Date in History: 19th century
Canadian-born Henry Pritchard opened the first commercial brewery in Fort Atkinson in 1850. “Pritchard’s Ale” was produced and bottled in buildings located on the south bank of the Rock River just west of the current Robert Street Bridge.
In 1879 the business was sold to Irish immigrant Andrew Dalton, who increased output to 18 barrels a day and ambitiously sought markets in the Chicago areas. But by the early 1890s, the brewery had ceased operations and houses were being built on the property.