Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear
  • Home
    • Mission and Vision
    • Privacy Policy
  • Exhibits & Collections
    • Artifact Collection
    • Films
  • History
    • The Chudnow Family
    • Milwaukee in the 1910's
    • Milwaukee in the 1920s
    • Milwaukee in the 1930s
    • Milwaukee History Timeline >
      • Milwaukee History Timeline 1846-1879
      • Milwaukee History Timeline 1880-1911
      • Milwaukee History Timeline 1912-1945
      • Milwaukee History Timeline 1946-1979
      • Milwaukee History Timeline 1980-2013

Milwaukee Padlocks New York- Master Lock Co.

2/20/2017

 
1928 Milwaukee newspaper advertisement reading,
On February 20, 1928, 147 thousand, six hundred Master Padlocks were shipped by rail to New York City. The shipment weighed sixteen tons and was worth $65,000.  The humorous and ironical part was that the locks were made in Milwaukee, the national beer capital, and in quarters leased from the Pabst Brewery. Pabst was not brewing beer because of the National Prohibition Act. 



Five Flapper Women in fur coats posing in front of Master Lock Company rail shipment. February 1928.
The newspapers were full of articles concerning raids by Federal agents on distilling operations and speakeasies. The tools in the trade of the Federal agents consisted of two items; a long handled ax to smash the barrels of illegal brew and a supply of padlocks to secure the doors and prevent any further use of the establishment.

Picture
In the majority of cases, the locks used were Master padlocks, the strongest padlocks ever built. Twenty cold-rolled steel plates, seven times riveted and forming a solid, indestructible case. It could be hammered upon and would not break or crack.

1928 photograph of Milwaukee railroad yards showing sixteen tons of Master Lock padlocks being loaded for shipment
It took seven trucks to move the 16 tons of locks from the company to the train yard. On the sides of the trucks were banners that read, "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous." These banners were crossed out and covered by banners, "Make Milwaukee Mightier." Acting Mayor Cornelius Corcoran of Milwaukee locked the rail car witha 3-foot padlock and broke a bottle of near beer over it. He sent the key to Jimmy Walker, mayor of New York, by air mail.
1928 photograph of Milwaukee mayor Cornelius Corcoran and Master Lock officials with a three foot padlock
Images and research by John Lupiezowieck, Master Lock historian

Exhibit of Master Lock on display at the Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear since June 2016 - now


Comments are closed.

    Archives

    November 2019
    June 2019
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    September 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013

    Categories

    All
    Events
    Local History
    Museum Exhibit
    National History
    People
    State History



    RSS Feed

    Tweets by @ChudnowMuseum
Web Hosting by ReadyHosting