1848
William Hodson operated the first brewery in Janesville; during the year the building was struck by lightning and destroyed, and Hodson rebuilt.
The evidence
“The first brewery to be operated in Janesville was by William Hodson in 1848; the building was destroyed by fire, but was rebuilt by Mr. Hodson and sold to Henry B.”
1908-brown-rock-county/27-early-janesville-manufacturers.md, Vol. 2, PDF p. 93 / book p. 604
Brown, William Fiske, editor. Rock County, Wisconsin: A New History of Its Cities, Villages, Towns, Citizens and Varied Interests, from the Earliest Times, Up to Date. Chicago: C. F. Cooper & Co., 1908. 2 vols. archive.org/details/rockcountywiscon01brow, archive.org/details/rockcountywiscon02brow.
Grade A: Found on a page of one of our sources
On the printed page (Vol. 2, PDF p. 93 / book p. 604) · open the whole page “It stood upon ground now occupied by the Doty Manufacturing Company's works. In 1848, the building was struck by lightning and completely destroyed. Hodson rebuilt, and then sold to Henry B.”
1879-history-of-rock-county/14-rock-county-ch08-janesville.md, PDF p. 561
Butterfield, C. W., et al. The History of Rock County, Wisconsin: its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc. Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1879. Cornell University Library via the Internet Archive, archive.org/details/cu31924028871585.
Grade A: Found on a page of one of our sources
On the printed page (PDF p. 561) · open the whole page
