Forgotten Brewery Caves - Underneath Madison Wisconsin

Brewery caves in large cities are not as interesting as those from smaller places.  In part because so few of them are accessible.  In a place where reckless visitors abound, caves were sealed up early and effectively.  But that does not mean they are not down there...

Consider Madison Wisconsin.  Founded in 1838 it became the capital of when the Badger State attained statehood a decade later.  And of course, legislating is a thirsty business.  Breweries started being built in 1848, but the two under discussion today were just a bit later.

The Capital Brewery was established by a Wm Voight in 1854.  Joseph Hausman bought it in '64.  It was located at State and Gilman.

A rather short distance away was a brewery started by Barnhard Mauz, or Mautz in 1865.  This was at State and Gilman and went through the usual ownership changes, ending up being owned by a guy named Hess.  Hausman bought out Hess in 1883, giving him two breweries about a block apart from each other.  Now, on to the issue of brewery caves.

There is an odd article in The Capital Times in 1923.  In part:

It is of course mixing up the functions of a brewery and a distillery, but hey it was Prohibition and they were getting nostalgic.  It goes on:

There are few contemporary references to brewery caves in Madison.  The city is built on an isthmus between two lakes, so it would be a place where ice houses would be practical.  And while I don't know the geology of the place I can report that it is pretty flat, none of the nice handy sandstone cliffs you have in other parts of the state.  Oddly one of the few references I have seen comes from right here in Chippewa Falls, where an early visitor to the Leinenkugel's brewery cave compared it favorably to that from the Rodermund brewery of Madison.  This was a different place, along the lake shore on Lodi Road.  Where their "vaults" were is a mystery, but they are also mentioned in news articles regards a bankruptcy sale in 1875.*

So returning to State Street,  lets take a look.  Chronologically of course.

State Street in 1867.  Mautz marked with red arrow and Hausmann with blue.

These early Bird's Eye views tend to be a bit idealized.  Here's a more realistic 1885 look:

Both establishments look to have grown, with Hausman in particular now occupying most of its block.  For even more detail, an 1885 Sanborn map:

Notice that the Mautz brewery is now gone, replaced by a stable/livery run by its last owner, a Mr. Hess.  Often the Bird's Eye views are a bit out of date.

So, are there indeed deep tunnels zig zagging about under State Street, linking these now vanished brewery sites?  Maybe.  If there is bed rock on the site and proper tunnels they are almost impossible to collapse.  Especially if you don't want to also collapse the buildings and streets above!  In many cities there are "Urban Explorers" who post camouflaged accounts of their underground adventures.  I've seen nothing relating to these tunnels in such fora.

So perhaps we'll never know.  Here's the site today, standing in front of the former Mautz brewery, looking down State Street past Hausmann's, and with the State Capitol in the far distance....

I have a certain ability to "sense" things underground, but it doesn't work from a Google Earth image.

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* The lake front has been heavily modified since the 19th century.  My guess is that Roderman's beer vaults were probably near, or under, the bridge where Johnson street crosses the Yahara river.