Chosi's Joseph Davison Page

Washington Brewery / Arlington Brewery / Joseph Davison / Francis Denmead

Washington Brewery
Company Names, addresses, dates¹:
Washington Brewery, William Hayman, corner of K north and 27th west, Washington DC (c.1840-c.1844)^4,6
Washington Brewery, Harmon Gordon & Co, corner of K north and 27th west, Washington DC (1847)⁵
Washington Brewery, Joseph Davison, corner of K north and 27th west, Washington DC (1850-c.1859) ^7,8
Washington Brewery, Colineau Clement, corner of K north and 27th west, Washington DC (c.1859-1864)
Washington Brewery, Harvey North, corner of K north and 27th west, Washington DC (1865-66)
Washington Brewery, John H. North & Co., corner of K north and 27th NW, Washington DC (1867-1868)
Washington Brewery, North Bros (Wm F & Geo L), corner of K north and 27th NW, Washington DC (1871)
Arlington Brewery, Geo. B. Wilson & Co, corner of K north and 27th NW, Washington DC (1874)
Arlington Brewery, C.H. Sawyer, corner of K north and 27th NW, Washington DC (1875)
Arlington Brewery, Dewitt M. Ogden, corner of K and 27th Streets NW, Washington DC (1876-1877)
Arlington Brewery, Francis Denmead, corner of K and 27th Streets NW, Washington DC (1877-1878)
Arlington Brewery, T.C. Tafford, corner of K and 27th Streets NW, Washington DC (1879)

Washington Brewery / Arlington Brewery
The brewery at the corner of K and 27th Streets NW got started sometime before 1842. The book "A new guide to Washington" by George Watterston, published in 1842, said the brewery got started by William Haymen, and had "been in existence for some years"⁶.
It had many owners through the years. City Directories or Newspaper articles referred to it as the "Washington Brewery" between 1844 and 1872. There were other breweries in Washington DC with the same name such as this Washington Brewery .
Starting in 1873 when George Wilson bought the Brewery, it was renamed the "Arlington Brewery"².
In 1886, that location was taken over by the Arlington Bottling Company. I assume it ceased being a brewery, and start simply bottling beer, and probably soda as well.

Joseph Davison (born 1799, died 18??)
Joseph Davison owned the Washington Brewery for about 9 years (1850-c.1859).
According to an article in the March 13, 1853 Repulic newspaper, Joseph Davison was born in England, and learned the brewing business in England, Scotland & France. His XX pale ale was described as equal to the Scottish article, clear, golden and sparkling in appearance. And his brown stout was compared to London brewing. His porter was described only as 'good', whereas his ale was described as 'excellent'. He had a demand for four thousand gallons per week, and his establishment was capable of twice that.⁹.
The latest newspaper ad I found for Joseph Davison's brewery was Feb 10 1858, and the earliest one for his successor Clement Colineau is Dec 3, 1959, so the brewery changed hands somewhere between those 2 dates.

Francis Denmead (born 1829, died 1891)
Francis Denmead owned the Arlington Brewery for about 2 years (1877-1878).
According to "Robert Portner and his Brewing Company" by Timothy J. Dennee, Francis Denmead also ran a malt house in Baltimore that supplied Robert Portner with barley malt during the Civil War. Denmead was also one of Portner's creditors.³

Bottles:

	book # 208 This is a 7.25" blue blob-top bottle with a repaired top. It is embossed: in block letters: J. DAVISON below the block letters: WASHINGTON BREWERY / D.C. base: (iron pontil scar)
	book # 50 This is a 9" damaged aqua blob-top bottle with the top broken off. With the top, it was probably 9.5" tall. It is embossed: oval slug plate: F. DENMEAD / ARLINGTON / BREWERY / WASHINGTON D.C. rear: THIS / BOTTLE / NOT TO BE / SOLD

Other Items:

This is a letter from Harvey North, written in 1871 on Washington brewery letterhead. The letterhead on top says:
Letterhead: NORTH BROTHERS' / (picture of brewery) / WASHINGTON BREWERY, / Corner of K and Twenty-Seventh Streets. / ON HAND AT ALL TIMES THE FINEST QUALITIES OF / STOCK AND PRESENT USE ALES AND PORTER.
The actual letter says (as near as I can transcribe):

Washington, D.C. 8 March 1871
M.W.A. Menger Sir
Mr. Charles Altmaunsberger (our cooper since many years) has mentioned you as an old friend & resident of Texas and doubtless able to give me information about your part of the state, I therefore write you this letter. My son George L. North may also call upon you with a letter of introduction to you from Charles. He is a young man about 21 years old & I have sent him to Southwest Texas to look into the stock raising business to see if it would suit him to engage in it. I would like very much if you would give me your opinion upon the advantages & disadvantages of that intent in your section of the state. I have been told that the busines is in the hands of a clique or a few principal owners of the stock who endeavor to give others as little chance as possible - is this so and what is the effect of it? I am thinkiing also of leaving here in a few weeks to join my son & might take my wife, daughter & small child with me if I thought I could pass the summer in comfortable quarters in your part of the country. I have thought of San Anonio & New Braunfels as perhaps being the best places for my family. What do you advise about this matter as regard to health &c.
As you keep a hotel I should like to know what it would cost me to board nightly on or elswhere in your quarters.
Therefore my dear sir if you would favour me with an early reply to this & principally upon the two points upon which making our judgement - my stock raising intent & upon taking my family to Texas to spend the summer - you would greatly oblige me.
I remain very respectfully yours
Harvey North
P.O. Georgetown D.C.
P.S. Will you also oblige me by sending me a number each of your Newspapers published in English at San Antonio

This is a picture from an advertisement that ran in February & March of 1865 in the Daily National Intelligencer Washington DC newspaper. It depicts the brewery, and appears to be the same as the picture on the top left of the letterhead above.

¹ Boyd's Directory for the District of Columbia (various years) except where otherwise noted. ² Daily Critic Washington DC newspaper, Feb 10 1873, p.2
³ Robert Portner and his Brewing Company, by Timothy J. Dennée
⁴ Daily National Intelligencer newspaper, Dec 2 1844, p.4
⁵ Daily National Intelligencer newspaper, Jan 9 1847, p.3
⁶ Book: A new guide to Washington by George Watterston, 1842, p.92-93
⁷ Daily National Intelligencer newspaper, Mar 12 1850, p.3
⁸ Evening Star (Washington DC) newspaper, Dec 3 1959, p.3
⁹ Repulic (Washington DC) newspaper, March 3, 1853, p.3

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This page last updated on February 16, 2019.