Fulton Ave. Brewery at 1301 Pennsylvania St.; J.F. Lindley and Bro. Dry Goods and Carpets at 305-307 Main St., formerly 95-7 Main St.; Fred. P. Straub and Co. Hardware at 224 Main St.; John Gilbert Dry Goods Co. at 111-115 Main St. The brewery was built in 1880. In 1890 a windstorm caused part of it to collapse, but it was rebuilt. Hartmetz and Son Brewery, Evansville Brewery and Fulton Brewery merged to form the Evansville Brewing Association in 1893 in an effort to protect small breweries. This association was reportedly the result of a price war between the larger F.W. Cook Brewery and the non-affiliated breweries in town. The main office went to the Fulton Avenue Brewery and the other branches were eventually closed. ... Like many others during Prohibition, the company renamed itself Sterling Products Co. They made soft drinks, near beer, and malt extract (which was used by illicit homebrewers). It became Sterling Brewers Inc after Prohibition was over in 1933. ... Sterling merged with the Associated Brewing Co. group of Michigan in 1968. Officially it was named Sterling Brewers Association. In 1972, G. Heileman Brewery (LaCrosse, WI) bought the company. The plant was used to make many of the brands they acquired from other breweries including Cook's from Evansville, Champagne Velvet from Terre Haute, and Drewrys from South Bend. Heileman closed the plant due to over capacity in its other plants and sold the brewery in 1988. The Evansville Brewing Company, led by three local investors, John Durnin, Mark Mattingly, and John Bzeznski, re-opened the brewery on September 21, 1988. The three founders wanted to retain the employee base of the plant of about 90 people, and the brewery had a 1,200,000 barrel annual capacity. By 1994, Evansville Brewing sold almost 40% of its beer overseas. The brewery declared bankruptcy and closed on October 1, 1997. The brands, including Sterling, were sold to Pittsburgh Brewing. Sadly, the brewery was razed in December 1998 and now is a vacant lot. It was the last brewery standing in Evansville. (http://historicevansville.com/site.php?id=sterling) Very little information could be found about the Lindley building, other than it is believed to date to 1873. Other businesses occupied this space over the years, and this building still stands. However, the facade is completely altered so that no trace of what is shown here remains. The Straub hardware business occupied this building from 1860-1940, although it was in business for a few years after that in another location. There is no resemblance to this building in the building that currently stands at this address. The final building shown here was built in 1885. References were found to Gilbert Miller dry goods, so at some time this was a partnership. The building burned down in 1910 as a result of the nearby Fendrich Cigar Factory fire.