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My Memories of Kinsey Distilling


dave ziegler

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Thank You Joe you are a very Good Guy also and I was very glad to meet you and I just had shot of the Phila blended and just like the Old days is a very nice drink for a Blended Wiskey! I enjoyed talking about Kinsey so much I took a walk there this afternoon and went in the Bottle house got some more pictures in there but most everything is sealed and sadly there are two guys that live right arcoss from it that tell everyone including the police they watch it for the owner while they steal all they can they are cutting up all the giant cast Pipes that ran to the Fire tower to sell and it makes me sick. This is what people do that do not understand History or its importance. I am happy for all the stuff I have saved for History and glad it will go on after me! Thanks Again Joe you're a great Guy and Be Well!

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

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There will be a couple of Pictures I took Sat in old Building G & F Warehouse 1933 some time soon I sent Jeff the pictures of the Wooden rack and there is one showing the Sprinker Head built in there. Also he will be putting a few more shots on the 1966 Bottle House Thread I took on Sunday one shows a Antifreeze bottle that was heading down to be filled and never got that far still sticking in the line. I will continue to try and get Pictures as I can to save the History of Kinsey Distillery which Operated for 94 Years and was an amazing Place during the Days it was owned by Continental Distilling under Chairman Si Neuman! I was very Happy to be able to talk to Bourbon Joe on Sunday and tell Him some stuff about Publicker & Kinsey and Mr Si Neuman. When I go there I can imagine how it was working there even though it is long closed in my Mind I can picture everything operating back then in 1966 as a 19 yr old Kid fresh out of School. Many Thanks again to Bourbon Joe for the Bottle Of Philadelphia Blended had a shot Sunday Night!

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

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Here are the Pictures of The Continental Bottle House I took this weekend.

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Here are some pictures I took this weekend in the old 1966 Contiental Bottling House. Note on Picture number 1 the Antifreeze Bottle on the line that never made it to be filled shut down and never started again! Picture 2 a line coming down. Picture 3 there is a Platform that has about 5 or 6 Sainless tanks one labeled Rubbing Alcohol.

There are two more Pictures I want to get on soon.

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's most Magnificent Bourbon

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Walking through the 1966 Bottling house and seeing it the way it is was heart breaking for me it was so modern when I went to work for Kinsey the day it opened in 1966. They had every modern thing possible and they could out bottle just about any other Distiller back then we were all very Proud to work for Continental and to work at such a beautiful plant and it was so Historic I do not think any of Us ever thought It would end up abandon. But once Mr Neuman died it was all down hill and within 10 years was no more! I often wish I could just go back for one day to it as it was to see the 1941 Ford Flat trucks roaring back and forth from the warehouses hauling barrels full of good Whiskey to be dumped and sent to the bottle house to make the wonderful Products we did. When I worked there I felt our whiskeys were the best, I never thought about Buying others, They never said anything but we all were so proud we just went out and bought their products it was a proud feeling to walk into a State store get a Bottle of Old Hickory Look the clerk in the face and say I work for them!

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

===================================

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Here are some more Pictures taken about three months ago of some of the Old Singer Bottle Machines that are sitting in Building O which when I worked there was the Government Building. These turned out fairly good as there is light coming in through the windows, it is the only one of the 14 Explosion Proof Warehouses to have windows bacause of it being the Government Building!

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

=========================================

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Another one of the Singer Bottle Machines sitting here these were not sold after the auction and Abandon in Building O.

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

==========================================

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Here is a Picture last guy on the right of Gus Nirohos who was a major League Player for the New York Yankees. After he retired he managed Minor league teams in the Summer and worked at Kinsey as a Company Man in the Winter he was a very cool guy and a good friend to me as a 19 yr old Kid.

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

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Messed up and did not get the Picture in, Here is Gus with his team mates last one on the right. Gus was really a character when He worked there and used to speed shift the old Plymouth he drove around the Plant, He always had a clean Pint bottle with him for medical reasons he would say and talk about Baseball of course. We talked about the teams he managed in the summer He managed New Port News Minor League in Va. He was always chewing Tobacco, And always playing Jokes on the Mantaince Man Dickie Pheifer. And he loved shooting dice at break. Every Friday we would pile in his car and drive to Spring City to get a beer. he was a good boss and always made sure we got our work done every day. We did not mind as it was fun working there hard work but a fun job and a great Product and a feeling of Pride in working there. And it was a thrill to have a boss who was a former Major League Baseball Player. One time I said Gus why didn't you get to play more on the Yankees. He said Zig when Yogie Beara is number one and Eliston Howard number two you are not going to Play!

Dave Z ----Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

===========================================

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One last shot coming from the front part of the Plant looking ahead is building O and then to the right and a long walk past more buildings to the back. Everytime we moved to a different warehouse to rack or dump barrels we would ride on one of the Flat trucks as would take too long to walk.

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

=======================================

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Here are some Continental ads and Promo's the Inver House one is one I bought a few years ago I have it set to may. Nice Kinsey Gold ad and Charter Oak Bourbon.

