New Ulm in Brown County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Waraju Distillery

Photographed By Connor Olson, July 23, 2020

1. Waraju Distillery Marker

Inscription. Henry A. Subilia, a native of Jean, Italy, constructed the Waraju distillery in 1861. The construction cost total of $8,000, plus $2,000 for furnishings. The building required approximately 200,000 bricks and measured 72 feet x 46 feet. It obtained his name from the Dakota word “waraju” which means cottonwood.

The steam powered distillery processed 100 bushels of grain per day into whiskey, bitters, and punch extract. Farmers exchanged rye, barley, corn, and firewood for the finished products.

Although much of the distillery was damaged in the Dakota war of 1862, it served as a temporary mail from 1863 to 1864. When a new mill opened in New Ulm during the fall of 1864, the Waraju went out of business. In 1866, the distillery’s ruins in the surrounding 4 acres of land were sold at a mortgage sale for $800.

Today, the chimney of the Waraju Distillery stands as a landmark to New Ulm’s early history.

Funded by Henry E. Brey, Great-Grandson of Henry Subilia

Erected 1992 by Brown County Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers • Wars, US Indian. A significant historical year for this entry is 1861.

Location. 44° 18.51′ N, 94°

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28.333′ W. Marker is in New Ulm, Minnesota, in Brown County. Marker can be reached from Monument Street north of Center Street (County Road 13), on the right when traveling north. Located in Harman Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 North Garden St, New Ulm MN 56073, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Hermann Monument (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Joseph A. Harman (about 700 feet away); Leavenworth Rescue Expedition (approx. 0.3 miles away); Defenders State Monument (approx. half a mile away); Lest We Forget (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Pioneers of Brown County Monument (approx. 0.6 miles away); Brown County (approx. 0.6 miles away); Brown County Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in New Ulm.

Also see . . . Whiskey distillery an early New Ulm enterprise. (Submitted on July 29, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Waraju Distillery chimney image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Connor Olson, July 23, 2020

2. Waraju Distillery chimney

Credits. This page was last revised on July 29, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 29, 2020, by Connor Olson of Kewaskum, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 548 times since then and 64 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 29, 2020, by Connor Olson of Kewaskum, Wisconsin. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.