RON HENGGELER

December 15, 2023

Photos from the opening of the Anchor Brewing Co. Exhibit

At the SFHS Museum

On December 7th, I attended the opening of a new exhibit at the San Francisco Historical Society's Museum at 608 Commercial in San Francisco.

Anchor Brewing Company closed its doors this summer after 127 years. Many claim it was the nation's first craft brewery. Locals know it as a storied San Francisco tradition, steeped in the city's past and a cherished part of its present. Anchor Brewing was founded in San Francisco in 1896.

It was famous for its signature "steam beer," for its Liberty Ale, and for its special holiday brews.

Respectfully excerpted from the SFHS newsletter Panorama

Last Call: Farewell to a San Francisco Treasure

The closing of a much-loved local institution with a global influence was a painful blow to the city where it was founded more than a century ago. The transition from open for business to gone for good was abrupt. Employees had mere weeks to cease operation and days to prepare the brewery for liquidation. Everything large and small, whether a modern piece of beer-making equipment or a valuable historical artifact, was to be hauled away from the brewery and sold by a liquidator.

A tip from a friend of the San Francisco Historical Society with knowledge of the transition passed on the name of the person the SFHS could contact for a possible donation of Anchor's historical artifacts to SFHS-and the race was on. Within two days of receiving the tip, they'd met with the Anchor rep and struck a deal. Over the next three days, SFHS staff and Lana Costantini, along with curator Richard Everett, visited the brewery; selected the artifacts they wanted for display in the SFHS museum; hired a moving company; and wrapped, loaded, and transported the items to 608 Commercial.

The text by Lana Costantini is respectfully excerpted from the SFHS newsletter Panorama

Losing Anchor Brewery is a painful event in our city's history. But we are honored to carry Anchor Brewery's history forward by keeping its story and tradition alive.
The brewery's treasures, saved in the nick of time, include marvelous vintage signs, antique beer-making equipment, original artwork for special holiday brew labels, embossed pint glasses, miniature copper beer vats, rare photographs, and a stunning wool flag with the Anchor logo hand stitched onto the front.

The text by Lana Costantini is respectfully excerpted from the SFHS newsletter Panorama

To learn more about the SFHS's holiday tree, go to: Historical Holiday tree

To learn more about the SFHS's holiday tree, go to: Historical Holiday tree

David Burkhart

Fritz Maytag

David Burkhart and RH

To learn more about the SFHS's holiday tree, go to: Historical Holiday tree

David Burkhart

To learn more about the SFHS's holiday tree, go to: Historical Holiday tree

Richard and Nancy Everett

Text

To learn more about the SFHS's holiday tree, go to: Historical Holiday tree

To learn more about the SFHS's holiday tree, go to: Historical Holiday tree

To learn more about the SFHS's holiday tree, go to: Historical Holiday tree