You can find editorials pre-WW1 where the description of the German is akin to the kinds of comments that are being made about black and brown people now. Woodrow Wilson didn't think of Germans before WW1 and not much during. There was a lot of this kind of thing. It is too bad that Germans do not remember it.
@@eottoe2001 Interestingly at the start of WW1 there was little animosity towards Germans in the UK. But as the war progressed this changed and German owned shops would be attacked in some areas. Some shops with foreign sounding names had to put up notices stating they were not German.
The greatest historians are great storytellers. You sure are a great storyteller and historian. I've learned more history from you than all my years of public education.
Thx for showcasing a St. Louis treasure. Just a block from Budweiser, the mansion now serves a fantastic Sunday dinner. Also, every Halloween, the mansion hosts a party. You can tour the "haunted caves that once held Americas first lager. There is even a swimming pool fed by a spring down in the cave. You can even spend the night in the mansion if you not afraid of ghosts!
Born and raised in St. Louis. The Lemp Mansion is known for being the most haunted place in town and the beer is still remembered among older St Louisans. While most older St Louisans know of Lemp and Falstaff, most today would be surprised to learn that it was at one time bigger than Anheuser-Busch.
I was in one of the old Lemp shipping buildings this past winter to audition for a band. The building is being sub-let by several different bands from around the St.Louis area. Being that the building is in an industrial area and there are no homes within earshot of the place, it is open for the bands to come in to their rented rooms 24hrs a day to do their practicing. I thought that this was a great use of an old building, plus think of how many neighbors throughout the city are not being kept up at night complaining to the police about the noise. I must admit at this point that the place is a bit creepy. Odd corridors, blocked out windows, that type of thing. What is looks like is that they tried to use it as a self storage place and each customer built their own enclosure. Now each band rents an enclosure, each space is lockable, and the building has security, pretty slick. (No, I didn’t get offered the position.)
The quality of the videos seem to ever improve, but the quality of the stories and the storytelling? You nail it every time, thank you for this interesting piece
In New Orleans, the Falstaff name is far from forgotten. The chimney of the brewery has large neon letters spelling out the name, and also functions as a weather forecast: A weather ball atop the three-sided sign is lit according to the conditions: green for fair weather; red for cloudy or overcast; flashing red for rain; and flashing red and white if storms are on the way. The blinking neon Falstaff letters light up top to bottom if the temperature is dropping, bottom to top if the temperature is climbing. The brewery itself is now apartments, and the chimney is next to I-10 as you enter downtown from the west.
We have the Pearl Brewery out here in San Antonio, TX. You can see the neon sign in the shape of a can with bubbles popping out of it. But now it's an upscale shopping and high-end apartments and lofts.
Your channel has quickly become on of my favorites. St. Louis is my hometown so I know the Lemp story but learned a few new things. I've even had dinner in the mansion. Hopefully they will redevelop the brewery. The Cherokee neighborhood is great.
I just watched one of your videos from awhile back and you had 6400 subs at the time. You're massive rise in popularity is a testament to the quality of your content and your abilities as a storyteller. I couldn't be happier that you're getting the recognition you deserve for the hard work you're putting in. Well done.
Very interesting having grown up in St Louis . My Dad’s (a veteran of WW2 ) beer was Falstaff when i was a kid in the 50s and early 60s. During the war my mother and grandmother moved from the country into St Louis to work. They lived on Cherokee Street. I remember going into the slums not far from there as a kid to visit an aunt who lived in the slums. What a memory. Stepping over drunks passed out in the allies with garbage and trash everywhere, climbing the rickety “wooden” (rot held together by termites holding hands) to her room. But what i remember most is the smell(s). The AB brewery, stock pen and garbage and summer heat combined to produce an indescribable smell that i can smell clearly to this day. I vaguely knew of the Lemp brewery but hadn’t thought about it or our family history in St Louis in years. Thanks for bring me back to my St. Louis roots History Guy. 👍
Baltimore was a major port of entry for German immigrants, due to an arrangement between the shipping lines and the B&O railroad. Many families stepped off of ships and right onto trains headed to the Midwest. My family was one of the ones that stayed in Baltimore. The beer culture was deeply ingrained there and consumption was indeed regarded as "healthy". One of my earliest chilhood memories was sitting on the back porch with "Pop-pop", sharing a taste of his lager after he finished a shift in the shipyard. Different times then!
I'm 60, Italian, and I remember drinking red wine as a child. They would add water when you were little, but even back then discussed the health benefits of red wine. If you had a sore throat, a swallow of whiskey in hot water. Now a days they would call Children's Services! 😂😩
@@moltderenou Not really, youth drinking culture in the US is worse than Europe by most standards, such as how many OD. Having your first drinks with relatively calm boring adults helps teach responsibility Also takes away some of the illicit mystique that can slide pretty quickly into stupidity when drunk and not knowing how to handle it.
My grandpa on mom’s side Gustav Becker was the last employee to close the doors and lock up Falstaff Co. My dad’s people the Neisz’s immigrated from Germany in the 1820s & settle in St Louis. They all worked for Lemp at some point or another. Lemp Brewery/mansion has always been just one of those iconic relics in the make up of St Louis. I love that you covered this History Guy. I know it’s a rough City nowadays but it does have such a rich history that deserves to be remembered.
Thank you. In America's story, there are many triumphs and many tragedies. The Lemp family experienced both, but gave their all to the growth of their industry, St. Louis, and our country.
