Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the Walter H. Voigt Brewing Industry Collection

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.1195
Creators:
Voigt, Walter H.
Dates:
1891-1979
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
3 Cubic feet
8 boxes
Repository:
The collection documents the history of the brewing beer industry in the mid-Atlantic region primarily between the 1890s and the 1960s. Materials includeing correspondence, class notes, beer labels, journal reprints, technical papers, trade literature, legal papers, magazine articles, cartoons, books, and literature from the Master Brewers Association of America.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Collection documents the history of brewing beer in the mid-Atlantic region primarily between the 1890s and the beginning of consolidation and large-scale, industrial production in the 1960s. Materials consist of correspondence; class notes on the brewing process; beer labels; journal reprints and technical papers on brewing; trade literature on beer, bottling and the bottling process; printed material from beer events, such as the meetings of the Master Brewers Association of America; papers on the legal aspects of brewing; articles, including historical articles on beer; cartoons; and brewing magazines and books. The collection is arranged into four series: Series 1, Personal Papers, 1931-1967, undated; Series 2, Beer Industry, 1932-1979, undated; Series 3, Publications, 1891-1969, undated; and Series 4, Associations, 1934-1966, undated.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged into four series.
Series 1, Personal Papers, 1931-1967, undated
Series 2, Beer Industry, 1932-1979, undated
Subseries 2.1, Technical Information, 1938-1979, undated
Subseries 2.2, Sales, Marketing, and Distribution, 1932-1966, undated
Series 3, Publications, 1891-1969, undated
Subseries 3.1, Books, 1891-1964, undated
Subseries 3.2, Periodicals, 1910-1969, undated
Series 4, Organizations, 1934-1966, undated

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Walter Herbert Voigt was a brewer and collector of beer related materials. He began in the beer brewing business soon after the 21st Amendment repealed Prohibition. He was born in 1906 in Vermillion, South Dakota of German immigrant parents, Fritz and Minna Voigt. Voigt attended the Siebel Institute of Biotechnology, the oldest beer brewing school in the United States. During the 1930s, he spent two years training in brewing at the Largay Brewing Company in Waterbury, Connecticut. Voigt began his career with the Amsterdam Brewing Company in Amsterdam, New York, and then moved to the American Brewing Company in Baltimore, Maryland about 1941 as assistant brew master. During his life, he was a member of the Master Brewers Association (MBA) and held the position of Secretary of the District of Baltimore for the Master Brewers Association (MBA). Voigt later retired from the American Brewing Company and died in 1983 at the age of seventy-seven in Salisbury, Connecticut.

Administration

Author
Eva Buchanan-Cates, Katie DeFonzo, Stephanie Haeg, Emily Woessner, and Vanessa Broussard-Simmons
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated to the National Museum of American History in 1967 by Walter H. Voigt, along with artifacts from the brewing industry.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Eva Buchanan-Cates, Katie DeFonzo, Stephanie Haeg, and Emily Woessner interns; supervised by Vanessa Broussard Simmons, archivist, 2017.
Custodial History
Transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Work and Industry in 2010.
Separated Materials
Related objects from Walter H. Voigt are in the Division of Work and Industry and include beer bottles. See accessions: AG.65.2068, AG.65.2093, AG.65.2094, AG.65.2096, AG.65.2353, AG.67.0834, AG.67.0838, AG.67.0839, and AG.67.0840.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Walter H. Voigt Brewing Industry Collection, 1891-1979, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

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Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Correspondence -- 20th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Advertisements -- 20th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cartoons (humorous images) -- 20th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bottling Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Brewing Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Beer Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Notebooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Beverages Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Labels Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Reprints Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Notes Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Master Brewers Association of America Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
archivescenter@si.edu