Abandoned Brewery in WI
Potosi Brewery, Potosi Wisconsin

The Potosi Brewery was part of the once prevalent occurrence of breweries as local industries in Wisconsin. The Potosi Brewery's market, which centered in the village of Potosi, provided sufficient business to keep it operating for over a century. The Brewery acted as an important economic force in the community. Wise management by the Brewery owners, as well as a good location, enabled Potosi beer to be sold over much of Wisconsin and portions of Iowa and Illinois. Potosi's reputation, as a result, was much more extensive than most breweries of a comparable size.
The Potosi Brewery was originally known as the Gabriel Hatt Brewery, that being the name of the man who built the original structure. Halt's operation, however, lasted only until 1879, and the brewery was vacant for 7 years. Then, in 1886, a German immigrant named Adam Schumacher purchased the site, gave the brewery his name and together with three brothers began producing a traditional German lager beer. This inaugurated the business controlled by the Schumacher family for almost 90 years. In 1906, the brothers incorporated under the name Potosi Brewing Company, with Adam Schumacher as president and members of his family in the major positions of treasurer and brewmaster. This was to be the habit for the rest of the brewery's operation, with the Schumachers supervising every facet of production and sale.
During the twentieth century, the Potosi Brewing Co. was able to outlast most other small breweries due to foresight and carefully planned expansion. With the advent of prohibition, for instance, the Schumachers installed de-alcoholizing equipment and maintained production. At its height, the brewery produced over 75,000 barrels of beer annually. It also acted as the town's single largest employer. In 1972, however, the business succumbed, a losing struggle to larger competitors and the fact that the business "ran out of Schumachers willing to continue the enterprise" forced it to be closed. During the next year, all major brewing equipment was sold and the buildings have been vacant ever since.
Building Description
The brewing plant and the bottling plant are located on the south part of the town of Potosi, along state Highway 133. The brewing plant is a very large rectangular building, three stories in height, about 100 feet in length by 30 feet in width, constructed of red brick and covered with a flat tar roof. A central brewing tower, also of red brick, is located along the center of the front (east) facade of the building. The building is in deteriorated condition, with most of the numerous windows broken out. The interior is empty, save for discarded crates and a random assortment of trash, but the floors and walls are intact and sturdy. All brewing machinery has been removed.
The bottling plant is also of red brick, with the right (south) side of the front facade consisting of an ornamental false front with round-arched windows and denticulated. The left side is plain and, at three stories in height, is one story taller than the right side. Like the brewing plant, the bottling plant is covered with a flat tar roof and has many windows broken out. At the rear (east) of the building, a large aluminum-sided warehouse has been added as a wing. The interior of the bottling plant is in a similar condition to the brewing plant. Several other buildings at the site, including empty frame warehouses, and a company tavern, are either privately owned or unused. At the present time, plans have been made for the remaining brewery properties, including the brewing and bottling plants, to be renovated for use as a brewery museum.
The lower stories of the brewing plant are constructed of locally quarried limestone and date from 1852. The brick portions of the brewing plant were added about 1900 along with the frame brewing tower which is located at the south end of the plant. The brick bottling works located across the street were constructed in 1902 and feature a "boomtown" facade on the north end and a two-story false-front brick building with a metal cornice on the south end of the group. Numerous additions have been made to both plants over the years, including a large aluminum-sided warehouse located to the rear of the bottling works.

Overview of the bottling works and warehouses. From southwest (1980)

Schumacher Bottling Works. From northwest (1980)

Additions to the bottling works. From southeast (1980)

Schumacher Bottling Works. southwest elevation (1980)

Potosi Brewing Plant. View from east (1980)

Schumacher Bottling Works. southwest elevation (1980)