My great grandfather emigrated from Alsace to south St. Louis in 1872. He was a cooper and had many choices of breweries in south St. Louis to work within walking distance of his uncle’s house in what is now called the Kosciusko neighborhood. He chose Griesdieck Brothers, where Falstaff was eventually brewed, and built a house a couple of blocks away from that brewery. My father was born in an alley house behind that house, and grew up next door in a two family flat. I still use my dad’s Griesdieck bottle opener on beers that I enjoy at home. Thanks for stirring these memories, History Guy! I’ve enjoyed all of your videos, but this one hit so close to home that it is my all time favorite. Thanks again!
My family is South St.Louis "Dutch". I still have family living in the neighborhood. Shoveling hops for my great grandfather.. My grandfather started as an officer boy at The St . Louis Post Dispatch...1903 until1957. .
@@karenglenn2329 Your family is what south St. Louis was built on. It sounds like you take pride in it as you should. I was gobsmacked to find out recently that the house that I live in is only five blocks from 2nd and Victor where my great-grandfather’s first home in the US was. I always knew that I’m about a mile from the first house he built and within walking distance of St. Peter and Paul where he married my great grandmother.
I enjoyed the history of the Lemp family and brewery. I've been to the Lemp Mansion dinner theater, it was a fine night out. My German ancestors came from East Prussia and settled in St.Louis in 1882. They lived near the McKinley bridge on N.Ninth street. They, as an ever expanding family, would picnic at a place in Illinois called the Alpine Club Grounds near Madison. My other German ancestors were Niedringhauses, from Blasheim, Westphalia. As a local truck driver in St.Louis, I was fortunate to have a route near Anheuser Busch, and the Lemp buildings for the last year of my career. Thanks for your informative videos.
My great-grandfather was a partner in a hunting lodge and game preserve that catered to the wealthy brewing families of St. Louis. The advent of Prohibition and the resultant downturn in the fortunes of his clientele ruined his business. He, too, sold out for pennies on the dollar and moved to Texas where he started one of the first Ford dealerships in the state.
Enjoyed this video. I hated history in high school and as a university freshman. As a university senior, I took several upper level history courses and had an attitude adjustment. Thank you, again.
I have been to the Lemp Mansion dinner theater and to buildings formerly part of the Lemp brewery. I was a pick up and delivery driver for Roadway Exp. and frequently made stops servicing small businesses that rented sections of the brewery. I always felt a bit of nostalgia for the history of these old buildings all over St.Louis.
Another great episode. As a former St Louis resident who has attended dinner plays at the mansion I thought I knew much of the Lemp brewery’s history. But of course THG always has more to teach us, and leave us better for it. Many thanks.
As a "Missour-ah" gal living far from home, I exceptionally enjoyed this bit of St. Louis history. BTW, the pronunciation is "Os-we-go" or also "Os-way-go." I grew up west of the river in St. Charles, MO. There is a ton of fascinating history that would make for terrific episodes...the old factory that made medical cars for trains in WWI, the Daniel and Rebecca Boone home, the Lewis and Clark expedition, and that St. Charles was the first capital of MO just to name a few.
How did I miss this one?! Yet another video that touches home. I never new the story of the Lemp family and brewery. Just saw what remained of it when growing up. Thank you for sharing a little bit of forgotten history.
1st time anyone revealed the ties between prohibition and bigotry, at least in that part of our Country. Once again the History Guy brings to light important history that deserves to be remembered. Thx H.G. 👍🏻✌🏻🇺🇸
Amazing story, damn sad too. I learned a number of things, Pabst and Falstaff bring back find memories, not because I drank much beer, but because I remember the commercials. (What'll you have? Pabst Blue Ribbon, Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer!) German triangle... Beer capital Milwaukee, Busch in St.Louis. All tied up in a neat package for me now. And finally, I had never given any thought to the alcohol industry during prohibition. Thanks History Guy!
Very powerful way to wrap it up. Excellent job. When you mentioned that breweries were the 6th largest industry when prohibition happened, it made me wonder if that had created the air that became the bubble in our economy that popped in 1929.
I lived at Cherokee and Missouri Ave's......You could feel the spirits at work there and under ground lived there till 1979 prior to this..... in 1965......My dad was invited for a helicopter ride......It landed in front of the Lemp Mansion......the trees were not there yet.......got to ride around with dad to see the construction of the ARCH! My dad a WW2 vet deserves to be remembered! Pacific theater Was hard as nails wounded seven times put up for CMH......but never recieved!
OMG Falstaff yea i remember as young boy getting drunk on it cause it was the cheapest around!! but a good tasting beer i thought, & yes i remember that it was there one day then gone the next ?? that was in the early 70s i had no idea it had such a sad history!! definitely history that needs to be remembered!!!
What about Schaeffer's or Prior? Prior was "liquid luxury" before I was born. Did The Schaefers or The Priors die by their own hands? What if all American beer moguls have ruined their legacies with suicides? Is it a pattern to look into?
This was fascinating and informative as always, but when you said that the old brewery was now a restaurant and inn, that kind of tickled my memory... one of our best friend's family owns and operates a fine dining restaurant in an historic old warehouse in St. Louis that is supposedly haunted and I was almost sure that they are one and the same. So I asked our friend if _she_ in fact is a descendant of the Lemps, because that would be such a great coincidence. But no, she said: her grandparents purchased the mansion from the Lemp estate in 1975, and have been operating it as a restaurant, B&B, and event center ever since. She herself started working there and is now a server and bartender up here in Champaign. Now that I've seen your storied (and tragic) history of the Lemp family, the Lemp Mansion will hold even more meaning for me. Thank you again!
over 30 years ago i worked as a federal guard aboard the naval hospital complex in portsmouth, va. during a ripout/rehab effort, a worker found a six-pack of falstaff beer hidden in a false ceiling. memories of pbr, falstaff, and hamm's (remember the waterfall and the bear?) came rushing back. we have lost so much history in this nation. thanks for this video!
