The Corning Distillery of Peoria, ILL

From "Ready at the Bell: Firefighters and Their Proud History"

Marilyn Leyland
Peoria Historical Society

The 1904 Corning Distillery Fire is still considered Peoria�s worst. More than 50,000 gallons of burning spirits created a river of fire. Fourteen men and nearly 3,200 cattle died. The city paid more than $6,000 to dispose of the rotting cattle. A 1935 blaze in the Hiram Walker and Son Distillery rackhouse destroyed nearly 100,000 barrels of whiskey and produced a glow so bright it was seen in Bloomington. The fire cost the federal government approximately $8 million in uncollected excise taxes on the lost liquor.

Nature, Art, and History: Alive in Cemeteries

From Art & History
Marilyn Leyland
Peoria Historical Society

The Franklin Corning mausoleum recalls the family associated with the Corning Distillery, part of Peoria's rich heritage of brewing and distilling. About 100 years ago, Corning's business suffered Peoria's most destructive fire ever, with 15 people killed.

The Corning Distillery suffered fires in 1903, 1904, and 1908. They caused nearly $1 million in damages and claimed 22 lives and 8,200 feeder cattle.