Michael Schiml was born on August 4, 1825 in Reglasreuth, near Baireuth, Bavaria, Germany. He was the last of eight children by his parents Christopher and Mary (Kamer) Schiml.
John and Michael Schiml started the J. & M. Schiml Brewery in 1852 on the corner of Wayne and Hickory streets. The first lager beer of Montgomery County was believed to have been made there on December 13, 1852. A cousin of the Schiml’s who was a brewer brought the stock yeast necessary for making it from Boston, Massachusetts. The first year the brewery made 1,200 barrels of lager beer.
The original brewery building was only 28’ x 50’ but it was enlarged upon a little each year. On September 5, 1858, John died and Michael took over the entire business.
In July 1881, a fire destroyed a stable and its contents, including four horses, the roof of the ice house, and over 3,000 bushels of malt. Michael took the disaster in stride, enlarging the brewery to 38’ x 140’, and three stories high, plus building an ice house in connection capable of storing 1,500 tons of ice. Both of the buildings were made of brick, with cellars underneath. At the time of the fire the brewery was turning out 4,400 barrels of lager annually, but the new building had the capacity to double that amount. The building with its underground cellars was the key for the lagering process as it required a longer aging period than other beers.
Michael gave the business over to his son Andrew and his son-in-law Frank J. Bucher in 1889. Michael continued to operate the malting portion of the plant until his death October 12, 1892.
Michael Schiml died on October 12, 1892 at the age of 67. He is located in Section 110 Lot 2751.
Woodland Cemetery, founded in 1841, is one of the nation’s five oldest rural garden cemeteries and a unique cultural, botanical and educational resource in the heart of Dayton, Ohio as you will see as you read through this new MostMetro.com series. Visit the cemetery and arboretum and take one of the many tours Woodland offers free of charge. Most of Dayton’s aviation heroes, inventors and business barons are buried at Woodland.
Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum is located at 118 Woodland Avenue off of Brown Street near the UD Campus. The Woodland Office is open Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm and Saturday 8 am to 12 pm. The Cemetery and Arboretum are open daily from 8 am to 6 pm. The Mausoleum is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm. For more information, call 937-228-3221 or visit the Woodland website.