Hey History Guy, I recently traveled through Manitou Springs Colorado , and discovered a wonderful gem. A castle, built by a French Priest. I think it has a history that deserves to be remembered. 👍🤓
Prohibition: worst idea, ever, although it did provide a job for my uncle. He drove for Al Capone. Alas, his tenure was fleeting. As my Dad explained, "Johnny drove a truck for Al Capone for about six months until he got the [crap] scared out of him!"
I can not describe how much I love this channel. Every video is an interesting topic and the History Guy keeps important history alive for anyone to view and learn. I also have a degree in history and would like to thank you, History Guy, for your important work
I'll drink to this! Barkeep, another pint, will ya!? Aah! Just noted your subscription level - GO History Guy! You're catching on. I've hipped my family members and friends to your channel and they all have expressed their appreciation for your content and presentation style. Bravo!
Uhhhh, except they didn't gain it too quickly. It failed due to the stupidity, sloth and greed of the male heirs who were not capable of working hard, or intelligently. Prohibition was also devastating. Suicides were pretty hard on the family too.
A friend of German descent whose family was from the Kentucky side said his grandfather told him Germans settled there because the Ohio in that spot looked just like some beloved valley on the Rhine.
I didnt knew so many germans did back then come to the usa until now. I wish there was more german groceries here 🙂 🇩🇪 i am from germany Frankfurt 😊 who also moved here 😂
Thank you for this interesting history and something close to home! Attended a dinner at the Lemp House 7-10 years ago and did know any of this history. Another great job!
Wow, great you're finding all this obscure history, that so deserves to be brought to light. Hollywood movies are just so boring, repetitive, and dying, and sites like yours are just making true story-telling pure awesome and exciting! Thank you!
Excellent episode!!! Back in thelate 80's/early 1990's in high school I loved the haunted houses put on at the Lemp factories. The tunnels underneath were very interesting. I live in southern Illinois, but go by there often while visiting family. Again, great episode! Thanks
I used to have band practice in the old Lemp brewery. It was such a pain to find parking in October when all the Halloweeners would clog up the streets.
Thank you THG. Some of your stories of war and heroism have left me feeling overwhelmed and on occasion, even in tears. Strangely, this one left me very pensive. And reflective. Being from the Midwest originally, I am glad I did visit St. Louis once- for a long weekend; and although I do not imbibe, I greatly enjoyed the culture of the city. More so because my date did! Thus was learned the aphrodisiac effect of alcohol . Like your hat collection. Keep up the good work Lance, and God bless you.
Awesome HG! I’ve heard the paranormal end of this story but this was a most excellent historical look at the Lemp family. Thanks again and keep them coming!
I never knew this story, though I've heard of Falstaff Beer. You neatly summarized at the closing what I feel when I see these great hulks around the country, dotting our industrial landscape. Namely, here was once a powerhouse of sheer optimism and pride. That they are now shadows and echos should speak to us. What happened? Where did it go wrong? What became of the people? There are lessons to learn from such unplanned monuments.
Thank you for bring to light a new cause of the prohibition era, the "public" drunkenness of the beer gardens from the new German immigrants and their culture of beer drinking.
We have the Pearl Brewery out here in San Antonio, TX. You can see the neon sign in the shape of a can with bubbles popping out of it. But now it's an upscale shopping and high-end apartments and lofts.
I walk by the old Olympia brewery everyday and find it haunting. This is a story that repeated in many places. I would love to see a History-guy piece on Olympia.
The biergarten model is still pervasive in St. Louis today - particularly in Soulard (German built - French name) which surrounds the AB brewery just south of downtown. Most of the drinking establishments there are occupied by gardens which host more space than the attached buildings. I recommend 'The Venice Cafe' if you ever visit.
mgabrysSF great recommendation! The Venice Cafe is on Pestalozzi St., the address of the Anhueser Busch brewery. While we call the outside areas behind bars “beer gardens”, the only similarity to the German beer gardens in STL of the 19th century was that they were both outside. The beer gardens were massive expanses of gravel under groves of mature trees...more like parks. The beer garden for the Czech turnverein in Soulard was two square city blocks! The beer garden at Urich’s cave at Jefferson and Washington was even bigger. Schnaider’s beer garden at Chouteau and 21st St was unsurpassed in the city. They had a symphony orchestra as well as the German brass bands playing polkas. www.distilledhistory.com/schnaidersbeergarden/ BTW: Soulard south of Ann was German built, but north of Ann is the last remnant of Frenchtown and quite a few of the older buildings were most definitely French or Czech built.
Thank you for the interesting story. My son lives in the St. Louis area. Back in the 1980's during Haloween, the Lemp brewery was opened for a haunted house tour. I still remember going through the theater. It had skeletons and other deceased people in the seats. Suddenly, one of them got up and walked out! I'll never forget that total surprise.
THG Reminds us that History Deserves To Be Remembered and that other famous saying, " Oh what a tangled web we weave when we seek to deceive!" Hidden in prohibition lies many tales yet to be told. Great episode once again. 🍺 the brew that moved the economy...so to speak.
What a powerful story, the name Lemp caught my eye even before I saw it was a HG program. While I knew the name and the beer, I had no notion of the complexity of this history. Thank you.
