The Thomas Moore Distillery
RD #21, 23 rd District
Allegheny County, PA

(Est. 1878)

Although the Thos. Moore Distillery Co. claimed in its advertisements to have been established in 1842, the distillery at McKeesport was built in 1878 by Thomas Moore, who had operated several distilleries previously (see the Thos Moore Distillery Co. listing page for more details).

A review in 1896 decsribed the distillery as comprising a four-story brick building 50 by 110 feet in area, and the plant included three brick warehouses of 80 by 114 feet, 72 by 114 feet, and 114 by 114 feet, with a total capacity of 40,000 barrels. 25,000 barrels of maturing whiskey were always on hand. The plant consumed 460 bushels of grain daily and included a 50 hp steam engine.

In 1889, Thos. Moore's grandson C P Moore was manager.

By 1900, the plant was reported to be operating with a capacity of 40-50 barrels per day and had a warehouse capable of storing 40,000-50,000 barrels.

By 1910, the Thos. Moore Distillery Co. was in receivership and the property was sold at public auction on October 26. The auction ad in the October 11 edition of the Pittsburg Press described the property as comprising 1.8 acres on the Youghiogheny River at 13th and Market Sts. Buildings on the property included:
A modern brick distillery building with a yearly capacity of 12,000 barrels
One brick boiler house and equipment
One brick pump house 17 feet in diameter and 25 feet high
One brick free warehouse 110 feet by 72 feet by 30 feet high
One brick bonded warehouse fully equiped with hoisting engine and racks with the capacity for the storage of 16,000 barrels of whiskey, outside dimensions 114 feet by 80 feet by 55 feet high
One stone and buff brick office and plumbing shop, outside dimensions 30 feet by 32 feet
One set of standard scales
One brick slop dryer building and machinery
One engine room for coal hoist 29 feet by 36 feet by 25 feet high and machinery
Fixtures in bottling department
Heating plant for warehouses and pipe lines.

The distillery ceased operations with Prohibition. A local newspaper reported that in the Spring of 1931, two men backed a truck onto the property and knocked a hole in the end of one of the three large warehouses and looted it. In the ensuing months, locals helped themselves to every last brick and beam on the site.

References:
Pittsburgh of Today, 1896
The Progressive Men of the Commonwealth, 1900

Review bonded warehouse transactions for this distillery