New Book Brews Up History of a Baltimore Industry

Nov. 21, 2011 - PRLog -- The newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America series is Brewing in Baltimore from local author Maureen O’Prey, with a forward by Hugh Sisson, the iconic founder of Clipper City Brewing Heavy Seas Beer. The book boasts more than 200 vintage photographs and memories of the brewing industry and days gone by.

Throughout its rich and vibrant history, Baltimore has been known by a variety of names: Mobtown, the Land of Pleasant Living, or Charm City to name just a few. Perhaps “Beer Town” would have been more appropriate. Several pivotal events in Maryland’s history involved the brewing industry.

Baltimore brewers were vital to building the fledgling town into the bustling city it is today. These brewers established some of the earliest churches in Baltimore. Eagle Brewery’s Harry Von der Horst helped build the Orioles into a pennant-winning team in the 1890s. Mary Pickersgill sewed the stars upon the Star Spangled Banner on the floor of Brown’s Brewery during the War of 1812.

Today, locals recognize the iconic Natty Boh as one of their own; his winking eye still keeps watch over Baltimore. Some may even recall brands like Globe, American, or Gunther. With images provided primarily by the Baltimore Museum of Industry, natives and visitors alike will reacquaint themselves with Baltimore’s malted roots, legendary brewers, and those that continue the tradition today. As a historian and local who witnessed many of these brewing institutions come and go, author Maureen O’Prey brings this oft-overlooked history to light.

Highlights of Brewing in Baltimore:
•   The American Can Company of Baltimore was the first to successfully can beer in 1935.
•   The revolutionary Crown Cork invented by William Painter of Baltimore, Maryland in 1892 was the first stopper to keep the great flavor and quality of the beer, and the carbonation in a bottle.
•   The Globe Brewery delivered the first real beer in Baltimore minutes after Prohibition was repealed on April 7, 1933.
•   Baltimore breweries were among the earliest industries to switch to ‘purchased power’ to run their breweries and bottling plants.

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or
(888)-313-2665.  

Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States.  Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places.  Have we done a book on your town?  Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com.

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With more than 7,500 local history titles published to date, Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. Widely recognized sepia books feature hundreds of vintage historical images.