America is still about one fifth ethnically German. The anti-German cultural purge around and after WW1 is, itself, and history (and injustice) that "deserves to be remembered." Thank you, and I hope you have more to say in the future on related topics.
Sad how there's only a footnote to this History, in general knowledge. And it would be the silly use of " Liberty Lettuce", to replace the name Sauerkraut.
@@RoaroftheTiger Yes, indeed. Also, I think it was actually "Liberty Cabbage" as that is literally what "kraut" is in translation. Also, Liberty Pups = Dachshund. But, "Hot Dog" instead of "Wurst" did stick around better.
My great grandparents were German immigrants. They were told their children could not speak German in school and if they did they would be sent home until they could speak proper English. Just imagine something like that happening now
Yea right exactly i remember drinking it in the early 70s & i remember cause they use to have a little riddle under each bottle cap!! Does anyone else remember this???
@@robinrodriguez480 I remember hearing a beer company did have something under their caps but I didn't know it was Falstaff and I didn't know it was a riddle. Thanks for the nugget of information.
Some years ago Fosters was being brewed in the UK under licence. Then they bought out the UK brewery only for them in turn to be bought out by another British brewery. And you thought it would just be the beer that made your head spin. 😄👍
@@matthewwilson3202 But Foster's "Export" isn't, it is actually quite good, and a decent alternative to "full strength" (5%-5.2%) Heineken, Stella, and Grolsh, not the watered-down (3.5%) brewed-in-the-UK versions.
Thank you for sharing this story, I highly recommend touring the mansion or even spending the night. I have stayed at the mansion, there were some unexplained noises and bumps in the night.
Thank you so much for this piece! I live in St. Louis (in the county, about 10 minutes from downtown) and am somewhat of a St. Louis history enthusiast. Used to drive by the site of the old Lemp brewery in the Cherokee neighborhood every day; up til now I was only vaguely aware of that family’s history. Funny how you can be so close to a notable piece of history and not even think about it. So Lemp related tours is definitely on my list of local sightseeing places, now. Thanks again!
Another excellent installment, sir. I have a e-book I read on my Kindle that was a bio of the Busch family and it was ccx a fascinating read, albeit quite long, starting with Adolphus Sr and running through to Adolphus V and the sale to InBev 15 years or so ago. I don't recall any mention of the Lemp brewery in it, sadly. It's still very cool to hear about the German Wave and that my own family tree was a part of that as well. Your presentation is always well done, with very few wasted words and a consistent flow. Keep up the good work, sir. Thank you.
I never realized that prohibition had ties to anti-German sentiments. Thanks HG for this nugget of knowledge.
You can find editorials pre-WW1 where the description of the German is akin to the kinds of comments that are being made about black and brown people now. Woodrow Wilson didn't think of Germans before WW1 and not much during. There was a lot of this kind of thing. It is too bad that Germans do not remember it.
@@eottoe2001 Interestingly at the start of WW1 there was little animosity towards Germans in the UK. But as the war progressed this changed and German owned shops would be attacked in some areas. Some shops with foreign sounding names had to put up notices stating they were not German.
Anti-German sentiment and the KKK were big reasons for prohibition. You could say the KKK helped start the American Mafia by outlawing booze.
@@dheujsnrhfydhehehshshhdggsd ok there big brain man
@@dheujsnrhfydhehehshshhdggsd it's still based in fear of the "other" just like today, it's a lot more complicated than bleating "liberal"
The greatest historians are great storytellers. You sure are a great storyteller and historian. I've learned more history from you than all my years of public education.
Thx for showcasing a St. Louis treasure. Just a block from Budweiser, the mansion now serves a fantastic Sunday dinner. Also, every Halloween, the mansion hosts a party. You can tour the "haunted caves that once held Americas first lager. There is even a swimming pool fed by a spring down in the cave. You can even spend the night in the mansion if you not afraid of ghosts!
Well he's from the area (Metro East) so he does a lot of StL/SoIL stories.
@@dunzerkug But, it is interesting for the rest of us!
A ghost thst brews beer makes only my liver quiver but not in fear.
i went to the thing they do for halloween it was awesome
Born and raised in St. Louis. The Lemp Mansion is known for being the most haunted place in town and the beer is still remembered among older St Louisans. While most older St Louisans know of Lemp and Falstaff, most today would be surprised to learn that it was at one time bigger than Anheuser-Busch.
I lived in St Louis for 13 years and always wondered about the Lemp story. Thanks for bringing it to light.
Thank you for sharing the story of one of the most amazing families in St Louis. The mansion is still one of the most haunted places in St Louis.
I was in one of the old Lemp shipping buildings this past winter to audition for a band. The building is being sub-let by several different bands from around the St.Louis area. Being that the building is in an industrial area and there are no homes within earshot of the place, it is open for the bands to come in to their rented rooms 24hrs a day to do their practicing. I thought that this was a great use of an old building, plus think of how many neighbors throughout the city are not being kept up at night complaining to the police about the noise. I must admit at this point that the place is a bit creepy. Odd corridors, blocked out windows, that type of thing. What is looks like is that they tried to use it as a self storage place and each customer built their own enclosure. Now each band rents an enclosure, each space is lockable, and the building has security, pretty slick. (No, I didn’t get offered the position.)
The quality of the videos seem to ever improve, but the quality of the stories and the storytelling? You nail it every time, thank you for this interesting piece
In New Orleans, the Falstaff name is far from forgotten. The chimney of the brewery has large neon letters spelling out the name, and also functions as a weather forecast:
A weather ball atop the three-sided sign is lit according to the conditions: green for fair weather; red for cloudy or overcast; flashing red for rain; and flashing red and white if storms are on the way. The blinking neon Falstaff letters light up top to bottom if the temperature is dropping, bottom to top if the temperature is climbing.
