You can read additional information about George Henry Shawhan and his Distillery here.
Lone Jack Shawhan Distillery ________________________________________
George Henry was a Confederate veteran of the Civil War, having been a member of General John Hunt Morgan's Calvary during its raids into Indiana and Ohio; George was captured during the Ohio raid and was kept a prisoner at Camp Douglas outside of Chicago. After the War he tried to resume farming and distilling in the Shawhan tradition, but experienced difficulties; when he heard from his siblings about the fertile soil and water potential around Lone Jack, he decided to join them, bringing his wife, the former Mary Tatman, and two young children with him. He also brought his mother, the former Minerva Redmon (1807-1890). They moved to Lone Jack in 1872.
George Shawhan bought a farm and built the Lone Jack distillery. At first its capacity was about two barrels a day (forty-two gallons a barrel). Later it was increased to about three barrels. The record production was made November 6, 1898. A grandson was born to Homer and Sally Shawhan Rowland on this day and was named Record Shawhan Rowland in honor of the event.
Lone Jack rye or bourbon could be purchased for $3.50 for four full quarts. Prices varied for other brands. Federal excise tax was $1.10 a gallon.
In 1878, peach brandy was made. The brandy was not as popular as the bourbon. However, in the fall of the next year a ten-acre peach orchard was set out.
Steam furnished the power for the distillery and water was drawn from a large pond The pond also served as a swimming pool and as a baptistry for the Christian and Baptist Churches.
September 19, 1880, while apple jack was being made, the still blew up. A coil became stopped up with the apple pumace, and when Daniel Perrow increased the boiler pressure to clear the coil, it exploded. Perrow, his son, Will and Tommie Lester were killed. Six others were seriously injured.
Twenty years later in January, 1900, at midnight the distillery caught fire and burned. The fire was caused by a defect in the wall around the boiler. At that time there were about 800 barrels of whiskey in the warehouse.
After the fire, George H. Shawhan went to Weston, Missouri and purchased the Holladay distillery. This distillery had been established in 1856 and had remained in the Halladay family until 1894. It was then acquired by B.B. Joffee of Kansas City and then bought by Shawhan. It was incorporated at $250,000.00 and was United Registered Distillery No. S.
TIMELINE:
1872 ¬ Arrival of George Henry Shawhan in Lone Jack, Missouri, moving from Bourbon County, Kentucky. George Henry was a powerful man, standing 6 foot, 5 inches, and weighing about 250 pounds. It was said that he could raise a 400 pound barrel of whiskey to his lips for a sip to test its flavor.
1873 - By early 1873, George Henry had completed his first distillery, with a capacity of about two barrels of whiskey of forty-two gallons each. It took about one bushel of grain to produce 3.7 gallons of whiskey. The newly distilled whiskey was placed in a warehouse for aging. Steam furnished the power for the distillery and water was drawn from a large pond; the pond also served as a swimming hole and as a baptistery for the Christian and Baptist Churches. The distillery employed a boilerman, distiller, and various others to weigh the grain, and work in the gallon house to fill bottles as they were bought.
1876 ¬ August 10 - Mr. B. B. Cave bought 45 96/00 gallons of whiskey, costing $91.80, on account.
1878 ¬ Peach brandy and other fruit liquors were added, and orchards were established accordingly.
1880 ¬ On September 19, while applejack was being made, the still blew up. A coil became stopped up with the apple pumice, and when the boiler pressure was increased to clear the coil, it exploded ¬ employees Daniel Perrow, his son, Will, and Tommie Lester were killed. Six others were seriously injured.
1881 ¬ August, Preacher Cunningham paid $9.65 in cash for a keg of peach brandy that he had purchased in Nov. 1880.
March 21, John Quick and his wife commenced work for one year, to be paid $275. 1883 ¬ George Henry has three large tobacco barns where tobacco grown around Lone Jack is dried, graded, and made into plugs, sack tobacco, and cigars. His prices were modest ¬ you could buy 25 pounds of Gold Nugget tobacco for $8.75, 50 Adigo cigars for $2, and 15 pounds of Licorice Twist tobacco for $6.
1898 ¬ On November 6, the saloon owned by George Henry in Kansas City, at the corner of Missouri and Oak Streets, had a record business day. On the same day, his daughter Sally Shawhan, who had married Homer Rowland, celebrated the birth of a son; at Grandfather George Henry's command, the child was named "Record Rowland".
1900 ¬ In January, at midnight, the distillery caught fire and burned down. The fire was caused by a defect in the wall around the boiler. The warehouse was not touched ¬ it held about 800 barrels at the time of the fire. Federal Records in Missouri identified this Lone Jack, Jackson County distillery as No. 59.
