19th century beer cave rediscovered in Winterset
By ANDREW MOLLENBECK
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WINTERSET, Iowa (KCCI) — Madison County may be known for its covered bridges, but a covered beer cave from the middle of the 19th century is generating the latest buzz.
The beer cave, which is an earthen cooler, is just east of Highway 169 on property that is now a farm equipment supplier.
It is close to what was Madison County’s first brewery.
A local business directory from 1869 shows the brewery was already in operation, though the year of its founding is uncertain.
While some locals had known about the beer cave on the edge of town, its existence had been hidden for generations.
“We were boring in these power lines underground, and they just ran into some rock,” said Chuck Johnson, the electric superintendent. “They started digging it up and figured they hit a rock shelf.”
There was even some speculation that they had found part of the underground railroad. But a closer examination proved it was part of the brewery.
“When we poked our head in and saw the arched ceiling — there isn’t a flaw in it,” Johnson said. “It’s just like it was brand new.”
For now, the cave is full of water, and local officials are waiting until fall when the water resides to take a full digital scan.
After that, they will decide how best to preserve and mark the location.
“Any time you find something from the 1860s, it’s really exciting,” said Jared McDonald from the Madison County Historical Society. “We’ll do something, either a marker or—I don’t if we’ll exhume it and have tours of it, but we’ll definitely have a mark and a plaque for it.”
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