Isaac Wolfe Bernheim
Encyclopedia
Isaac Wolfe Bernheim was an American businessman notable for starting the I. W. Harper brand of bourbon
distilled at the Bernheim distillery in Louisville, Kentucky
. The success of his distillery and distribution business helped to consolidate the Louisville area as a major centre of Kentucky bourbon distilling. Bernheim was also a philanthropist, establishing the 14,000 acre (57 km²) Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest
in Bullitt County
.
in Germany and emigrated to the United States
in 1867 with $4 in his pocket. He originally planned to work in New York City
. However, the company where he wanted to work went bankrupt, and he was forced to follow a different line of work. He became a traveling salesman
or "peddler" traveling throughout Pennsylvania
on horseback selling household items to housewives and made a respectable living. However, he was forced to stop peddling when his horse died.
, where he worked as a bookkeeper for a wholesale liquor company, Loeb, Bloom, & Co. He was able to save money to bring his brother Bernard to America. He quickly moved on however, and with the help of Nathan Uri and his brother, Bernard Bernheim, was able to open up his own liquor sales firm called Bernheim Brothers & Uri in 1872. Mr. Uri was the brother of IW Bernheim's wife, Amanda. Because of their business's proximity to large waterways, the company grew rapidly.
Bernheim Brothers & Uri moved from Paducah to Louisville in 1889 for the purchase of a distillery in New Haven
. In 1896 Bernheim Brothers & Uri bought the Pleasure Ridge Park Distillery and renamed it Bernheim Distillery Co. Following the purchase of this distillery, they began the production of an elite whiskey brand called I.W. Harper. During the Prohibition
era in the U.S. [1920–1933], Bernheim Brothers Distillery was one of only ten distilleries allowed to continue to make bourbon for medicinal purposes. Bernheim sold the business to the Schenley Distilling Corporation
in 1937.
on 14,000 acres (57 km²) in Bullitt County, 25 miles (40 km) south of Louisville and 5 miles (8 km) from Shepherdsville
in 1929. He purchased the land in 1928 at $1 an acre ($247/km²) because most of it had been stripped for mining iron ore. The Frederick Law Olmsted
landscape architecture firm started work on designing the park in 1931 and it opened in 1950. Bernheim Forest was given to the people of Kentucky in trust and it is the largest privately owned natural area in the state. Mr. Bernheim, his wife, Amanda are buried at the Bernheim Forest. The memorial "Let there Be Light" by George Bernard Grey graces over their final resting place. Mr. Bernheim's daughter and son-in-law were buried in the forest as well as several other family members.
Bernheim was a prominent member of the Jewish community active in the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and the American Jewish Committee
. He donated to establish the first library at the Hebrew Union College
in Cincinnati. In Louisville, he funded the first home for the Young Men's Hebrew Association and funded an addition to the Jewish Hospital. Mr. Bernheim, a member of the Reform Movement, continues to have great grand children who follow in his footsteps of the Reform Movement. In 2007 in his honor, his Granddaughter Amanda Roth Block ( she is currently 97 years old) who resides in Torrance, California, donated to the Hebrew Union College in New York City to President Rabbi David Elinsion a lithograph, "Moses and the Burning Bush", which was inspired by her grandfather's dedication to the Reform movement. Mr. Bernheim's library at the Hebrew Union College was renovated to be the home of priceless documents and rare Torah scrolls.
Mr. Bernheim also financed two Kentucky statues in the statuary hall of the U.S. Capitol, making them the only two statues there to be privately purchased. In addition, he financed a statue of Abraham Lincoln outside the Louisville Free Public Library and the statue of Thomas Jefferson outside the Jefferson County
courthouse.
Upon visiting his hometown of Schmieheim Germany in the early 20th Century, he discovered the village had no running water. He made an extremely large contribution, enabling the town to install its first plumbing system. He also built a home for the elderly and a home for children.
A new book will be published soon about the works and the history of the Bernheim Family.
Bourbon whiskey
Bourbon is a type of American whiskey – a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. The name of the spirit derives from its historical association with an area known as Old Bourbon, around what is now Bourbon County, Kentucky . It has been produced since the 18th century...
distilled at the Bernheim distillery in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. The success of his distillery and distribution business helped to consolidate the Louisville area as a major centre of Kentucky bourbon distilling. Bernheim was also a philanthropist, establishing the 14,000 acre (57 km²) Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest
Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest
Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest is a 14,000 acre arboretum, forest, and nature preserve located in Clermont, Kentucky ....
in Bullitt County
Bullitt County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 61,236 people, 22,171 households, and 17,736 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 23,160 housing units at an average density of...
.
Early years
Isaac Bernheim was born in Schmieheim, now part of KippenheimKippenheim
Kippenheim is a town in the district of Ortenau in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.Kippenheim has restored its pre-war synagogue.-Notable residents:*Stef Wertheimer , German-born Israeli entrepreneur and industrialist and politician...
in Germany and emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1867 with $4 in his pocket. He originally planned to work 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...
