While there were several hundred small scale, local breweries in the 1840s and 1850s, beer did not become a mass-produced, mass-consumed beverage in America until the years following the Civil War.

In Morris, Gebhard Brewery was founded by German immigrant Louis Gebhard. In 1866, Louis began his brewery in a wooden building located on West Washington near the East Fork branch of Nettle Creek.

Twenty years later, Louis sold the business to his son, William, who built the business into one that was known throughout the state because the finest quality of malt, grit and foreign domestic hops were used in the production process.

Within a decade, William expanded the business to include a malt and bottling house (1888) and a seven-story brew house (1896). Gebhard would continue to construct additions to the brew house over the years, including the addition of a stock house in 1904, which included s a state-of-the-art refrigeration plant.

Around 1912, William’s son, Fred, joined the business and helped with the management and operation of the brewery. Fred worked with his father until the business was closed nearly a decade later.

The process of making beer consisted of malt being elevated to the top floor of the brew house, where the beer was taken through several brewing stages by the force of gravity, until it reached the stock house. It was there the beer was packed into kegs and bottled by a filling machine.

With the ratification of the 18th Amendment on Jan. 29, 1919, and officially taking effect the following year, the Gebhard Brewery was forced to cease operation by January 1920. Within a few months, the brewing equipment was sold, and by 1921, the brewery buildings were sold and the tall brew house was converted into a flour mill. One such company that used the old brew house was the Morris Milling Company, which was in operation from 1935-1958.

The old bottling plant building also was sold and converted to other uses. In 1946, the Lindsay Light and Mantel Company began producing mantels for lamps and lanterns. This business flourished for nearly 50 years at this location, until it was closed in the early 1990s.

The site of the brewery is located just east of present day Gebhard Woods State Park. Gebhard Woods State Park was purchased from Mrs. William Gebhard by the Grundy County Rod and Gun Club in 1934. In turn, the Rod and Gun Club donated the property to the State of Illinois to be developed and maintained as Gebhard Woods State Park.

The then photograph shows the seven-story brew house that housed the vats and kettles that helped to produce more than 100 barrels of beer a day. To the west of the tall brew house is the stock house. Just to the south of the brewery buildings is the bottling plant building. The entire brewery complex is located at the west end of Washington Street.

The now photograph shows a view of the brewery building today. The surviving buildings today include the brick bottling plant the larger brew house and the stock house.