Peacock Brewery
Peacock Brewery is a historic brewery in Rockford, Illinois, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building sits by the Rock River and was designed with two natural wells that supplied fresh water for beer production.
Jonathan Peacock founded the brewery in 1849 and expanded it in 1857 with a new brewhouse by the river. After his death in 1896, his sons ran the business, but in 1901 they sold it to John V. Petritz, who created Rockford Brewing Company and modernized the facility.
The name comes from Jonathan Peacock, an English brewer who established the brewing tradition here in the mid-1800s. The building has long served as a gathering place for the community, reflecting how this brewery shaped local identity and daily life in Rockford.
The building is located on Prairie Street in downtown Rockford near the Rock River and is easy to reach by foot or car. The site sits in the Water Power District, a historic industrial area with parking available and public access to the riverfront.
The brewery was known for a beer called Nikolob, which some say inspired the creation of Michelob, a major national brand. A devastating fire in 1894 damaged the building severely, but it was quickly rebuilt and operations continued.
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