Eastern Wisconsin had so many 19th century breweries that they don't always get much mention in local histories. On the outskirts of a little community called Thiensville there is a picturesque brewery ruin. It has been "enhanced" a bit by the owners...note the faux battlements on the upper right corner. There is also a creative re-working of old foundations and new elements into a water feature down below. I rather like the effect.
Sharp eyed Brewery Cave fans of course will have spotted the entrance in the picture above. It is one of those that is actually built right underneath the brewery instead of the more typical location along one side.
The owner was OK with us taking a look but asked that we not go inside. She's right, this is another of those caves that is starting to lose structural integrity.
Collapse along the left wall, a sealed off former doorway into something on the far end. There also seemed to be a well right in the middle of things.
This is the ruin of the J. Harz Brewery, said to be in business between 1870 and 1880. The remaining structure has been altered a lot so I'm just guessing here, but I suspect the bricked off doorway visible here went to a second chamber of the cave and/or into the cellar of the brewery. The structure above the cave proper may well have been an ice house.
Private property site. Quite visible from the road. Let that suffice.
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