Welcome to Black Hawk (East side)

Welcome to Black Hawk (East side). Gregory Street Plaza. , Gregory Street , Gregory Street was home to two of Black Hawk’s early breweries, the Chicago and the Excelsior. These two breweries were both located at the intersection of Gregory and Church Streets. The breweries flanked Church Street, with the Chicago occupying the downhill side and the Excelsior residing on the uphill side. , , Chicago Brewery , John and Sarah Edwards established the Chicago Brewery on Church Street in August 1862. , As he was known, Uncle Johnny initially produced a Porter and a Lager. By July of 1864, he was enlarging his brewing apparatus and added a Cream Ale. , The Chicago brewery remained in operation under Edwards through December of 1869. In 1870, an experienced brewer, James A. Alston, and his partner, Richard Davis, leased the brewery. Alston himself was a partner in the former Black Hawk Chase Gulch Brewery. , In August of 1874, a horrific accident befell Edwards while hauling a load of lumber with his single-horse wagon. While traveling over a rough patch of road, Edwards was thrown onto the wagon shaft, which spooked the horse. The horse ran, and, within moments, a wheel shattered, the wagon toppled, and Edwards was crushed to death. , After her husband’s death, Sarah remarried a gentleman named Kirby Baines, and, in 1876, the two reopened the brewery. , In 1878, the couple closed the Chicago Brewery for the last time, and Sarah sold the property in January of 1880. , , Excelsior Brewery , George Tomlinson and James W. Pitts commenced brewing at the Excelsior in November of 1865. Tomlinson and Pitts produced an Ale, Porter, and a Lager. They also owned a saloon attached to their brewery, which served a full complement of wines, liquors, and cigars. By January of 1866, Pitts was the sole owner of the operation, and by October of the same year, he relocated the brewery a half-mile west to Mountain City. , Welcome to the City of Black Hawk, where American patriotism and the indomitable spirit that built the West still reside. Black Hawk is a City where we appreciate and celebrate our history while embracing and promoting our future. , “The value in restoring and repurposing the most historic and iconic buildings in the City of Black Hawk goes well beyond preserving the historic edifices themselves and really speaks to the intrinsic value these buildings hold. , We are honoring and preserving the indomitable spirit of the individuals who founded and built Black Hawk, remembering and reflecting on those who came before us, and perhaps, at the same time, tapping into a bit of that indomitable spirit as we continue to make history.” , - Mayor David D. Spellman