A GUCKENHEIMER & BROS.
Pittsburgh, PA.
1857-1923
explain this range (opens a new window)

Est. 1857.

The history of the Guckenheimers can be found in "The Story of Pittsburgh and Vicinity", published by The Pittsburgh-Gazette Times in 1908. The history probably originates from the company itself and is perpetuated in company literature and advertising.

The company was established in 1857 by Asher Guckenheimer and his half-brother, Samuel Wertheimer. They obtained their liquor from Thomas Bell, of Freeport, whose product was highly regarded from the time he began making it in 1845. They absorbed his entire output and after his death in 1865, they bought the distillery, enlarged it, and improved even Bell's high quality. The distillery produced about 2,000 barrels per year.

The demand for Guckenheimer Rye whiskey ultimately outpaced the capacity of Bell's old plant, so in 1866 they constructed a new and much larger facility (RD #1, 23 rd District of PA) at Freeport, 28 miles above Pittsburgh.

In 1868 the Guckenheimers purchased a distillery in upper Sandusky, Ohio, using it to manufacture a brand of whiskey known as Wyandotte. But the distance from Pittsburgh prevented the Guckenheimers from giving this distillery what they believed to be proper attention, so they severed their connection with that enterprise.

In 1876, A. Guckenheimer & Bros. bought the distillery established by McGonegal, Helmbold & Co. in Buffalo Township, Butler County, PA (RD #8, 23rd District). It operated under the firm name of the Pennsylvania Distilling Company and made the "Montrose" brand.

Guckenheimer's Rye became one of the country's most famous brands, and in 1893 it won top honors at the world Columbian Exposition in Chicago, scoring 99¼ points of a possible 100. That was the year Asher died, leaving the firm in the hands of his son, Isaac, and his two half-nephews, Emanuel and Isaac Wertheimer.

From an ad appearing in 1899:
"Dictionary Pure free from mixture, unadulterated, clear, clean, genuine. In 1828 Webster wrote this definition of pure. Since 1857 it has been a perfect definition of Good Old GUCKENHEIMER Pure Rye. Bottled in Bond. The government guarantees its purity and age. Look for the little green stamp over the cork. If your dealer can't supply you write us for some one who will. A. Guckenheimer & Bros., Distillers, Pittsburg, Since 1857."

In July 1899, the Buffalo twp distillery burned to the ground but was rebuilt. It was again operational as of 1900, with a capacity of 50 barrels per day.

By 1905, the company consisted of Samuel and Isaac Wertheimer, Isaac Guckenheimer, Asher Guckenheimer's son, Morris S. Wertheimer, the son of Samuel Wertheimer, and Leon Wertheimer, Isaac Wertheimer's son. The Pennsylvania Distilling Company was producing about 12,000 barrels of Montrose whiskey annually, while the Freeport distillery was producing 20,000 barrels of pure rye whiskey a year.

Business name timeline:
A Guckenheimer & Bro. (1857), A Guckenheimer & Bros. (1874-1915), A Guckenheimer & Bros. & Co. (1916-1918)

Business category timeline (abbreviations decoded below):
D

Years that company appeared in directories
Years directories were consulted
Pittsburgh directory notes

The images below are thumbnails linked to listing pages containing larger, more detailed images and links to related material.
Click on the thumbnails for more information.

BUY ME! BUY ME! BUY ME! no date no date c. 1907 c. 1907 c. 1911

Appearance in directories:
1874, 1878, 1880, 1889, 1890, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1905, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1911, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918

Directories consulted:
1870, 1871, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1876, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887, 1889, 1890, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918

Pittsburgh directory notes:
V= Wine & Liquor (Wholesale), V-R = Wine & Liquor (Retail), W = Whiskey (Wholesale), L = Liquors (Wholesale) D = Distiller, DA = distiller's agent

Major street name renumbering in 1884 and again 1896, again in 1899 (Ohio Ave). Washington became Warrington in 1910. Just liquor dealer pages until 1899, except in 1874, 1878, 1880. 1875, 1887 are missing. 1877 and 1878 pages are identical, so one is missing. 1886, 1891, is partial listing. 1901 - started showing phone exchanges and numbers for all. 1907. No Distillers, Liquors begins with "Bigley". 1909, 1912, no distillers.

<top of page

---

Copyright © 2002-2024 pre-pro.com. All rights reserved.
Please contact the glassmaster with questions or comments.