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

========================================

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Here is another Promo I got a long time ago wagon with mini 1/10 Haller's County Fair Bourbon.

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

-------------------------------------------------

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Just got done siping a shot of 1965 Kinsey Silver Blended 86.6 given to me by my old friend Ludy. He is 90 yrs old and I went to visit him today to borrow a picture of the Plant taken from the air in the second year he worked there 1937 for Mr Kinsey. It is a wonderful aerial shot and you can see they are just building Warehouse H Wood and Brick it is only half done in the picture. I am going to get it on my work computer Monday and post it. In the picture only some of the old buildings are there including Old #12 which I am going to crop one of the copies to show a closeup of the still! There are gardens beside the still and flower beds I have never seen this picture the place looks like a farm and I am most happy to get a copy for myself and for our historic Society and to post on the SB. Before I left he told me to take an unopened 4/5 Pint of Kinsey Silver 86.6 Proof home with me as he can't drink anymore I have just cracked it open and had a shot and ?

The Kinsey Silver turned out to be way better then I ever thought it would a very smooth but not weak Blended Whiskey the bottle will not go in my collection till it is empty.

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent bourbon

======================================

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Here is the copy I made from The Original Picture of Kinsey in 1937 and a croped version of it to show the #12 Still better, note in the Picture they are Building the Last of the Wood and Brick warehouses building Warehouse H. Also I have included a Picture of the back of the Boiler room with stack, Back of the still and another Picture of the Pink Mack B-61 that used to sit there after it was abandon. And finnaly two pictures of the old Kinsey Barn next to the Kinsey house near the river with the old Sinclair Pump used back in my days also, I had posted a picture of the Sinclair pump out front near the old Bottle house before, it is still there someone stole this one and the Barn fell down since these pictures, the barn when I took these had distillery Equipment sitting up on the top floor. One more thing note at that time before Continental bought the Place there was no rail lines and no company owned Bridge bringing them in that came after Continental bought Kinsey Late 1939/ 1940. Also if you look close at the Plant pictures you can see the words Kinsey on the Tank on top of the Still!

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most magnificent Bourbon

========================================

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Speaking to the Historic Society on Sunday when I gave them a copy of this picture # 1 they said this is the rarest picture of Kinsey they have ever seen. If you look to the left there is a field of what looks like Corn, also a garden next to the house. At that time a Man by the name Scher lived in that house he rented it from Jacob Kinsey. Also note across from warehouse H which is being built there is a Orchard where the 1944 Continental Building U later big Bottling house stands now. At this time the place was 300 acre's Mr Kinsey Lived down near the River. If you walk down through the Game Lands into the woods you can see on each side of the woods are special Trees all placed a certain distance apart this was a carridge Road to Kinsey's home way back if you walked there not knowing you would wonder why in the middle of the woods are trees on each side the same type and in two lines going down through. Also no rail bridge coming in and the road is very small and .the trees are not as big along the river. I am very Happy that Ludy let me copy this to preserve Kinsey's History. Also this picture shows the grain building and if you look close the tank on top of #12 reads Kinsey. You can also see the Boiler room stack the same but larger Boiler room that was there when I worked there. We had our time clock in the Still building out in the front. We would stand there and throw bread to the Fish that were in the mash tanks I have many fond memories of that, the fish were huge. I spent many a day up stairs sweeping I loved walking around exploring the Old Still!

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

=====================================

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Here is a Picture of an old Advertising post card for Kinsey / Angelo Myers Distillery, if you walk in the woods on the left side facing Limerick near the game lands the Old Fence still stands in most places and some of the Hundred year old Boards are still in it!

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

=====================================

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Also if you look at the 1937 Picture of Kinsey the buildings on the right by the river are-from the road back Warehouses E, D,B and A. the Old Kinsey Bottle House beside the Warehouses which was actualy the second one as Ludy told me as Mr Kinsey's great Nephew did that they Bottled at first right in the Kinsey #10 Still Rye building which is just behind the bottle House. And behind Buildiing H going up are warehouses F & G back of it.

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

=====================================

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I remember how very busy we were when I started at Kinsey they were Hiring people every week and the possibilities were amazing then. We had 600 people in the Plant two shifts in the bottle house and day shift in the plant where I worked the yard gang the first two yrs. We spent most days in the summer just caring for the Lawns, trees, and flower beds. Also I would get the job of sweeping up the floors in the buildings not used anymore like the #12 Still which housed our Time clock. Everyone of the old Buildings was kept clean did not matter if it would ever be used Again that was Publickers Policy. It was fasinatiing sweeping in the old Still I always offered to sweep in it, when I would go upstairs I would check out all the old controls. The old Honeywell chart panel with disc's in it from early 1950's marked for the next day to run which never came. I wonder what the last batch of Whiskey was run that day in 1951? Between the Old #10 Still building a barn, warehouse d & e and the old Bottle house is a set of tracks too roll filled whiskey barrels right to the warehouse from filling them in #10. Evertime I go back I see something that brings back great memories for me. Also much sadness seeing it all sitting and rotting. In my mind I can see the Box cars lined up in front of the new Bottle house fall 1966 being loaded with lots of cheer for the Holidays. We would be very busy from Sept till late Dec every year. It is such a shame that such an amazing company no longer exsists. I will always be thankful for my chance to work for Publicker Ind under Mr Neuman he was a great man and the company was an awesome place to work with great Whiskeys and Industrial Products!

