Jacob C GIMLICH
2002 - A THIRST FOR COLLECTING FATHER, SON CREATE BREWING MUSEUM

[THIRD Edition]

Lisa Kocian, Globe Staff Correspondent.
Chances are, the McMurtery house is the only one in Plainville with a museum in the basement.

Hugh G. and Hugh R. McMurtery, father and son, built from scratch a room in the elder McMurtery's home, modeled after a vintage saloon, solely for the purpose of displaying their 1,200 pieces of Massachusetts brewery history spanning two centuries.

Working part-time on the project, the private bar-museum took them three years to build. It includes a sleek mahogany bar, stools, circular booth in the middle of the room, and a collection of antique posters, cans, bottles, and other items they refer to as "breweriana," most of which, they say, cannot be found anywhere outside this collection.

Why would two people spend 26 years acquiring such an arcane assortment of stuff? The answer is the same as it is for probably most collectors: "the thrill of the hunt, the next big find," according to the younger McMurtery, 39, who has traveled all over the country with his father in search of additions to their collection.

The most recent such quest for a brewery antique took them to New York twice in three days last month to try to woo a reluctant owner into selling two tin beer signs, each more than 100 years old.

Collecting has continued as a way for the two to spend time together. The younger McMurtery lives in Woonsocket, R.I., and works as a carpenter. He was only 13 when he brought home his first beer can, which was traded or sold many years ago when the two decided to focus just on Massachusetts breweries. His father, 64, is retired from the construction business.

They went to New York last month to meet with a woman who had found two old beer signs while remodeling her house, which was formerly run as a hotel by the owners of the Berkshire Brewery, according to the McMurterys. The two signs were found nailed into a wall and plastered over with wallpaper. One still has the remnants of wallpaper on the back, and on the front painted in black and gold is the fabled King Gambrinus, who is credited with inventing beer, raising his glass in a toast. It reads: "Gimlich and White's, Berkshire Brewery, Pittsfield, Massachusetts."

Nine times out of 10, the hunt is fruitless, "but you have to go look," said the younger McMurtery.

"We knew we were chasing something good," he said of the recent New York trips, "but we didn't know we'd have the opportunity to buy."

The owner didn't want antique dealers to get the two signs, McMurtery said, so they had to convince her they were simply collectors.

They know people all over the country with a similar interest and a fellow collector, Ed Theberge, heard about the New York find on eBay and passed the tip along. Theberge coauthored with the McMurterys the book "New England Breweriana," which was published last year. Theberge's specialty, which he has also shared with his son for more than a quarter of a century, is Rhode Island breweriana.

"We look out for each other over the years," said Theberge. "The hunt consists obviously of the Internet now."

Many finds are stumbled upon in much the same way that Theberge did with the New York signs.

"A lot of cans are found during remodeling in barns and cellars, underneath bathtubs, in ceilings," said the younger McMurtery.

All breweries represented in the older McMurtery's Plainville home are long gone; some disappeared during Prohibition. In the early 1900s, there were 120 breweries in the state, and beer was distributed only locally, not nationwide like today, said the younger McMurtery.

Shelves with recessed lighting display some of the more unusual items in the collection.

"The things they advertised on is unbelievable," said the older McMurtery. "They wanted to get your attention."

The collection includes playing cards, pencils, fingernail clippers, even "lipstick tissues" encased in what looks like an oversized matchbook advertising "Croft and Cream Ale."

The McMurterys are drawn to the stories and history behind their finds. The tissues, for example, came out after World War II when pubs began to try to attract women, said the older McMurtery. Before that time, saloons were typically reserved for men only.

One of his favorite pieces is a lithograph from about 1900 advertising "Stanley and Co. Brewers" in Lawrence. The advertisement is a pretty scene showing the community around a brewery. Buildings are labeled: the Stable, Scald House, Office and the Brewery proper. Wooden kegs are loaded for delivery by horse and carriage. The older McMurtery bought the poster at the Brimfield Antiques Fair, where someone offered him $10,000 for it before he could even get to his car.

The scene depicted on the poster represents an era when a brewery could be the center of a town, driving the local economy with its need for carpenters and ice and bottlers, said the younger McMurtery.

The next hunt is on but for memories in addition to the usual mementos. The McMurterys, who can be reached at Hughbrew@juno.com, are looking for anyone who worked in a Massachusetts brewery, to hear what the experience was like.

"That just has to be a fascinating time," said the older McMurtery.

Lisa Kocian can be reached at lkocian@globe.com.


Boston Globe
Boston, Massachusetts
October 6, 2002

Learn more about the life of     Jacob C GIMLICH.