Henry B. Lembeck
Encyclopedia
Henry B. Lembeck was a Jersey City, New Jersey
brewery owner.
near Münster
, he became a cabinet maker like his father and an apprentice at the age of 13. He was drafted into the army at the age of 20, but deserted during the German Revolution of 1848
and immigrated to the United States
in 1849. Living in New York City
, he worked first as a carpenter and then as a grocery clerk. In a few years, Lembeck set up his own successful grocery business. It was then that he met a successful brewer, John F. Betz
, selling his beer in his store.
In 1869, Lembeck moved across the river and established a brewery with Betz in downtown Jersey City, New Jersey
. The Lembeck and Betz Eagle Brewing Company
would develop into one of the most successful breweries in the eastern United States producing a quarter of a million barrels of beer a year. As Lembeck grew financially successful, he also helped establish banks and real estate companies in Jersey City. Lembeck was the founder of the Greenville Banking and Trust Company and a director of the Third National Bank. He helped develop the township of Greenville
(today it's a section of Jersey City) through real estate development of undeveloped land. Lembeck discontinued home building over a dispute with the city regarding the quality of water supplied to the Greenville area. After his retirement his son Gustav took over running the brewery. The brewery closed during Prohibition
in 1920 and later went out of business. He lived in Greenville with his wife Emma and children in a mansion on Columbia Place, which has since been re-named Lembeck Avenue.
Lembeck died in Jersey City and is buried in Bayview - New York Bay Cemetery in Jersey City. The Lembeck mansion was later donated by his widow to St. Anne's Home for the Aged.
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
brewery owner.
Biography
Born in Osterwick, GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
near Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
, he became a cabinet maker like his father and an apprentice at the age of 13. He was drafted into the army at the age of 20, but deserted during the German Revolution of 1848
Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, also called the March Revolution – part of the Revolutions of 1848 that broke out in many countries of Europe – were a series of loosely coordinated protests and rebellions in the states of the German Confederation, including the Austrian Empire...
and immigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1849. Living in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, he worked first as a carpenter and then as a grocery clerk. In a few years, Lembeck set up his own successful grocery business. It was then that he met a successful brewer, John F. Betz
John F. Betz & Sons Brewery
John F. Betz and Sons Brewery was a beer brewery in Philadelphia, founded in 1775 as the Robert Hare & J. Warren Peter Brewery, it closed in 1939. The brewery was located at 415 Callowhill, 5th & Lawrence Streets, Philadelphia, PA....
, selling his beer in his store.
In 1869, Lembeck moved across the river and established a brewery with Betz in downtown Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
. The Lembeck and Betz Eagle Brewing Company
The Lembeck and Betz Eagle Brewing Company
The Lembeck and Betz Eagle Brewing Company was founded in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1869 by Henry B. Lembeck and John F. Betz. The brewery, bounded by 9th, 10th, Grove and Henderson streets in downtown Jersey City, developed into one of the most famous, best-equipped and financially successful...
would develop into one of the most successful breweries in the eastern United States producing a quarter of a million barrels of beer a year. As Lembeck grew financially successful, he also helped establish banks and real estate companies in Jersey City. Lembeck was the founder of the Greenville Banking and Trust Company and a director of the Third National Bank. He helped develop the township of Greenville
Greenville, Jersey City
Greenville is the southernmost section of Jersey City, New Jersey.In its broadest definition Greenville encompasses the area south of the West Side Branch of Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and north of the city line with Bayonne, between the Upper New York Bay and the Newark Bay, and corresponds to the...
(today it's a section of Jersey City) through real estate development of undeveloped land. Lembeck discontinued home building over a dispute with the city regarding the quality of water supplied to the Greenville area. After his retirement his son Gustav took over running the brewery. The brewery closed during Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
in 1920 and later went out of business. He lived in Greenville with his wife Emma and children in a mansion on Columbia Place, which has since been re-named Lembeck Avenue.
Lembeck died in Jersey City and is buried in Bayview - New York Bay Cemetery in Jersey City. The Lembeck mansion was later donated by his widow to St. Anne's Home for the Aged.