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

====================================

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After Much searching I have found a picture of a Gus Niarhos Baseball card when He later Played for the Boston Red Sox. I have one of Gus's cards but can't find it. Gus was a great guy and came to Kinsey every Winter to be a company Man when I worked there and boy did he have the Stories and he could throw a mean dice game! Many fridays a bunch of us would jump in Gus's car and go to Spring City to an Irish bar to get a beer! He would always say to me Zig if Yogie bera is the #1 Catcher and Elston Howard the #2 you can bet you will get splinters in your butt sitting on the bench! Gus Played for The Yankee's & The Boston red Sox. I will always have fond memories of Gus. When he was not playing or Managing Minor League Base Ball he Lived in Phoenixville Pa.

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

======================================

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Here are some pictures from April when I gave my talk about Kinsey Distillery and Publicker Ind.The first picture is me with Al Landis 90 yrs old the great nephew of Jacob G Kinsey, Pic 2 is some of the stuff I took to show. Picture 3 is me and Al Landis holding an original artist's picture of Kinsey. #4 & 5 are of my 1914 distilled 1919 shipped Kinsey rye whiskey wooden Wiskey case with Kinsey on one side and Angelo Myers on the other plus a old tax stamp of some sort. Pic# 6 is me talking and showing an Old Hickory Decanter, and the last picture is me with my bottles. It was alot of fun and they took these pictures and sent them to me and a very nice letter saying the people really enjoyed the history I told them. It is always fun for me to talk about the Distillery and what a great place to work it was those were very good days for me and the other 599 people that worked there! At the end of the night I gave Al Landis a Red Crown Scotch bottle, Kinsey Bottle House did Gin,Scotch,Bourbon,Vodka,Blended Whiskey and Rum for A&P stores under the Label Red Crown Distillers Linfield Pa. Al Landis dumped the first barrel to be dumped at Kinsey Distillery after Prohibition Ended.

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

=====================================

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This picture is one of exactly the type of old Ford Truck we used at the plant back in 1966 to haul barrels from warehouse to warehuse for dumping or racking in another one! 1941 Ford Flat Head V8 4 speeds painted Flat Red! They actualy ran real good but were window less no windshield Wipers and later no doors!

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

===================================

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Here are a few more of my Pictures through the years of The Kinsey Distillery. It is sad to see it like this. When I worked there everything was kept as perfect as possible. Picture #1 is in the old Kinsey Bottle house of the Cathionic & Anitonic Tanks #2 An old Ford Truck with Continental Distilling on the door. #3 The Grain buildings out front 1892. #4 An Old Company Generator that was taken out of storage by a company that said they were going to fix the place a few years ago all they did was steal Metal and leave this out for the Kids to destroy, such a shame it still worked till then!

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

=======================================

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Here are some more of my Pictures of the Kinsey Plannt from years past! Hard to believe it sits like this but we live in a different World! Picture #3 is of the side of the 1966 Bottling house shows how really Large it was, Pic #1&4 are the Kinsey #10 Rye Still Building DSP#10. Pic #2 Looking up throught the warehouses,Pic #5 H building the one on the old picture they were building the last of the old Warehouse type. Pic #7 the second floor of the old Bottle house Pic #6 One of the Explosion proof warehouse,and Pic #8 another shot looking at some of the warehouses!

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's most Magnificent Bourbon

=================================================

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Just a few more shot of the Old Plant I love so much!

1. Warehouse H with water tower in front of it.

2.Back of Building O the Government Building

3. Side shot of Warehouse H built in 1937 it was the last of the early pre Continental Distilling Warehouses and on the 1937 Picture on this web is being built. Note behind it sits the double warehouse of Building G&F you can see the back sticking out on the left side. These warehouses only had one way in and one way out. and to go up you climbed a Wooden Ladder or took the old time frieght Elevator.

4.The Gauges on the old Generater which are noe all broken out by Kids, a very sad thiong that it sat safe for so many years till 2000 when the out fit in there then brought it out to use then let it to be destroyed.

I will continenue to try to get shots of the plant to show how things worked there also of the 14 Explosion proof Warehouses all but one have a letter for a name the very last one going to the Steer Pens id Building #38 Ludt said there was a special reason back then but can't quite remember what it was, although he thinks as has to do with the weigh and store house #38 accross from it.

Dave Z

Old hickory Ameerica's Most Magnificent Bourbon

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Dave, thanks a million for taking the time to share this. I love seeing the old trucks and stuff, it makes me a bit wistful for times past.

Here's to better times, both past and future.

Cheers!

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