A color illustration of the Crockery City Brewery encircled by black text on a yellowed background.
TORSCH & MINKS BADGE CO
MNFR'S BADGES AND BUTTONS
PAT MAY 30 1899 BALTIMORE. MD.
Crockery City Brewing and Ice Company was founded in 1899 by George W. Meredith and Joseph Turnbull in East Liverpool, Ohio. The company name was a reference to East Liverpool being the leading pottery and crockery producers of its time due to large number of natural clay deposits. The company expanded in 1907 but faced adversity during the Prohibition Movement. Although they were able to ship their beer to nearby towns and counties and survive the first wave of Prohibition between 1907-1911, the state of Ohio prohibited the sale of alcohol in May of 1919. The company reinvented itself as a ice plant and produced soda pop drinks. When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, Crockery City Brewing started to produce beer again.
The company faced many changes throughout the years and multiple financial hardships. They declared bankruptcy in 1951 and brewing operations officially ended in 1952.
See more photos of pre- and post-prohibition beer buttons on the Busy Beaver blog.