The brewery itself is now apartments, and the chimney is next to I-10 as you enter downtown from the west.
We have the Pearl Brewery out here in San Antonio, TX. You can see the neon sign in the shape of a can with bubbles popping out of it. But now it's an upscale shopping and high-end apartments and lofts.
@@crimineyjenkins1 go by m cxzss, sadder to e Rd e re fd xx s
in the uk years ago , falstaff was the generic name for a strong dark beer , brewed especially for the winter months cheers
Once upon a time, I used to drink a little Falstaff.
Your channel has quickly become on of my favorites. St. Louis is my hometown so I know the Lemp story but learned a few new things. I've even had dinner in the mansion. Hopefully they will redevelop the brewery. The Cherokee neighborhood is great.
I finally found out why my German ancestors moved here during the 1830s. Very interesting thanks!
Ditto here too. Grandma's family was from Baden-Baden, Gee.
Exactly! Mine came to Nebraska, but I never knew why.
Same here. My family settled in Southern Illinois...90+ miles south from St. Louis.
Did u learn the language ? Deutsch just curious since your technically German 😊
My husband's family first came to the US in 1838. He moved to St. Louis, and later central MO. Most of the family still live in the area
Driving along I-55 and seeing those Lemp brewery buildings rear-up around the bend is something awesome! Thanks, THG
St .Louis native here. Ty for the overview.
I just watched one of your videos from awhile back and you had 6400 subs at the time. You're massive rise in popularity is a testament to the quality of your content and your abilities as a storyteller. I couldn't be happier that you're getting the recognition you deserve for the hard work you're putting in. Well done.
Reading this 3 years later and he has 1.25 million. What did he have when you commented?
Very interesting having grown up in St Louis . My Dad’s (a veteran of WW2 ) beer was Falstaff when i was a kid in the 50s and early 60s. During the war my mother and grandmother moved from the country into St Louis to work. They lived on Cherokee Street. I remember going into the slums not far from there as a kid to visit an aunt who lived in the slums. What a memory. Stepping over drunks passed out in the allies with garbage and trash everywhere, climbing the rickety “wooden” (rot held together by termites holding hands) to her room. But what i remember most is the smell(s). The AB brewery, stock pen and garbage and summer heat combined to produce an indescribable smell that i can smell clearly to this day. I vaguely knew of the Lemp brewery but hadn’t thought about it or our family history in St Louis in years. Thanks for bring me back to my St. Louis roots History Guy. 👍
Baltimore was a major port of entry for German immigrants, due to an arrangement between the shipping lines and the B&O railroad. Many families stepped off of ships and right onto trains headed to the Midwest. My family was one of the ones that stayed in Baltimore. The beer culture was deeply ingrained there and consumption was indeed regarded as "healthy". One of my earliest chilhood memories was sitting on the back porch with "Pop-pop", sharing a taste of his lager after he finished a shift in the shipyard. Different times then!
I'm 60, Italian, and I remember drinking red wine as a child. They would add water when you were little, but even back then discussed the health benefits of red wine. If you had a sore throat, a swallow of whiskey in hot water. Now a days they would call Children's Services! 😂😩
Haha. Yeah today's children spoiled lazy brats.
@@rzella8022 - But sober ones !
@@moltderenou Not really, youth drinking culture in the US is worse than Europe by most standards, such as how many OD. Having your first drinks with relatively calm boring adults helps teach responsibility Also takes away some of the illicit mystique that can slide pretty quickly into stupidity when drunk and not knowing how to handle it.
@@scottabc72 I could not agree more.
Thanks for all the Midwest coverage.
My grandpa on mom’s side Gustav Becker was the last employee to close the doors and lock up Falstaff Co. My dad’s people the Neisz’s immigrated from Germany in the 1820s & settle in St Louis. They all worked for Lemp at some point or another. Lemp Brewery/mansion has always been just one of those iconic relics in the make up of St Louis. I love that you covered this History Guy. I know it’s a rough City nowadays but it does have such a rich history that deserves to be remembered.
Thank you. In America's story, there are many triumphs and many tragedies. The Lemp family experienced both, but gave their all to the growth of their industry, St. Louis, and our country.
My great grandfather emigrated from Alsace to south St. Louis in 1872. He was a cooper and had many choices of breweries in south St. Louis to work within walking distance of his uncle’s house in what is now called the Kosciusko neighborhood. He chose Griesdieck Brothers, where Falstaff was eventually brewed, and built a house a couple of blocks away from that brewery. My father was born in an alley house behind that house, and grew up next door in a two family flat. I still use my dad’s Griesdieck bottle opener on beers that I enjoy at home.
Thanks for stirring these memories, History Guy! I’ve enjoyed all of your videos, but this one hit so close to home that it is my all time favorite. Thanks again!
My family is South St.Louis "Dutch". I still have family living in the neighborhood. Shoveling hops for my great grandfather..
My grandfather started as an officer boy at The St . Louis Post Dispatch...1903 until1957. .
@@karenglenn2329 Your family is what south St. Louis was built on. It sounds like you take pride in it as you should.
I was gobsmacked to find out recently that the house that I live in is only five blocks from 2nd and Victor where my great-grandfather’s first home in the US was. I always knew that I’m about a mile from the first house he built and within walking distance of St. Peter and Paul where he married my great grandmother.
My son and I love your videos. We love history!
