The Hancock Liquor Co.

26 Nov 2021, last revised 26 Feb 2023

The Copper Country had embossed whiskey flasks from only two companies: G. Martini and the Hancock Liquor Co. The Hancock Liquor Co. was a short-lived firm for a wholesale liquor and saloon business.

It is unknown when the company started, but they started advertising from May 1900. Also in May, Levy and Feldman, noted as wholesale liquor dealers, rented the Gitzen property in West Hancock and their families were to arrive from Chicago the following week (11).

Newspaper ad - May 1900

Newspaper ad - Jan 1901

In Jul 1900, they were preparing to enlarge their business so to take up the entire first floor of the building (12). This meant that Justice C. O. Olivier would have to move his grocery store and office to another location (12). The 1900 Sanborn map shows the saloon on the northwest corner with Ravine St., and then the 1907 map shows the expansion and displacement of the grocery store. The 1907 map also shows that the street addresses were re-numbered.

Sanborn map - Jun 1900

Sanborn map - Nov 1907

It seems business continued to grow. In Aug 1900, they purchased a team of sorrel horses for their new delivery wagon (13). In Oct 1900, they filed articles of association, capitalized at $5,000 with 500 shares (14). The stockholders were Abe Levy with 10 shares, H. M. Feldman with 10 shares, Ray Levy with 240 shares, and Ida Feldman with 240 shares (14). The 1901 Polk directory listed the Hancock Liquor Co. as a saloon at 301 Quincy St. (1). The firm consisted of A. L. and Ray Levy, and Henry M. and Ida Feldman (1). The 1903 directory classified the company in Saloons and also in Wines and Liquors, at 301-303 Quincy St. (2).

A. Louis Levy was born in Apr 1874 in Germany and immigrated to the U.S. in 1876 (3). Ray Levy was his wife, and she was born in Apr 1878 in New York (3). According to his death record, Henry Feldman was born on 10 Nov 1866 in Hungary (8), although the 1900 census recorded a birth date of Feb 1868 (3). He immigrated to the U.S. in 1887 (3). Ida Feldman was his wife, and she was born in Nov 1872 in Germany and immigrated in 1875 (3). They were neighbors on Quincy St. (3), two blocks west of the saloon (1).

The firm apparently dissolved, but the business continued. The 1905 directory listed only A. L. Levy for the saloon and wholesale liquor business (4). He had ceramic whiskey jugs glazed with his name (10). He was last listed in the 1912 directory (5). It is unknown what happened to him and his wife thereafter. In 1910, the Feldmans resided in Houghton and Henry was a saloon keeper (6). In 1920, they resided in Chicago, and Henry continued to be a saloon keeper (7). Henry died in Chicago on 24 Jan 1930 at the age of 63 (8).

Their embossed bottle dates to 1902-1904 during the period when they ran a wholesale liquor business. Since they were wholesalers and not manufacturers, they probably purchased whiskey by the barrel and bottled it for individual sale. This was a common practice, with most of the manufacturing of whiskey occurring in Kentucky (9).

References

1. R. L. Polk & Co. 1901. Houghton County Directory 1901-02. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
2. R. L. Polk & Co. 1903. Houghton County Directory 1903-04. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
3. U.S. Census Bureau. 1900 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
4. R. L. Polk & Co. 1905. Houghton County Directory 1905-06. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
5. R. L. Polk & Co. 1912. 1912 Calumet, Hancock, Houghton and Laurium Directory. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
6. U.S. Census Bureau. 1910 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
7. U.S. Census Bureau. 1920 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
8. Illinois, U.S. Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947 (accessed on ancestry.com)
9. Regan, G. and M. H. Regan. accessed Dec 2021. The Book of Bourbon. posted on Distilled Spirits Council. americanwhiskeytrail.distilledspirits.org/american-whiskey-history
10. Copper Country Bottle Collectors. 1978. Old Copper Country Bottles of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Copper Country Bottle Collectors. Calumet, MI.
11. anonymous. (1900, May 19). untitled. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
12. anonymous. (1900, Jul 27). Portage Lake. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
13. anonymous. (1900, Aug 30). Portage Lake. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
14. anonymous. (1900, Oct 16). Portage Lake. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.