George Henry moved quickly to maintain his distillery business despite the Lone Jack fire. He went to Weston, Missouri, in Platte County, and purchased the Holladay Distillery, which had been established there in 1856 by the brothers Major Ben Holladay and David Holladay. Located near the limestone bluffs of the Missouri River, it had access to a wonderful spring, producing some of the purest water to be found, drawing the comment from George that using that water with his formula he could "beat the Bourbon County fellows all hollow." The property includes a cave within which whiskey was once aged. In Federal records it was registered as No. 8. At the time, Distillery No. 8 was not distilling, but spirits were being drawn from its warehouse.
1901 ¬ G. H. Shawhan was withdrawing whiskey from Warehouse No. 59 at Lone Jack, but was not distilling there.
1902 - the George H. Shawhan family was occupying a beautiful home in downtown Weston, Missouri.
Note: In 1998 the home is a Bed & Breakfast, called the Benner House, located at 645 Main Street, in "Historic Weston". It advertises itself as a "fine example of steamboat gothic architecture", originally built by "Mr. George Shawhan, who owned what we know today as the McCormick Distillery." It's a picturesque 2-_ story Victorian-style home, with a wrap around porch on both the first and second floors. It features: "The main parlor provides an especially inviting atmosphere for conversation and getting acquainted. Slip away into the sitting room where you can curl up in a rocking chair with your favorite book. Enjoy a full candlelight breakfast in the Victorian dining room."
1903 ¬ G. H. Shawhan was still withdrawing whiskey from Warehouse No. 59 at Lone Jack.
George Henry maintained a correspondence with other Shawhan family members. A copy of one such letter, dated in 1903, has been found. It was written on Shawhan Distillery Company stationary. "IT KEEPS ON TASTING GOOD" was printed across the top. Arched across the top is "THE SHAWHAN DISTLLERY COMPANY", appearing in bold and shadowed capital letters. Slightly below this is a picture of a tree flanked on both sides with a picture of two large kegs. The keg on the left has a stalk of corn arched around both sides of its head. On the Keg-head are these words, "SHAWHAN Old Style Sour Mash ¬ Formula established 1786". The keg on the right is surrounded by two stalks of rye. Printed on the keg-head are the words, "HOLLADAY pure Rye ¬ Formula Established 1849." The body of the letter is written in pen and ink.
The text reads verbatim:
"Weston Mo. April 17, 1903 Mr. Joseph Shawhan Princeton, Ind. Your letter of the 10th came to hand yesterday and was glad to find some more kinfolks. Daniel Shawhan who moved to Bourbon Co., Ky. In 1786 was my Great Grandfather so was he to you. My Gran Father was John Shawhan a brother of your father's father. There were several of them Jos., John, Robert, George, and I do not remember the others. I find two of our great uncle Robert's boy's Gran sons one in Iowa and one in Nebrask they have both written me but I have not got the letters here. I can't remember the towns that they are at but will try and look it up. You failed to state which was your Gran father and also what your father's name was. My father's name was Daniel and Gran father was John. Our Great Gran father died in Bourbon Co. in 1791 and was only 56 years old. First man to make whisky in Bourbon Co., Ky and was the originator of Bourbon Whisky. He made Whisky in Monongalia Co., Virginia under Washington administration. I do not know how much sooner than. My Granfather made it and my father and I have been making it for over 30 years. Expecting to hear from you again. I am very truly your cousin, George H. Shawhan"
1904 ¬ Geo. Shawhan withdrew his last whiskey from Warehouse No. 59 at Lone Jack, upon payment of tax. The products of his distillery are marketed by the Morrin-Powers Mercantile Company of Kansas City.
1905 ¬ The Shawhan Distillery promotes a whiskey labeled "SHAWHAN Four Generation Rye WHISKEY"; the four-generation label shows pictures of the Shawhans involved, with dates ¬ Daniel (1786), John (1826), Daniel (1854), and George (1904).
1907 ¬ The last distillery purchased by the George H. Shawhan family was the Spring River Distillery at Verona, Missouri, registered as Distillery No. 6. It was managed by R. G. Baker, who had married Sarah Shawhan (daughter), and J. O. Tong, who had married Lorena Shawhan Lackey (granddaughter) of George H. Shawhan. Note: This distillery was sold in 1918.
1908 ¬ George sold his Weston distillery facility and the Shawhan brand name, but absent the family formula, to the Singer family. The Singers purchased the McCormick name from the McCormick family, which owned a distillery but had abandoned plans to continue making whiskey. The Singers resumed production after the end of Prohibition, using the original McCormick recipe. They later sold the facility and the whiskey aging in the warehouses, in 1947, to Dr. Armand Hammer of United Distillers; he did not continue production. In 1951 the Cray family bought the facilities and production was under way again.
1912 ¬ George Henry Shawhan died; he's buried in the Lee's Summit Cemetery.
