Today in Wheeling History: November 12--Henry Schmulbach, Wheeling brewer and businessman, was born in Braunschwandt in the county of Alsfeldt, Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany (1844).
Henry Schmulbach was a prominent German immigrant entrepreneur in Wheeling, West Virginia in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He worked on steamboats and in retail before entering the brewing business. In 1882, he purchased the Nail City Brewery, renamed it the Schmulbach Brewing Company, and grew it into one of the largest in the state producing 100,000 barrels a year. He also saved the German Bank of Wheeling during a crisis in 1879, serving as its president for over 20 years. Schmulbach invested widely in ironworks, streetcars, utilities and real estate, including building West Virginia's first skyscraper. Known for his elaborate Roney's Point estate, he enjoyed auto collecting and exotic gardening. When Prohibition forced his brewery to close in 1914, Schmulbach was reputedly one of the wealthiest self-made men in the country through his diverse business interests.
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/u62sxt3p) (https://tinyurl.com/4mmx262a) (https://tinyurl.com/3m7e7jyf) (https://tinyurl.com/sneamjee) (https://tinyurl.com/y248f952)
Photo Credits: Ohio County Public Library, Wheeling WV
Henry Schmulbach was a prominent German immigrant entrepreneur in Wheeling, West Virginia in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He worked on steamboats and in retail before entering the brewing business. In 1882, he purchased the Nail City Brewery, renamed it the Schmulbach Brewing Company, and grew it into one of the largest in the state producing 100,000 barrels a year. He also saved the German Bank of Wheeling during a crisis in 1879, serving as its president for over 20 years. Schmulbach invested widely in ironworks, streetcars, utilities and real estate, including building West Virginia's first skyscraper. Known for his elaborate Roney's Point estate, he enjoyed auto collecting and exotic gardening. When Prohibition forced his brewery to close in 1914, Schmulbach was reputedly one of the wealthiest self-made men in the country through his diverse business interests.
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/u62sxt3p) (https://tinyurl.com/4mmx262a) (https://tinyurl.com/3m7e7jyf) (https://tinyurl.com/sneamjee) (https://tinyurl.com/y248f952)
Photo Credits: Ohio County Public Library, Wheeling WV
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