Historical note:

            The Narragansett Brewing Company was founded in the late nineteenth century, and its massive brewery complex in Cranston, R.I. was long a major feature of that city's industrial landscape. Circa 1983, the company was bought out by Falstaff Brewing Corporation , and the brewery in Cranston was abandoned. After many years of rumors regarding the resumption of brewing, or the adaptation of the plant for other uses, the building was demolished in 1999.

Return to top

Scope and content:

            This collection includes only a very minor portion of the company's records. Of most potential interest are: union contracts from 1957 to 1964; engineering notes from 1956 to 1970; a few random personnel records from 1965 to 1982; and files on the abandoned building's ssecurity and maintenance from 1986 to 1992.

Return to top

Provenance:

            These records were donated by Jean Bailey in 1999. The records had been found by Bailey's husband while he worked on the old Narragansett Brewery site as a demolition contractor.

Return to top

Processing note:

            These records were apparently stored in the abandoned brewery complex for many years, and show signs of water damage. Small gritty pieces of concrete were found among the papers, which were presumably parts of the brewery itself. Upon the collection's arrival at the R.I.H.S., it was processed very quickly, and is still in poor condition. Ideally, all staples should be removed, and preservation photocopies should be made of some of the more water-damaged items. The papers should ultimately be wiped free of grit and dust.

Return to top

Inventory:

Folder 1. Union contracts, etc., 1957-1964 - Engineers, carpenters, sheet metal workers

Folder 2. Union contracts, etc., 1957-1963 - Machinists, brewery workers

Folder 3. Union contracts, etc., 1957-1964 - Steamfitters, electricians

Folder 4. Engineering correspondence, etc., 1956-1958 - Louis Demarkus Corp.

Folder 5. Engineering correspondence, etc., 1959 - Louis Demarkus Corp.

Folder 6. Engineering correspondence, etc., 1960-1966 - Louis Demarkus Corp.

Folder 7. Engineering correspondence, etc., 1963 - Palletizers and conveyors

Folder 8. Engineering correspondence, etc., 1963 - Miscellaneous

Folder 9. Engineering correspondence, etc., 1964 - Can line

Folder 10. Engineering correspondence, etc., 1969 - Gussett Pak machine

Folder 11. Engineering correspondence, etc., 1969 - Gussett Pak machine

Folder 12. Engineering correspondence, etc., 1970 - Gussett Pak machine

Folder 13. "Traffic tickets", for tracking supplies, 1969-1970

Folder 14. Personnel - Staff absentee reports, 1965-1966

Folder 15. Personnel - Correspondence, 1970

Folder 16. Personnel - Time sheets, 1981-1982

Folder 17. Correspondence and reports, 1986-1990

Folder 18. Correspondence and reports, 1991-1992

Folder 19. Cellar specifications, 1965

Folder 20. Water and electric reports, 1969-1970

Return to top

Subjects:

Beer industry - Rhode Island - Cranston

Brewery workers - Rhode Island - Cranston

Cranston, R.I. - Business records

Falstaff Brewing Corporation

Trade unions - Brewery workers - Rhode Island - Cranston

End of finding aid - return to top

RIHS1822