined it up too! I will most likely bring these to show at the Open House at Limerick Historic Society on may 8th.
Dave z
It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

[dave ziegler]

Here are a few more pictures I took at Kinsey on Sunday afternoon!

1. This was Our Plant Lunch room back in the day and the only Bathroom in the warehouse area. Warehouse O
2. Control for the water Distilling plant which is also in O Building which also served as the Government building and 3 floors of Barrels plus pumping tanks to the bottle house and blending.
3. Part of the Water Distilling units.
4 & 5. Brand new never used Cases and bottles have fallen over from years of sitting and getting damp. Warehouse J
6.Another old Raymond Fork Lift sits waiting for someone who will never come and operate it again. Warehouse J
7. Date stenciled on wall of Barrel elevator Warehouse J
6-15-67 about 9 months after I stared at Kinsey in Sept 1966.
8. Sign on first floor of J inside the door
9. Shot from J warehouse dock of the two 1/2 million gallon whiskey tanks built 1961.

Everytime I go there I still can't believe it I find myself listening for trucks and people and when I drive by in the dark going somewhere I find myself looking for Lights around the plant it is still very weird to me after all these years.

You would have had to of worked there to understand it was part of the life of everyone who ever worked there.
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

[Jono]

Very nice restoration! I did not realize so many barrels are still sitting there, they certainly have some value. The local museum will have a nice collection thanks to you and Fricky.

[dave ziegler]

I am looking forward to the open house at Limerick Historic Society I am very fortunite to have been able to help them with stuff from my Kinsey stuff. I am still very much trying to save whatever I can from Kinsey and always finding out about products we made I never knew about including a Whiskey I saw up for auction at whiskey auction.com.

A clear 6 year old Whiskey called White Duck this must have been one of our experimental Light Whiskeys at least that is my guess. It is one I never knew of and I am sure there are many more.

The Thing about Continental Distilling was we were always looking for something new and inovative that people might want.

This was one we gave up on Light Whiskey and ended up selling what we had off, but it did not stop us from going on trying new Idea's.
I am posting the last of my pictures from past Sunday.

1.O Building the Government Building/warehouse/water distilling and lumch room and blending room all in this one of a Kind Explosion proof warehouse and the only one to have any windows of the 14.
2. Looking up at The back of O building from Warehouse M back side of the 1966 Bottling House..
3. & 4. Two shots of the Old 1959 Ford Dump truck one of the very last to run around for Continental Distilling Vandels have written over the word Continental Distilling how Hateful the Vandels are to me!
5. Another shot of the two 1/2 million Gal whiskey storage tanks across from Warehouse J
6. The First floor of the Old yellow company House were George Dill company man and dear friend lived so long ago. Our Bourbon Drinking Plant Nurse had her office in this first floor room.
7. This is a shot of the lastest vandel work hole in floor, we have a fire bug in Limerick right now and I hope they get them soon. Last week they tried to start a fire in the old House but people quick went over and got the fire company to stop it. This is in real bad shape from years of abandonment but it is very historic as After prohibition ended Mr Jacob G Kinsey lived in this house suring 2/3 of the week going back to his Large home in Phila's Parkside weekends. He lived here till he went bankrupt. When He first bought the place He lived down by the river in the Old William Evans home if not the oldest one of only a couple in Limerick it had its own carriage Drive back then and was liven in till 1986 when Continental went out of Bussiness.

8. Here is a side view of the Old yellow House I loved this old place when I worked there it was so filled with History.
9. A shot from the front drive looking back you can still the other water tower at the back of the plant above the 1966 Bottle House.
10.
11. The 3rd company house also out front on the left side of the driveways into Kinsey it is the newest one of the 3 and ruined to now. Back in the day our engineers stayed there and traveled home on the weekends.
12. Daffidills still blooming in the Old Flower bed I worked on so long ago the are still living and bring back to me How very Beautiful My Kinsey Distillery Looked back in those Days to a 19 year old Kid working the yard gang.

I hope to get back soon and look for other good shots and to recall more memories of Kinsey Distilling.
Dave Z
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