The Hayner Distillery Museum
The John E. Lutz collection of Hayner Distillery memorabilia.
The Hayner Distillery Museum Permanent Exhibition
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A landmark business in Troy’s history, the Hayner Distilling Co. was founded in 1866 by Lewis Hayner as “Lewis Hayner, Distiller, Pure Copper Distilled Rye and Bourbon Whiskies.” The distillery went through various name changes during the years of its productivity. In 1885, Lewis Hayner’s nephew, William M. Hayner, opened the Hayner Distilling Company in Springfield, Ohio, as importers, selling the products by express with charges pre-paid, and also at retail at 42 East Main Street in Springfield.
Upon the death of Lewis Hayner in 1892, the distillery was taken over by William Hayner’s half-brother Charles C. Hayner, and the company became knows as “C.C. Hayner Distiller, Pure Copper Distilled Rye and Bourbon Whiskies.” By the mid-1890s, William Hayner had controlling interest in the distillery and appointed his brother-in-law, Walter S. Kidder, who was already treasurer of the Hayner Distilling Company in Springfield, Ohio, as the manager of the Dayton operation. These four men were the remarkable entrepreneurs who built the Hayner Distillery into a nationally recognized and enormously profitable mail order whiskey business.
The passage of the Webb-Kenyon Act in 1913 and the Volstead Act in 1919, resulting in Prohibition in 1920, effectively stopped production of Hayner liquors, although its corporate existence continued for many years after.
Upon the death of Lewis Hayner in 1892, the distillery was taken over by William Hayner’s half-brother Charles C. Hayner, and the company became knows as “C.C. Hayner Distiller, Pure Copper Distilled Rye and Bourbon Whiskies.” By the mid-1890s, William Hayner had controlling interest in the distillery and appointed his brother-in-law, Walter S. Kidder, who was already treasurer of the Hayner Distilling Company in Springfield, Ohio, as the manager of the Dayton operation. These four men were the remarkable entrepreneurs who built the Hayner Distillery into a nationally recognized and enormously profitable mail order whiskey business.
The passage of the Webb-Kenyon Act in 1913 and the Volstead Act in 1919, resulting in Prohibition in 1920, effectively stopped production of Hayner liquors, although its corporate existence continued for many years after.
The John E. Lutz Collection of Hayner Memorabilia
More than 50 years ago, John E. Lutz unknowingly started his Hayner artifact and ephemera collection when he rescued a Hayner whiskey bottle from among many bottles of spoiled homemade wine being sent to the city dump for disposal. From this small beginning, John Lutz has assembled the premier collection in the United States of Hayner memorabilia and supporting business documents. Purchased by the Friends of Hayner in 2003 with a considerable donation by John E. and Kay R. Remley Lutz, the Troy-Hayner Cultural Center presents The Hayner Distillery Collection for your viewing pleasure in a room off of the Solarium which was originally Mrs. Hayner’s dining room.
