Historian Michael Maring presented a history talk on Tuesday, Sep. 9 on “The Commodore & The Brewery: Guttenberg’s Colorful Beginnings.” And “colorful” was the right word. The event took place in Monument Park – or Commodore’s Point, as it was once known, named for the wildly eccentric George Coleman de Kay.

 

Born in NYC in 1802, de Kay thirsted for adventure and traveled to Europe, wooing Irish lass Cathernie Coleman and eloping to Lisbon before embarking for South America, where a war was brewing and he hungered to be involved. Brazenly offering his services to either side, he wound up fighting for Argentina, who put him in command of an armed brig and gave him the rank of captain – later to be upgraded at his insistence to commodore.

 

After distinguishing himself in combat and engaging in some additional transatlantic adventures, de Kay purchased farmland in present-day Hudson County, including here in Slonga (the original Gaelic nickname for what is now Guttenberg) and dedicated himself to improving local roads and serving the community’s needs.

 

Back in the late 1800s, the land on which the Galaxy Towers now stand was occupied by another huge and impressive landmark: The White Brewery. Co-founder Otto Kohler was another “colorful” character, helping to establish the nascent town, its education system, and its two biggest industries in the early days: tourism and beer (not necessarily in that order).

 

Founded in 1855, the White Brewery was more than its name suggested, hosting a popular outdoor beer garden, dance hall, and sporting club. Boxing and wrestling matches were held to entertain the public, along with cockfights and traditional medicine shows featuring native Americans.

 

Standing eight stories tall and at one point extending out over the Palisades on pylons, it was a major attraction for both locals and visiting New Yorkers. Storage rooms with 60-foot ceilings were dug into the rock beneath the brewery to keep beer cold(ish), with additional caves dug deep into the foot of the Palisades to store items for shipping from the docks below. Eventually a huge electric sign was hoisted up on the building to further promote its wares.

 

Following its lead, many more breweries and drinking establishments opened in the area, with Guttenberg obtaining a reputation for more bars per block than anywhere else in the young nation. Kohler had a succession of partners over the years and when he died in 1880 the business continued to pass from owner to owner before closing in 1896 and subsequently burning to the ground.

 

Michael Maring offers presentations on local history each month courtesy of the North Bergen Public Library. Next up is a Halloween-themed collection of Hudson County ghost stories and spooky tales in October. Watch this space for details.