. However, the company where he wanted to work went bankrupt, and he was forced to follow a different line of work. He became a traveling salesman
Vendor (supply chain)
A vendor, or a supplier, is a supply chain management term meaning anyone who provides goods or services to a company. A vendor often manufactures inventoriable items, and sells those items to a customer.- History :...
or "peddler" traveling throughout Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
on horseback selling household items to housewives and made a respectable living. However, he was forced to stop peddling when his horse died.
Distilling business
Following the death of his horse Bernheim moved to Paducah, KentuckyPaducah, Kentucky
Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...
, where he worked as a bookkeeper for a wholesale liquor company, Loeb, Bloom, & Co. He was able to save money to bring his brother Bernard to America. He quickly moved on however, and with the help of Nathan Uri and his brother, Bernard Bernheim, was able to open up his own liquor sales firm called Bernheim Brothers & Uri in 1872. Mr. Uri was the brother of IW Bernheim's wife, Amanda. Because of their business's proximity to large waterways, the company grew rapidly.
Bernheim Brothers & Uri moved from Paducah to Louisville in 1889 for the purchase of a distillery in New Haven
New Haven, Kentucky
New Haven is a city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 849 at the 2000 census.New Haven was founded as Pottinger's Landing in 1781 and later named New Haven by Samuel Pottinger after the Connecticut town...
. In 1896 Bernheim Brothers & Uri bought the Pleasure Ridge Park Distillery and renamed it Bernheim Distillery Co. Following the purchase of this distillery, they began the production of an elite whiskey brand called I.W. Harper. During the 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...
era in the U.S. [1920–1933], Bernheim Brothers Distillery was one of only ten distilleries allowed to continue to make bourbon for medicinal purposes. Bernheim sold the business to the Schenley Distilling Corporation
Schenley Industries
Schenley was a liquor company based out of New York, N.Y. with headquarters in the Empire State Building and a distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. It owned several brands of Bourbon whiskey, including Schenley, The Old Quaker Company, Carstairs' White Seal, and possibly others; they also owned a...
in 1937.
Community activity
Isaac Bernheim was known as a notable philanthropist in Louisville. He established the Bernheim Arboretum and Research ForestBernheim Arboretum and Research Forest
Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest is a 14,000 acre arboretum, forest, and nature preserve located in Clermont, Kentucky ....
on 14,000 acres (57 km²) in Bullitt County, 25 miles (40 km) south of Louisville and 5 miles (8 km) from Shepherdsville
Shepherdsville, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,334 people, 3,177 households, and 2,363 families residing in the city. The population density was 791.3 people per square mile . There were 3,402 housing units at an average density of 323.0 per square mile...
in 1929. He purchased the land in 1928 at $1 an acre ($247/km²) because most of it had been stripped for mining iron ore. The Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
landscape architecture firm started work on designing the park in 1931 and it opened in 1950. Bernheim Forest was given to the people of Kentucky in trust and it is the largest privately owned natural area in the state. Mr. Bernheim, his wife, Amanda are buried at the Bernheim Forest. The memorial "Let there Be Light" by George Bernard Grey graces over their final resting place. Mr. Bernheim's daughter and son-in-law were buried in the forest as well as several other family members.
Bernheim was a prominent member of the Jewish community active in the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and the American Jewish Committee
American Jewish Committee
The American Jewish Committee was "founded in 1906 with the aim of rallying all sections of American Jewry to defend the rights of Jews all over the world...
. He donated to establish the first library at the Hebrew Union College
Hebrew Union College
The Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the oldest extant Jewish seminary in the Americas and the main seminary for training rabbis, cantors, educators and communal workers in Reform Judaism.HUC-JIR has campuses in Cincinnati, New York, Los Angeles and Jerusalem.The Jerusalem...
in Cincinnati. In Louisville, he funded the first home for the Young Men's Hebrew Association and funded an addition to the Jewish Hospital. Mr. Bernheim, a member of the Reform Movement, continues to have great grand children who follow in his footsteps of the Reform Movement. In 2007 in his honor, his Granddaughter Amanda Roth Block ( she is currently 97 years old) who resides in Torrance, California, donated to the Hebrew Union College in New York City to President Rabbi David Elinsion a lithograph, "Moses and the Burning Bush", which was inspired by her grandfather's dedication to the Reform movement. Mr. Bernheim's library at the Hebrew Union College was renovated to be the home of priceless documents and rare Torah scrolls.
Mr. Bernheim also financed two Kentucky statues in the statuary hall of the U.S. Capitol, making them the only two statues there to be privately purchased. In addition, he financed a statue of Abraham Lincoln outside the Louisville Free Public Library and the statue of Thomas Jefferson outside the Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 693,604 people, 287,012 households, and 183,113 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 305,835 housing units at an average density of...
courthouse.
Upon visiting his hometown of Schmieheim Germany in the early 20th Century, he discovered the village had no running water. He made an extremely large contribution, enabling the town to install its first plumbing system. He also built a home for the elderly and a home for children.
A new book will be published soon about the works and the history of the Bernheim Family.
Written works
- The History of the Bernheim Family (1910)
- The Closing Chapters of a Busy Life (1929)
External links
- University of Louisville webpage on Isaac Bernheim's papers
- University of Louisville Jewish Life in Louisville collection
- Arboretum Information page
- Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest timeline
- Louisville Courier Journal article on Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest 75th anniversary, February 16 2004