Schemm Brewery was located on N. Hamilton Street at W. Holland Avenue. Founded in 1866, the firm’s advertising proclaimed that it was Saginaw’s oldest and largest brewery. By 1910 the company had the capacity to produce 75,000 barrels of beer yearly. With the enactment of prohibition, the firm attempted to survive by producing alcohol-free products; however, this was not profitable and the company soon closed. After Prohibition’s repeal in 1933, attempts were made to reopen the plant. Finally reopened in 1935, the endeavor wasn’t profitable and Schemm was closed permanently in 1938. The plant was destroyed by a series of fires in the early 1950s.
This c.1925 winter view of the plant and a page from the Goodridge Brothers’ Art Souvenir of Saginaw, Michigan, a commemorative booklet published in 1902, capture the scale of the Schemm Brewery.
Visit the Castle Museum to view a special exhibit exploring the history of Saginaw County Breweries.
The link below will take you to a copy of the Goodridge Brothers’ Art Souvenir of Saginaw, Michigan: https://www.castlemuseum.org/goodridge-brothers-art-souvenir