Philadelphia Herald October 15, 1925: East Falls Brewery History

Until recently the ground bounded by the Norristown Branch of the Reading, the rear property line of the north side of Queen lane and the south side of Midvale avenue, down to Cresswell street, was a part of the Whiehle estate. A part of the ground, which was sold some years ago to the Wardens, was occupied by a huge brewery which has become a thing of the past. It was erected in 1856, by the late Henry J. Becker, a German stone-mason, who had...

Last Chance Landscaping: Crepe Myrtle TO DIE in 72 Hours

Grant Hohenadel's lovely crepe myrtle a stay of execution, if you can. Pro-flora contractor Mike Labetti has tried to figure out a way to save 'er, but she's just too big to work around. Monday, she's gotta go. Sorry, pretty pink flowers, cheering up the entrance. Now that the god-awful overhang is gone, Mike can start working on seating for five while he designs a new, period-appropriate pediment for the home's facade. He was hoping to get a...

Harry Prime Looks Forward to his Big Night

Last week, Harry Prime came out to Epicure Cafe to meet Hohenadel House's Felicite Moorman, and have a look around the grand ballroom he'll be performing this October 18th. He brought his friend, fellow performer Bill Parsons, for a nice lunch and then a tour of the mansion. Harry was full of stories about almost every inch of East Falls -- except 3617 Indian Queen Lane! Though he traveled the road frequently as a kid on his way to baseball...

Gertrude Hohenadel 1835- 1907 (niece of East Falls’ brewer Jacob)

This Hohenadel's history -- culled from various online geneology sites -- crosses paths with "our" Hohenadels here in East Falls (scroll down), and illuminates the struggles and hardships early generations endured, working towards the American Dream. Sources were traced whenever possible but unfortunately most of these facts below remain undocumented. Grain of salt.   -- EFHS Gertrude Höhenadel (the younger) was born November of 1835 in the...

Ghosts Tales from East Falls’ Mysterious Past

These ghost stories come to us from the Chadwick Papers -- clippings from the now-defunct local newspaper "The Suburban Press" by the paper's editor in the 1930's, Alex C. Chadwick. Transcribed and unedited, below, they're a time capsule of sorts for scary storytelling 75 years ago. The old man narrative is archetypal, and then his fantastical descriptions seem kinda child-like and not terribly scary to modern sensibilities (turtle feet? lobster...

Restoration Revelation: Contractors Do NOT Like Surprise Deadlines

 Mike Labetti was blindsided!     After overseeing six months of round-the-clock repairs, refinishing, reproductions -- even whimsical fabrications -- at 3617 Indian Queen Lane, he might know every inch of that mansion but he was totally in the dark about East Falls House Party coming up in two weeks. (Ed note: we totally blogged about it back in June so he only has himself to blame, ha) He found out about it at the end of last month, when...

Lord, Beer Our Prayer

Long before science explained the chemical interactions that made the magic of beer, medieval brewers believed that beer could be demonically possessed. Somehow evil spirits during the brewing process made your beer flat or skunked or just off. Good beer, on the other hand, was the work of angels. So brewers hired priests to watch over the brewing process and ensure divine intervention. This was an expensive service, given that priests were busy...

Lager? I Barely Know Her…

Q: How do you turn German beer into American beer? A: Drink it. Poor American lager. A whole generation of craft beer lovers grew up associating this once-noble Old World recipe with the thin, low-alcohol stuff favored by rednecks and underage drinkers. In truth, New World lager is an exciting German-American hybrid: their recipe, our ingredients. American beer at the turn of the 20th century was a proud product of artisanal brewers, made with...

Party Like It’s 1899

Hohenadel House is Ready to Swing: SATURDAY OCTOBER 18th  ...  6 pm - 10 pm A century ago, when friends called on John Hohenadel at his grand mansion on Indian Queen Lane, they likely joined the old brewmaster in his basement parlor -- his "ratzkeller"-- for some of his Falls Brewery beer. His plant a few blocks up on Conrad Street produced more than 30,000 barrels a year, the last and most successful enterprise of the family's 83+ years in...