Those who spend time living or working in old buildings know it’s not all that unusual to find long-forgotten or lost things from long ago in the back of closets, wedged between flooring or tucked in inconspicuous corners of hard-to-reach shelves. A coin, a piece of paper, a wire hanger, a bottle or a piece of jewelry are small items that might turn up in doing a deep clean or remodeling.
At Thornton Distilling Co. in Thornton, which dates back to 1857 and remains the oldest standing brewery in the state, the owners have found their share of little treasures over the years – from old receipts to beer bottles. But, on Jan. 19 they found something quite out of the ordinary, but not all that surprising considering the building’s history as an illegal bootlegging operation that had ties to Chicago mobster Al Capone.
The building operated as a soda-bottling business during prohibition, which stretched from 1920-1933, but there’s no proof that a single bottle of soda was made during that time. Instead, German-style beer continued to be produced there and it is believed to have been distributed throughout Chicago and the Midwest under the direction of Capone.
After beer production stopped, the building had a number of uses as industrial businesses, offices and a restaurant/bar. After sitting vacant for several years, the building became Thornton Distilling Co. in 2019 and it now operates as a distillery, restaurant and wedding and event venue.
Typically closed on Mondays, founder Andrew Howell and head distiller Ari Klafter were at the distillery catching up on work when Howell, inspecting a wall opening as he was considering electrical work, noticed the gleam of chrome when flashing a light into a hole in the limestone-enclosed artesian well.
“It was a wild morning,” said Howell. “I found the pistol while measuring to install electrical infrastructure for our subterranean artesian well — a spot many of our wedding couples use for photos. After a photographer suggested adding a light at Sunday’s bridal fair, I was inspecting the area and noticed an old potbelly stove vent in the wall. About three feet in I discovered a void. While probing it, I felt something, shone my flashlight and saw the pistol’s chrome finish.”
He admits he was at first hesitant to go digging. “When I first put my arm in the hole, I was a bit concerned a possum might bite my hand, but I guess I’m lucky!”
Company last week. (Provided photo)
Howell immediately reached out to the Thornton Police Department to report the loaded gun he had found. “The police ran the number on it,” he said. “When we had the model number, we pulled it and it looked like it was manufactured between 1903 and 1923.” Officers were able to identify the gun as a Colt Model 1908.
“We’ll consult a firearms expert to learn more. If it’s safe to display, we plan to include it with the other artifacts in our bar and restaurant — it would be a great addition to our historic tours,” said Howell.
For now, visitors to the distillery can view the hole where the gun was found as part of the weekend tours. The 45-minute to one-hour guided tour gives an overview of the history of the distillery and takes participants through the first floor of the venue to the distillery floor and to the underground artesian well that once supplied water for the beers made there and now is used in distilling. It comes from an aquifer sourced from Lake Superior.
Tours take place on Saturdays and Sundays at a cost of $15, which ends with a tasting of several of the spirits produced by Thornton Distilling Co. A 35-minute ghost tour is also held once a month. For more information and to book a tour, visit thorntondistilling.com.
