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Est. 1855.
According to company literature issued in 1905, the company was founded by Julius Freiberg, who arrived in the US in 1847. He settled in Williamstown, Kentucky, where he ran a general merchandise business for several years.
He moved to Cincinnati in 1852 and in 1855 partnered with his brother-in-law, Levi J. Workum, in a new wholesale liquor venture under the name of Freiberg & Workum.
The business was first located on the east side of Sycamore Street (No. 20) but moved to larger premises on the west side of Sycamore (Nos. 13-15) in 1858.
In 1857, the company bought the Bowen Distillery, in Lynchburg, Highland County. It first produced a whiskey named for the "J A. Bowen". In 1865, "Lynchburg Rye" was introduced and in 1869, "Highland Pure Rye". In 1883 they introduced "Clinton Whiskey" and "Eagle Gin".
In 1867, the company purchased the Boone County Distillery at Petersburg, Kentucky, but later sold it (1899). At that time it had a mashing capacity of four thousand bushels per day, and storage room for sixty thousand barrels.
In 1866 the building surrounded by Baum, Produce, and Kirby Alleys in Cincinnati, was purchased, and used as a bonded "Class B" warehouse, until bonded warehouses of this class were abolished by the Government. It was then transformed into a redistilling and rectifying house.
The third move of the firm's office and store was made in 1869, to 28-30 Main Street. The final move was in 1895, to 216-220 E Front Street. The building was 52 feet wide, 200 deep, and five stories high. It had a private railway siding and contained departments for cooperage, cooper shops, re-distilling, rectifying, blending, bottling, and storage of whiskey. It was capable of holding 3,000 barrels of blended whiskey, kept at 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
In 1903, the company joined a consortium of several wholesalers in building, at Terre Haute, Indiana, the Commercial Distillery.
Levi J.Workum died on July 23d 1883. The surviving partner reorganized the company by taking on his two sons, J. Walter Freiberg and Maurice J. Freiberg, and also Workum's two sons, Jeptha L. Workum and Ezekiel L. Workum. This partnership survived until 1896, when the two Workums died, Ezekiel in March, 1896, Jeptha in September.
Official History of Freiberg & Workum, 1905
The 1912 Annual Report of the Chamber of Commerce lists the following members: Bernhard Freiberg, J Walter Freiberg, Maurice J Freiberg, Clarence Jacobs, T D Matthews, Henry Moses, and J Clarence Workum. By 1914, the 66th Annual Report omits T D Matthews but adds Julius W Freiberg and Harry T Evans to the named officials.
Government records from 1898-1920 show that the company was also withdrawing whiskey from warehouses supplied by Registered Distillery #13 of OH's 1st District. They also record withdrawals by the two Workum sons, some 5 years after their death?! See the Boone County distillery records for more details.
The company used the brand names:
"Admiration", "American Union Club", "Appleton", "Bonanza Pass", "Cabinet O K", "Cyrus Noble", "Cyrus Noble ", "Eagle Gin", "Eureka ", "F. & W.", "Fitz Lee", "Highland ", "Highland ", "Hyperion", "J. A. Bowen ", "J. A. Bowen ", "J. N. Blakemore ", "Juneau Club Rye", "Livingston Club", "Lynchburg", "Melrose ", "O K Cabinet", "O K Cabinet Bourbon", "O.K. Kentucky Cabinet", "Old Fort-Nine", "Old Kentucky Home", "R. N. Wickliffe", "R. W. Wickliffe", "Roanoak Pure Virginia Rye", "Saint Jacobs", "Snyder ", "W. Appleton", "W. T. Snyder", "Waldorf", and "Zenith." | | Business name timeline:
Freiberg & Workum (1855-1906), The Freiberg & Workum Co. (1907-1918)
Address timeline:
20 Sycamore (1855-1858), 13-15 Sycamore (1859-1870), Office: 28-30 Main (1870-1895), Office: 216-220 E Front (1896-1918) | | Business category timeline (abbreviations decoded below):
V (1866), D (1869), W (1879)
Years that company appeared in directories
Years directories were consulted
Cincinnati directory notes
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c. 1910 |
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Appearance in
directories:
1866, 1867, 1868, 1869, 1870, 1871, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1876, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1889, 1890, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918
Directories
consulted:
1866, 1867, 1868, 1869, 1870, 1871, 1872, 1873. 1874, 1875, 1876, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1889, 1890, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918
Cincinnati directory
notes:
V= Wine & Liquor (Wholesale), V-R = Wine & Liquor (Retail), W = Whiskey (Wholesale), L = Liquors (Wholesale) D = Distiller, DA = distiller's agent
1879: Wines & Liquor listings not available, now just Whiskey, Wholesale, 1882: new business directory, 1884, 1885, 1886, partial wines, 1887, 1888 no wines, 1889 partial wines, 1890-1918 no wines, 1896: major street renumbering affecting all addresses
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