Waterloo Brewing Co, Waterloo, IL. Wiggle Wagglegraph Wooden Toy, J. Simon Schorr Owner. Circa 1905

Waterloo Brewing Co, Wiggle Wagglegraph, Waterloo, IL. Circa 1905

This Wiggle Wagglegraph toy produced by the Dennis Novelty Company advertises Cabinet Beer from the Waterloo Brewing Company in Waterloo, Illinois on both the cardboard box and on the wooden toy itself. Circa 1905. The Waterloo Brewing Company was started by Michael Schorr in Waterloo in the early 1870’s and later his son J. Simon Schorr took over and ran it until prohibition started in 1918.

This brewery unfortunately never reopened after prohibition even though a lot of money was spent to reopen it. Apparently the vats became unusable as bacteria invaded the insides while it was closed, and the money to buy the new vats was insurmountable. The Waterloo Brewing Company building is still on North Main Street in Waterloo and today operates as JV’s Restaurant (www.jvsbarandgrill.com). Michael Schorr’s home is also just a few doors to the North of the restaurant.

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