Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co.
An Introduction and Index
by Mike Reilly Copyright Publication October, 1999
Copyright Creation 1994 Revised 04/20/2010
Please send any Schlitz Brewing Co. information you have, share it with others
The information you'll find on the following web pages was first put together over five years ago and has never been in print before. That's not entirely true - many of the entries were first printed in newspapers, books, and pamphlets up to over 150 years ago. If you have a question about a Schlitz Breweriana collectible, please see this.
A note about printing these web pages - you are free to print them out and make copies, but you may want to use the "Landscape" option rather than the normal "Portrait" print setting as some of the text and pictures won't entirely fit on the page.
In addition to finding information about the Schlitz Company, there are a lot of interesting items about other Milwaukee breweries, the City of Milwaukee, and the Ühlein/Uihlein/Uehlein family. Information about the Schlitz and Krug families is also being developed. Please note that these articles will be revised from time to time, with additions and corrections - I will change the "Revision Date" as this is done.
Hundreds of hours were spent browsing the main Milwaukee Public Library's Sentinel card files, and then examining the dozens and dozens of microfilm spools. Each of the hundreds of copied sheets were then carefully read, edited, and typed into this chronology of Schlitz company events. Visits to the Milwaukee County Historical Society yielded books, pamphlets, news clippings and City Directories to pour over and copy information from. Of course no research would be complete without visits to the Milwaukee County Court House to get copies of old wills, death notices, and birth certificates.
If any of you have additional historical information you'd like to share with other collectors and historians, please write to me A lot of historical information is missing from approx. 1891 thru 1949. This is because the newspapers from that time period were not cataloged. The WPA [Works Projects Administration], during the Depression Era thru mid-1930's, only got up to 1891 in their cataloging efforts. It would be immensely time consuming to examine every microfilmed Milwaukee newspaper from this time period.
To former Schlitz employees - Please write and tell us what it was like working for the Schlitz Company; how dept/business operations ran; interesting events, etc. Looking for the personal view-point. Relatives - Did you have a husband, wife, son, daughter, brother, sister, grandparents, uncle or aunt who worked for Schlitz? Would you be willing to share information about their working lives with Schlitz? See Schlitz Memories below.
I started a listing of Schlitz, Old Milwaukee, etc. collectors on the internet. Contact me listing your name, email address, and what Schlitz items you have an interest in.
Click here to see information needed Schlitz Breweriana Collector Listing
Index of Articles
Please note this new entry and link to the source book's website:
"1915 - Robert and Erwin Uihlein purchase the schooner Wendameen for about $10,000. For eight years the Uihleins sailed the Great Lakes with family and friends until selling it to a new owner from Chicago on September 16, 1923. Source: "Wendameen: The Life of An American Schooner From 1912 to the Present", by Captain Neal Parker
Schlitz Brewing Company related
Now for your use, the: Blog - Schlitz Beer
DESTINATION: MILWAUKEE - Savoring Schlitz; April 5, 1998; BY DAVE HOEKSTRA STAFF REPORTER - Article about the Brown Bottle restaurant in Milwaukee, plus an interview with Schlitz collector, Leonard Jurgensen.
Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. : A Chronological History; edited and written by Michael R. Reilly; copyright 1995. Articles are mainly text, but pictures of historical note are being added.
History > 1848-1873 History2 > 1873-1881 History3 > 1881-1907 History4 > 1907-1933 History5 > 1933-1969
History6 > 1969-1982 History7 > Post-1982
P.M. Ohmeis & Co. - early Schlitz New York Bottler & Distributor
Refrigerator Cars (Reefers); written by Michael R. Reilly; copyright 1995. - A history of refrigerated boxcars (reefers) with emphasis on the toy train reefers, particularly Schlitz. Photos of old Schlitz reefers added 10/22/99.
Royal Ruby Beer Bottles - A little something about their history.
Schlitz Breweriana Collector Listing - a listing of Schlitz, Old Milwaukee, etc. collectors on the internet. Contact schlitzpro to be added.
Schlitz Collector Questions - a posting of questions sent in by collectors. Maybe you can help them out. See News Flash
Schlitz Waukesha Hotel - opens in the City of Waukesha in the Summer of 1898.
Schlitz Memories - letters from former employees, family and friends.
Schlitz Trademark/Patent Information - Various Schlitz Trademarks
Georg "August" Krug's Last Will & Testament - leaves questions about how the estate was divided up after Anna Maria Krug remarried. Click here to see a comparison of real estate holdings of Krug and 20 years later, that of Schlitz.
The Wills of Joseph and Anna Maria Schlitz - new evidence about the Company, their lives, families, plus lots of unanswered questions.
(Note: We are not affiliated with the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co. or endorsed by them. Any Schlitz trademarks displayed, or brands mentioned are the sole ownership of the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co.)