History 101
The Spirits of Chesterfield Past
Article Aimee Pellet Photos Provided by Aimee Pellet
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have to admit that when I heard the theme of this month’s issue was beer and wine, I had a difficult time conjuring up an image of the families of the farming community of Chesterfield sitting down to an exquisite Châteauneuf-du-Pape and foie gras. It does stand to reason that while some of the earlier and wealthier residents may have had access to the finer things in life, most of the inhabitants of Chesterfield a hundred years ago, were farmers or small merchants. Of course, wine was not unheard of in the area, as Germans brought the beverage to the area in the 1830s. However, most of that wine production centered in the areas further upstream along the Missouri River in areas such as Hermann and Augusta and The Prohibition laws brought a halt to much of that industry for a time. It seems logical that the farming community of Chesterfield was likely more concerned with raising livestock, growing food and storing grain than partaking in the making of a German Riesling? When I asked my mother’s cousin, Linda Murphy, if she knew whether or not our Chesterfield ancestors made or drank wine, she said, “Well, Gramps used to make Cherry Bounce.” Emil Hoefer was my great-grandfather and better known to us as “Gramps”. He and my great-grandmother, Lena, were life-long residents of Chesterfield. So, what exactly was this so-called “Cherry Bounce?” Just like many things on a farm, spirits were often made at home. The basic idea of the “family recipe” for Cherry Bounce is as follows: Montmorency pie cherries were taken from the trees in the backyard and added – pits and all -- to a large brown crockery jug. Sugar was added and the remainder of the jug was then filled with grain alcohol. It was possibly vodka, but more likely bootleg whiskey, which was quite common in the area. After an excruciating three month wait you would have Cherry Bounce. “He hid it in the armoire in the basement, I assume to keep it from [Lena]. If that was his thought he didn’t know his wife very well,” says Murphy.
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Chesterfield Lifestyle | October 2014
Endeavors, such as distilling your own whiskey, did not come without risk. One night Gramps heard a tremendous noise at their farm near the Missouri River. He drove to the riverbank and took his small boat to a sandbar. There he found two men badly burned from when their still exploded. He took both to a hospital, a somewhat rare occurrence at the time since most hospitals were in St. Louis, indicating the severity of injuries. Though wine was relatively expensive, and bootlegging could be risky, beer was readily available, thanks in part to the region’s booming beer trade. Germans brought beer-making to St. Louis around the same time that winemakers were planting vines west of Chesterfield. Estimates by historians put the possible number of breweries in the mid-18th century at 40-50. While there was no large scale brewing in Chesterfield, saloons certainly did exist. Walter Gerlach’s Tavern was located near Highway 40 and Clarkson Road. E.W. Zierenberg’s general store – still standing at the intersection of Olive Blvd. and Hog Hollow Rd. – served many purposes, including a saloon. Hine Station Hotel was located at the bottom of Hog Hollow Hill and was a two story hotel and saloon, named after the railroad stop nearby. The hotel was frequented primarily by employees of the railroad or the Water Company and workers at the nearby quarry. When the quarry closed in 1903, the hotel also closed. There’s no record of whether women frequented these establishments, although if they did it was probably not something to brag about. Schwenk’s Dance Hall and