I enjoyed the history of the Lemp family and brewery. I've been to the Lemp Mansion dinner theater, it was a fine night out. My German ancestors came from East Prussia and settled in St.Louis in 1882. They lived near the McKinley bridge on N.Ninth street. They, as an ever expanding family, would picnic at a place in Illinois called the Alpine Club Grounds near Madison. My other German ancestors were Niedringhauses, from Blasheim, Westphalia. As a local truck driver in St.Louis, I was fortunate to have a route near Anheuser Busch, and the Lemp buildings for the last year of my career. Thanks for your informative videos.
Growing up in St. Louis. I love the brewing history.
As a saint Louis resident, I loved this episode!
Prost! from California
🍻
I'd LOVE to see you do full length documentaries!!! Thanks for all your time and efforts! Its greatly appreciated
My great-grandfather was a partner in a hunting lodge and game preserve that catered to the wealthy brewing families of St. Louis. The advent of Prohibition and the resultant downturn in the fortunes of his clientele ruined his business. He, too, sold out for pennies on the dollar and moved to Texas where he started one of the first Ford dealerships in the state.
My band played a show in the old Lemp brewery. Very cool and massive structure! Tons of fascinating history in St. Louis!
Enjoyed this video. I hated history in high school and as a university freshman.
As a university senior, I took several upper level history courses and had an attitude adjustment.
Thank you, again.
I have been to the Lemp Mansion dinner theater and to buildings formerly part of the Lemp brewery. I was a pick up and delivery driver for Roadway Exp. and frequently made stops servicing small businesses that rented sections of the brewery. I always felt a bit of nostalgia for the history of these old buildings all over St.Louis.
Another great episode. As a former St Louis resident who has attended dinner plays at the mansion I thought I knew much of the Lemp brewery’s history. But of course THG always has more to teach us, and leave us better for it. Many thanks.
As a "Missour-ah" gal living far from home, I exceptionally enjoyed this bit of St. Louis history. BTW, the pronunciation is "Os-we-go" or also "Os-way-go."
I grew up west of the river in St. Charles, MO. There is a ton of fascinating history that would make for terrific episodes...the old factory that made medical cars for trains in WWI, the Daniel and Rebecca Boone home, the Lewis and Clark expedition, and that St. Charles was the first capital of MO just to name a few.
"We've got a little thing in this territory called a Muzurrah boat ride."
How did I miss this one?! Yet another video that touches home. I never new the story of the Lemp family and brewery. Just saw what remained of it when growing up. Thank you for sharing a little bit of forgotten history.
I listen to these on my walk during work. It's the highlight of my work day. :)
I absolutely love your stories of St. Louis! Thank you!
My great grandfather worked in the Anheuser Busch brewery in St. Louis. He came to America around 1900 from Southern Germany.
One the best episodes THG has done.
Excellent video..I've driven by the old Lemp Brewery hundreds off times..the history of the Germans in my state is fascinating..
1st time anyone revealed the ties between prohibition and bigotry, at least in that part of our Country. Once again the History Guy brings to light important history that deserves to be remembered. Thx H.G. 👍🏻✌🏻🇺🇸
Amazing story, damn sad too. I learned a number of things, Pabst and Falstaff bring back find memories, not because I drank much beer, but because I remember the commercials. (What'll you have? Pabst Blue Ribbon, Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer!) German triangle... Beer capital Milwaukee, Busch in St.Louis. All tied up in a neat package for me now. And finally, I had never given any thought to the alcohol industry during prohibition.
Thanks History Guy!
As a kid, I watched a WWII movie that was essentially one long PBR product placement... thousands of cans found in the ocean, by the Navy IIRC.
Very powerful way to wrap it up. Excellent job. When you mentioned that breweries were the 6th largest industry when prohibition happened, it made me wonder if that had created the air that became the bubble in our economy that popped in 1929.
If I am not mistaken, this one affected you a little. You really can tell you are passionate about history amd that's why I watch.
I lived at Cherokee and Missouri Ave's......You could feel the spirits at work there and under ground lived there till 1979 prior to this..... in 1965......My dad was invited for a helicopter ride......It landed in front of the Lemp Mansion......the trees were not there yet.......got to ride around with dad to see the construction of the ARCH! My dad a WW2 vet deserves to be remembered! Pacific theater Was hard as nails wounded seven times put up for CMH......but never recieved!
OMG Falstaff yea i remember as young boy getting drunk on it cause it was the cheapest around!! but a good tasting beer i thought, & yes i remember that it was there one day then gone the next ?? that was in the early 70s i had no idea it had such a sad history!! definitely history that needs to be remembered!!!
Robin Rodriguez no your memory is nostalgia on taste, it was cheap and did the job!!! Hahahahaha Pabst shulitz, Miller, just to name a few!!!
@@millardwashington6216 - haha. 😄 oh yea those were great times!!
What about Schaeffer's or Prior? Prior was "liquid luxury" before I was born. Did The Schaefers or The Priors die by their own hands?
What if all American beer moguls have ruined their legacies with suicides? Is it a pattern to look into?
This was fascinating and informative as always, but when you said that the old brewery was now a restaurant and inn, that kind of tickled my memory... one of our best friend's family owns and operates a fine dining restaurant in an historic old warehouse in St. Louis that is supposedly haunted and I was almost sure that they are one and the same.
So I asked our friend if _she_ in fact is a descendant of the Lemps, because that would be such a great coincidence. But no, she said: her grandparents purchased the mansion from the Lemp estate in 1975, and have been operating it as a restaurant, B&B, and event center ever since. She herself started working there and is now a server and bartender up here in Champaign.
