"About the year 1865, Charles T. Doxey and William Craycraft built a brewery on the lot now occupied by Matthias Colchen's saloon and residence on West Eighth street, long known by the old-timers of Anderson as the Craycraft property. They operated this establishment for about one year, when in the month of May, 1866, it took fire in the night and was destroyed and never rebuilt. This was Anderson's first brewery, and although small it was a pioneer in its line. It was soon followed by the now extensive place owned by T. M. Norton which was in its primitive stage a small affair as compared with its present capacity."
-Historical Sketches and Reminiscences of Madison County, Indiana, 1897
The Norton Brewing Company brewery was located at 106-114 N. Central Avenue, Anderson, Indiana, and was originally built in 1882, with additions in 1897, and a modern facility built in 1910. These drawings date from 1934 to 1939, after the national experiment of Prohibition had been repealed and breweries were returning to production. As you can see from the plat drawing above, the property was conveniently located adjacent to the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks, White River, and City of Anderson offices. At the height of production, Norton produced 25,000 barrels per year and was well known throughout central Indiana for its quality beers, such as "Gold Band," "Old Pal," and "Special Brew."
To see the full set of Norton Brewing Company architectural drawings, visit our online collection.
Images: T. M. Norton Brewing Company, Anderson, Indiana, 1934-39, Arthur B. Henning Architectural Records, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.
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