George Anton Basserman (4 October 1832 – 27 September 1887) was a

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of b ...

owner in the

Cedar Hill Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae *Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona * ...

neighborhood of

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

during the late 19th century. Born in what is now Germany in 1832, and came to New Haven in 1851. Basserman was owner of the Rock Brewery on State and Rock St. He blasted a cellar in at the foot of

East Rock East Rock of south-central Connecticut, United States, with a high point of , is a long trap rock ridge located primarily in the neighborhood of East Rock on the north side of the city of New Haven. A prominent landscape feature and a popular ...

to start his brewery under which he excavated a cellar, 200 feet deep, 24 feet wide, and 16 feet high, for storing his brewings. The average production of this brewery was from 15,000 to 20,000 barrels a year. Once in business, he made a large bottling plant. The brewery proper comprised a three-story building, partly of stone, 185 by 50 feet in dimensions, while the attached sheds and barns covered an area 688 by 50 feet. It was also remembered for its authentic German beer gardens, built next to the brewery. Although the building was destroyed in a fire, part of the wall remains. Across the street he built a residence for his employees, which was later known as the "George Basserman Building". 1886 ''The State of Connecticut vs Basserman'': A complaint was filed against Basserman for selling "intoxicating" liquors. He was found guilty of selling lager in

Hamden Hamden is the name of several places in the United States of America. It also is a surname. Places *Hamden, Connecticut *Hamden Township, Becker County, Minnesota *Hamden, Missouri *Hamden, New York *Hamden, Ohio *Hamden, Oklahoma Name *Erika Ham ...

, CT without a license. George Basserman was married to Johannette. They had a son named George Anton Basserman, II. After his father's death, G.A. Basserman II sold the Rock Brewery in 1888 to a John M. Manning of Buffalo, a brother of the late

Daniel Manning Daniel Manning (May 16, 1831 – December 24, 1887) was an American journalist, banker, and politician. A Democrat, he was most notable for his service as the 37th United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1885 to 1887 under President Grov ...

. He had plans to enlarge it until the fire. Basserman's granddaughter Anna Basserman married William Hall August 2, 1914. The Hall family still owns several properties in the Cedar Hill community.

References

External links

NY Times article with George Basserman name in it in 1876
It was a group of Beer brewery men fighting the IRS and the Government to not restrict them.
Directory listing for Rock Brewery 1874 pg 260
{{DEFAULTSORT:Basserman, George 1832 births 1887 deaths Businesspeople from New Haven, Connecticut Immigrants to the United States American brewers 19th-century American businesspeople