Now that I've seen your storied (and tragic) history of the Lemp family, the Lemp Mansion will hold even more meaning for me. Thank you again!
over 30 years ago i worked as a federal guard aboard the naval hospital complex in portsmouth, va. during a ripout/rehab effort, a worker found a six-pack of falstaff beer hidden in a false ceiling. memories of pbr, falstaff, and hamm's (remember the waterfall and the bear?) came rushing back. we have lost so much history in this nation. thanks for this video!
Another great story! I am addicted to this channel!
A sad story, well told. Thank you for all you do. I try to learn something new every day & you often make that goal easier.
Interesting I metal detect and in my local small town in western MO I have found Lemp lead bale seals
Hey History Guy, I recently traveled through Manitou Springs Colorado , and discovered a wonderful gem. A castle, built by a French Priest. I think it has a history that deserves to be remembered. 👍🤓
Prohibition: worst idea, ever, although it did provide a job for my uncle. He drove for Al Capone.
Alas, his tenure was fleeting. As my Dad explained, "Johnny drove a truck for Al Capone for about six months until he got the [crap] scared out of him!"
my grandfather made moonshine.
At least he survived. ;)
this was my neighborhood as a child...walked by these buildings a thousand times
I can not describe how much I love this channel. Every video is an interesting topic and the History Guy keeps important history alive for anyone to view and learn. I also have a degree in history and would like to thank you, History Guy, for your important work
I'll drink to this! Barkeep, another pint, will ya!? Aah! Just noted your subscription level - GO History Guy! You're catching on. I've hipped my family members and friends to your channel and they all have expressed their appreciation for your content and presentation style. Bravo!
Love you History Guy.
Thank you. I never knew about this. It does deserve to be remembered.
Loved this vignette, definitely a history that should be remembered!
Thanks for including history of the Midwest. All your stories are interesting and well done.
What a wonderful tale I had never heard of this particular brewery.
Such a sad story. It seems many who achieve great wealth and position too quickly, also fall greatly.
Uhhhh, except they didn't gain it too quickly. It failed due to the stupidity, sloth and greed of the male heirs who were not capable of working hard, or intelligently. Prohibition was also devastating. Suicides were pretty hard on the family too.
First time I heard of the German Triangle. Proud that my hometown, Cincinnati, was a part of it!
Though I'm not German, I like beer!
😁😋🍺
A friend of German descent whose family was from the Kentucky side said his grandfather told him Germans settled there because the Ohio in that spot looked just like some beloved valley on the Rhine.
I didnt knew so many germans did back then come to the usa until now. I wish there was more german groceries here 🙂 🇩🇪 i am from germany Frankfurt 😊 who also moved here 😂
This episode is arguably the best work you have done yet. Thank you.
Another solid example of research and storytelling.
Memories of home. Thank you.
Thank you for this interesting history and something close to home! Attended a dinner at the Lemp House 7-10 years ago and did know any of this history. Another great job!
Wow, great you're finding all this obscure history, that so deserves to be brought to light. Hollywood movies are just so boring, repetitive, and dying, and sites like yours are just making true story-telling pure awesome and exciting! Thank you!
Thank you for covering interesting historical events, some of these I never knew existed.
Always enjoy The History Guy! Keep on educating us my friend!
Excellent episode!!! Back in thelate 80's/early 1990's in high school I loved the haunted houses put on at the Lemp factories. The tunnels underneath were very interesting. I live in southern Illinois, but go by there often while visiting family. Again, great episode! Thanks
I used to have band practice in the old Lemp brewery. It was such a pain to find parking in October when all the Halloweeners would clog up the streets.
Beer and bread, from Sumer, the Indus, Egypt, Nubia, all kinds and styles of civilizations gathered and enjoyed the brewers art.
Another home run! Awesome story HG!
Thank you THG. Some of your stories of war and heroism have left me feeling overwhelmed and on occasion, even in tears. Strangely, this one left me very pensive. And reflective. Being from the Midwest originally, I am glad I did visit St. Louis once- for a long weekend; and although I do not imbibe, I greatly enjoyed the culture of the city. More so because my date did! Thus was learned the aphrodisiac effect of alcohol . Like your hat collection. Keep up the good work Lance, and God bless you.
Awesome HG! I’ve heard the paranormal end of this story but this was a most excellent historical look at the Lemp family. Thanks again and keep them coming!
I never knew this story, though I've heard of Falstaff Beer. You neatly summarized at the closing what I feel when I see these great hulks around the country, dotting our industrial landscape. Namely, here was once a powerhouse of sheer optimism and pride. That they are now shadows and echos should speak to us. What happened? Where did it go wrong? What became of the people? There are lessons to learn from such unplanned monuments.
Our leaders encouraged the industries to move to foreign lands. The State Department even used our tax money to help the companies move.
Great! I grew up in the area and didn't know that! My 5th grade class took a tour the AB brewery/Not likely to be done these days.Thank You
Marvelous piece. Very well done as always.
One of your top 10 videos, HG!
Thanks for the history of the Lemp family and their brewery.
Thank you for bring to light a new cause of the prohibition era, the "public" drunkenness of the beer gardens from the new German immigrants and their culture of beer drinking.
We have the Pearl Brewery out here in San Antonio, TX. You can see the neon sign in the shape of a can with bubbles popping out of it. But now it's an upscale shopping and high-end apartments and lofts.
I walk by the old Olympia brewery everyday and find it haunting. This is a story that repeated in many places. I would love to see a History-guy piece on Olympia.
