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The Kinsey Fire Observation Room


dave ziegler

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Well this Saturday I am meeting Butch who worked for Continental Distilling in Phila and our goal is to get him a Continental Distilling 48 gal Whiskey Barrel for him to restore to a table like Fricky did for me and him a few years ago. Also we will explore what is left of the place as it has really fallen into bad times. I can hardly believe how bad it is.

Dave Z

It Seems All The nicest People Drink Old Hickory

America's Most Magnificent bourbon

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  • 1 month later...

Well here we are, it is just 9 days and it will be Christmas 2013, and yet I sure remember the days of old when all the warehouses at Kinsey were filled with lots of Lovely Whiskey just waiting to be bottled! Back then we had the worlds Largest amount of aging Whiskey in the world! It is so sad to walk there now and see Warehouse Q with the Fire Observation tower in ruin. No racks in the building holes in the walls from a set fire years ago and vandeles painting horrible writing on the walls in the tower. I remember sweeping the stairs in the fire tower when I was a kid. All I can think is if only Mr. Neuman had lived I still to this day think the place would still be operating!

Dave Z

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Kinsey The Unhurried Whisky For Unhurried Moments

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Tunnel Tiger The warehouse closest to the road that burned was where I had my first taste of Whiskey! It was Old Kinsey Warehouse E and I had some great Rye Whiskey right from the Barrel! To get to the upper racks you had to climb a wooden ladder nailed to the racks. The building was build around 1900. it is hard to figure after a 100 years that Lightening would hit it. Sadly nothing is forever. Every time I go there now I see more stuff falling apart. Dave Z

Dave I can relate. The first textile mill worked in you could see the moon at night through the cracks in the bricks at night. Now a whole mfg industry has disappeared from us.

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It is so sad to see America and the american way go away! When I was a kid there was always somewhere to get a job! Working at the Kinsey Dsitillery I bought the nicest car I ever owned my 1967 Buick GS 400 Cu in 425 HP. When I go there it breaks my heart! Have a great Christmas Tunneltiger

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Dave - mine was a 1966 Ford Galaixe 7 Liter. 428 cubic in, boy could that baby fly.

Merry Christmas to you Dave!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hey Tuneltiger those Fords were very Fast. I hope your Christmas was great, I did have a good one as went to my Sisters House for Christmas for the first time in 8 yrs. I don't go up in the Fire tower anymore as Vandles have now painted horrible stuff all over the walls inside.

Here are 3 more Pictures

1. The Grain Process Building at Kinsey built 1892

2. The Bigler Street Grain Process plant at Publicker plant in Phila given me by Butch

3. The Time Clock from the 1966 Bottling House at Kinsey safely saved in my Garage.

Through the years i have tried to save as much History of Publicker Industries as I can if I knew how I would write a book about it.

Dave Z

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Join The Swing To Kinsey

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Dave - I always enjoy your posts. I love history and I love whiskey! I live in the past through you!

It would be great if you and Chuck Cowdery or Michael Veach could hook up and put your story down in a book!

Thanks for sharing your memories!

mbroo

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Dave, are you able to tell us about what this device is atop the grain process building in your picture? I haven't seen that before. I suspect it serves the function of a scotch distillery's pagoda for ventilation, only this one looks like it's made out of copper, like a still.

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I think that is what it is, I will have to try and get a close up shot next time I get there with my good camera. Never noticed it before. The grain bin is below it!

From the bin it goes to a chafe removing machine a then to a worm gear to the still which was torn down in 2002.

Dave Z

It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Boubon

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Fangzilla I just found the Pictures from Nov 19, 2011 a Young friend of Mine climbed the side of the building putting his feet in holes in the wall with my Camera. When He got up there He took a picture of where the Stair was to the Copalo on top where that setup is. and then he got this amazing shot inside the grain bin it had been 25 Year since there was heat in the building and the Bin had not been used since spring of 1951! Picture 2 is the Bin and It looks like brand new yet. By now I'm sure water has gotten in but when He was up there the floor was going in front of the stair that went above the bin.

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1 Wall on the way to the stair case to the Copalo at top of Process building

2. Grain Box top and sides looks amazing for being abandoned 25 years and not being used for 60 years! The last Gain in it was spring of 1951! Look at how the wood gleams in the picture.

3. Bin wall floor going bad.

4. Grain from Spring of 1951 still laying on the floor!

5. Foot of stairs going to the top you can just see the stair case to the right

My Friend Rod also climbed on top of a old 1892 grain procees machine and got me the Only late 1890's Crouse Hinds explosion proof Light fixture which I made a lamp of with all the parts from the plant and will post is picture again some day soon.

Without his help on that dangerous floor up there these Pictures could have never been seen. They are the only Known of pictures of the upper floor of the grain Process Building build by Jake Kinsey in 1892!

I met Rod at the Plant and together we explored many things and we both built Lamps from there! Fangzilla

I thought you and everyone else would enjoy these amazing pictures.

Dave Z

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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old hickory

America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

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Edited by dave ziegler
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Dave, regarding the device on the roof, it occurred to me that it can't be copper, or it would have been stolen long ago. Probably made of tin, or similar.

Those pictures are amazing. The wood looks so new, the company must have kept replacing it when it got too old, until they closed down. After all, that was Mr. Neuman's thing, from what you've said. Keeping all the buildings in top shape, even if they weren't used. The grain is a surprise. You wouldn't think it would survive the critters eating it for that long!

