The charter for the Jackson Brewery
was adopted on June 23, 1890. On
July 2, the property was purchased,
and construction began about three
weeks later. The brewery was an
independent institution, and its officers
were Hermann Schurr, president;
Charles Rieder, vice president; and
Luis Imbolte, secretary/treasurer.
Other directors were Cyrus T. Rayner,
W.M. Lonsdale and Joseph Harz. The
brewer was Thomas Hofer.
The formal opening -- a festive
occasion to which the pubic was invited
-- was on Saturday, June 6, 1891.
After a stirring oration by Judge E.K.
Skinner, much beer was dispensed to
hundreds of guests who declared the
brew was first class in every respect
and wished a long life to the Jackson
Brewery and its officers.
By November, the brewery had a new
president: David Jackson, a steamboat
captain. A few years after that, a
restaurant owner named Lawrence
Fabacher Sr. took control of the
corporation. For many years after it
was more or less a family-run business.
Eventually it became the largest
independent brewery in the South and
the 10th largest single-plant brewery in
the country. During Prohibition the firm
-- unlike many breweries that were
forced to close -- stayed in constant
operation manufacturing near beer
(alcohol-free malt beverages), root
beer and other soft drinks.
The 1970s were lean years for the
company. The Fabachers sold out to
Jim Howard from Chicago and his
company, Meister Brau Inc. The new
owner made a fatal mistake when he
failed to advertise. He lost a fortune --
more than $2 million in 20 months --
and the brewery closed. Then in 1984,
it was reincarnated and became an
upscale shopping mall that sells all
manner of beer -- except for Jax.