Olympia noe isn't that from Washington state?? & a very good beer still i think??
@@robinrodriguez480 Yep, "It's the water" was the tagline.
The biergarten model is still pervasive in St. Louis today - particularly in Soulard (German built - French name) which surrounds the AB brewery just south of downtown. Most of the drinking establishments there are occupied by gardens which host more space than the attached buildings. I recommend 'The Venice Cafe' if you ever visit.
mgabrysSF great recommendation! The Venice Cafe is on Pestalozzi St., the address of the Anhueser Busch brewery. While we call the outside areas behind bars “beer gardens”, the only similarity to the German beer gardens in STL of the 19th century was that they were both outside. The beer gardens were massive expanses of gravel under groves of mature trees...more like parks. The beer garden for the Czech turnverein in Soulard was two square city blocks! The beer garden at Urich’s cave at Jefferson and Washington was even bigger. Schnaider’s beer garden at Chouteau and 21st St was unsurpassed in the city. They had a symphony orchestra as well as the German brass bands playing polkas.
www.distilledhistory.com/schnaidersbeergarden/
BTW: Soulard south of Ann was German built, but north of Ann is the last remnant of Frenchtown and quite a few of the older buildings were most definitely French or Czech built.
A haunting piece of history.
Learned something again today, thank you.
Navy vet, huh? What rate were you?
E-8
Thank you for the interesting story. My son lives in the St. Louis area. Back in the 1980's during Haloween, the Lemp brewery was opened for a haunted house tour.
I still remember going through the theater. It had skeletons and other deceased people in the seats.
Suddenly, one of them got up and walked out!
I'll never forget that total surprise.
THG Reminds us that History Deserves To Be Remembered and that other famous saying, " Oh what a tangled web we weave when we seek to deceive!" Hidden in prohibition lies many tales yet to be told. Great episode once again. 🍺 the brew that moved the economy...so to speak.
What a powerful story, the name Lemp caught my eye even before I saw it was a HG program. While I knew the name and the beer, I had no notion of the complexity of this history. Thank you.
What a great story... It is definitely "one to be remembered"!
America is still about one fifth ethnically German. The anti-German cultural purge around and after WW1 is, itself, and history (and injustice) that "deserves to be remembered." Thank you, and I hope you have more to say in the future on related topics.
Sad how there's only a footnote to this History, in general knowledge. And it would be the silly use of " Liberty Lettuce", to replace the name Sauerkraut.
@@RoaroftheTiger Yes, indeed. Also, I think it was actually "Liberty Cabbage" as that is literally what "kraut" is in translation. Also, Liberty Pups = Dachshund. But, "Hot Dog" instead of "Wurst" did stick around better.
My great grandparents were German immigrants. They were told their children could not speak German in school and if they did they would be sent home until they could speak proper English. Just imagine something like that happening now
A great lesson on a part of American culture.
Thank you for giving me another destination the next time I'm in st. Louis.
I remember Falstaff beer. It was very popular in the 1960s. I haven’t seen any Falstaff for decades.
Yea right exactly i remember drinking it in the early 70s & i remember cause they use to have a little riddle under each bottle cap!! Does anyone else remember this???
@@robinrodriguez480 I remember hearing a beer company did have something under their caps but I didn't know it was Falstaff and I didn't know it was a riddle. Thanks for the nugget of information.
THG, for your interest "fosters" were 2 brothers from the USA who migrated to Australia in the 19th century and started a brewery.....
Some years ago Fosters was being brewed in the UK under licence. Then they bought out the UK brewery only for them in turn to be bought out by another British brewery. And you thought it would just be the beer that made your head spin. 😄👍
Fosters is fizzy piss
@@matthewwilson3202 But Foster's "Export" isn't, it is actually quite good, and a decent alternative to "full strength" (5%-5.2%) Heineken, Stella, and Grolsh, not the watered-down (3.5%) brewed-in-the-UK versions.
So those 2 brothers are getting back at America, by shipping their piss back to us, and also making us pay for it
@@pulaski1 i need to try it
Speaking as a historian I have to admire the skill & wit in your blog
Thank you for sharing this story, I highly recommend touring the mansion or even spending the night.
I have stayed at the mansion, there were some unexplained noises and bumps in the night.
The bumps were because you had drunk too much beer!!!
I dont think its haunted, ive been there several times and did not encounter a ghost. The dinner was fabulous thou!
I attended a wedding reception at the Leno mansion. Ty for including STL
Thank you so much for this piece! I live in St. Louis (in the county, about 10 minutes from downtown) and am somewhat of a St. Louis history enthusiast. Used to drive by the site of the old Lemp brewery in the Cherokee neighborhood every day; up til now I was only vaguely aware of that family’s history. Funny how you can be so close to a notable piece of history and not even think about it.
So Lemp related tours is definitely on my list of local sightseeing places, now. Thanks again!
I raise a glass of the good brew to you History Guy 🍺
I'm from St. Louis. I love to learn about its history
I pass by the Lemp Brewery and mansion everyday on my way to and from work. Stately old buildings.
Another excellent installment, sir. I have a e-book I read on my Kindle that was a bio of the Busch family and it was ccx a fascinating read, albeit quite long, starting with Adolphus Sr and running through to Adolphus V and the sale to InBev 15 years or so ago. I don't recall any mention of the Lemp brewery in it, sadly. It's still very cool to hear about the German Wave and that my own family tree was a part of that as well. Your presentation is always well done, with very few wasted words and a consistent flow. Keep up the good work, sir. Thank you.