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  • 2 weeks later...

It is very sad what has happened to the Kinsey Plant during these last 28 years. I could have never dreamed that it would end like this. The first Time I went back there in 2004 It was surreal to me to walk there and see everything abandoned! I admit I felt like crying! I stood there Listening for the old days when a 1941 Ford flat truck would come roaring up through the plant hauling full whiskey barrels to be dumped. Jono I still can not believe how beautiful that wood looked after 25 yrs

Dave Z

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

It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory

America's Most Magnificent Bourbon.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello Fangzilla once the weather breaks I hope to do a lot of Posting, not being able to post at work makes it harder but I will continue writing about the old days at Kinsey! I am doing ok now that my electric is back, on Wed I had no Power and went to bed with the temp at 48, it was hell for me being 66 yrs old but I got my Power back in 25 Hours so I am very thankful I also had no land Phone which with Asthama is not good. Back now and able to write stuff on the computer again!

I hope to do some more writing here very soon!

Dave

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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory

America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

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  • 1 month later...
Dave - here's hoping you have no more power outages, us old guys need heat.
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Sorry to hear about the continued vandalism, and decline at Kinsey Dave. I know how you feel. It seems that about every other time I visit Kentucky for the Sampler or KBF, I end up driving by the Old Taylor distillery for a look see, and to get some pictures. It's pretty much the same story there. Some vandalism, but mostly the elements are just continuing to wear away at the place. Very sad to see at Kinsey and Taylor, as I'm sure both places were sights to see back in their heyday.

Take care Dave, and be well.

Joe

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  • 1 month later...

Yes Joe the name for it is total decline, the place is at the mercy of the worst kind of people. They are people that History means nothing to, they are takers and they have fun ruining stuff. Also nature works hard on abandoned buildings. I never in my wildest dreams could have ever thought this could happen to the Kinsey plant. When I worked there it was a beacon of Beauty. Flower beds gardens fancy lawns. It breaks my heart to see it like this. I have not been able to write for a bit and can't at work because the computers have some sort of protection againest sites with certain words. To think that grand old Distillery Old Taylor is the same is so sad. It is the story of what is happening to our Country! YOU BE WELL Joe. I am now fighting Swarms of fruit fly's.

Dave Z

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Take The Swing To Kinsey

Edited by dave ziegler
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  • 2 months later...

Yesterday I took a friend to Kinsey to get stuff, I got him a couple of the last good Barrels and an Old wooden box with metal wheels. We walked down to Look at Q Building and its Fire observation room. Vandels have painted horrible stuff everywhere up in the room. The wooden wall the guy who owns it had put instead of a door fell out, fire damage from a fire years ago had the fire company smash a hole in the third floor wall. Water is still laying in there from their hoses many years ago. It sits on the high point of the plant and up there you can see the whole plant. There was a time when Quality control used to put labels on the window sills to see how they held up in the sun. Heat was pumped up from the front boiler room all the way up to the room.

Dave Z

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Kinsey The Unhurried Whisky For Unhurried Moments

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  • 1 month later...

When I was at Kinsey on Sunday I showed some people the Fire tower, it is so sad to see the building Q in such sad shape. And Vandel's have painted everywhere on the building. The wall has a large hole in it from a fire there many years ago, and the building is leaking lots of water! I just have a hard time seeing the place go like this. I think because of what the Person who owns it wants for it will rot for many years to go. To see this Historic Place rot is very hard for me. I just found out my Old Boss from Kinsey Jack Ryser died in Aug He was the last living boss I had there. He was 96 years old!

Time is passing very Quickly and it is hard to believe that I am one of a few former workers there still living! Talked to Ludy yesterday He turned 96 this passed Friday!

Dave Z

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Kinsey The Unhurried Whiskey For Unhurried Moments

Edited by dave ziegler
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First time posting in these threads but the last post made me act. Keep up the good work with your story. Put up as many pics and stories as you can. It is great to see the whiskey world through the eyes of someone that lived it. Hats off to you Dave.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I just got this picture from my Friend Butch who worked at Publicker in Phila.

Times Square 1940's the building the ball drops from and on top is an ad for Kinsey Blended Whiskey. It is the only brand of ours I know of that was on there. Kinsey was very loved in New City back then and after Prohibition ended.

Dave Z

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Kinsey The Unhurried Whisky For Unhurried Moments!

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  • 1 month later...

During the next couple of weeks I hope to post some pictures again here. Not having my Job has really Hit me hard, and I wish I could find a bottle of Old Hickory for the Christmas Holiday but that is Impossible here in Pa with the state store system and I have no money to travel to other states to look. It has been a while since I had good old Old Hickory! Got to do some writing to keep my mind off of trying to find work at my age.

Dave Z

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

It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory

America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

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  • 1 month later...

The Couple of nights this week, there have been People going into Kinsey at night to steal, Police got a couple of them but it is a sad thing seeing this happen to the Old Girl at a time When the Kinsey Whiskey name has been brought back. It is like kicking someone when they are down. For those Who don't Know Milestone Spirits under the Name Liberty Distilling have bought and brought back the Famous Kinsey Name on two Products so far. Kinsey Rye and Kinsey 7 Year straight blend. I am proud to say one of the reasons they thought about getting that name was because of my writings here on SB.

Dave Z

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Join The Swing To Kinsey

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  • 3 weeks later...

Sorry to hear about the thievery Dave but glad to know that Kinsey Rye can now be found again. Cheers!

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