Pleasant Valley Wine Company records, 1859-1965.
Collection Number: 6599

Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections
Cornell University Library


DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY

Title:
Pleasant Valley Wine Company records, 1859-1965.
Repository:
Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections
Collection Number:
6599
Abstract:
This collection documents administrative and financial affairs of the Pleasant Valley Wine Company through its founding in 1860 through the 1950s. Included are grape growing and vineyard records, business ledgers, retail sales reports and statistics, correspondence from manufacturers, wholesalers and clients, advertising material, tax returns and other government correspondence. Correspondence with the company's traveling salesmen document the economic and social conditions of the time, especially in the period leading up to and during Prohibition. Government legislation, taxation, and regulation of alcohol is documented through legal forms, permits, and correspondence. Also included are various types of ephemera such as bottle labels, menus, advertising, and other promotional material, including a videotape, The Story of Wine, and a Betacam SP videotape, Pleasant Valley Wines. Also contains extensive business and personal correspondence of Champlin, Bauder, and Masson.
Creator:
Pleasant Valley Wine Company
Quanitities:
70 cubic feet.
Language:
Collection material in English

COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

This collection documents administrative and financial affairs of the Pleasant Valley Wine Company through its founding in 1860 through the 1950s. Included are grape growing and vineyard records, business ledgers, retail sales reports and statistics, correspondence from manufacturers, wholesalers and clients, advertising material, tax returns and other government correspondence. Correspondence with the company's traveling salesmen document the economic and social conditions of the time, especially in the period leading up to and during Prohibition. Government legislation, taxation, and regulation of alcohol is documented through legal forms, permits, and correspondence. Also included are various types of ephemera such as bottle labels, menus, advertising, and other promotional material, including a videotape, The Story of Wine, and a Betacam SP videotape, Pleasant Valley Wines. Also contains extensive business and personal correspondence of Champlin, Bauder, and Masson.

RELATED MATERIALS

A 1955 Cornell industrial engineering student report on the PVWC can be found in collection 16-2-2244, Andrew Schultz Schultz, Jr. Papers. See accession folder for report table of contents. Accession folder also contains 1952 letter to University Archivist Edith M. Fox from Pleasant Valley president, R. H. Howell.

INFORMATION FOR USERS

Cite As:

Pleasant Valley Wine Company records, #6599. Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library.

Biographical / Historical

The Hammondsport and Pleasant Valley Wine Company was established on March 15, 1860 by Charles Davenport Champlin and twelve area businessmen. The company was designated as Bonded Winery No.1 in its state and federal districts. In 1865 Joseph Masson became the wine-maker and around this time the production of sparkling wine was initiated. This wine, which was marketed under the brand name Great Western, became the first American sparkling wine to win an award in Europe. The awards included first prizes in Vienna, 1873; Paris 1889; Brussels, 1897; Paris, 1900; and Brussels in 1910. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the company had many prestigious personal and business accounts. Between 1872 and 1875, Charles Champlin and his associates built the nine-mile Bath to Hammondsport Railroad in order to compete with canal transportation.

Biographical / Historical

The enactment of the 18th Amendment in 1919 led to the demise of many companies involved in wine production. Pleasant Valley managed to survive the fourteen years of Prohibition through the sale of wine for sacramental and medicinal purposes. The company was reorganized after repeal and successfully returned to full production. During this period the Champlin families and their associates controlled about 40 percent of company stock. After the death of Charles D. Champlin in 1950 there were three successive presidents from the Board of Directors. In 1955 the controlling interest was purchased by a group of businessmen from Pittsburgh and marketed under the Great Western Producers Inc. label. In 1962 the Taylor Wine Company acquired Great Western and under the directorship of Greyton Taylor returned to the Pleasant Valley Wine Company label. In the 1980s a consortium of Seagrams, Coca Cola and Canandaigua Wine Company purchased the winery and moved wine production from the original plant. The buildings lay empty for a few years. In 1996 Michael Doyle bought the original winery from Mercury Aircraft of Hammondsport and resumed wine production under the Pleasant Valley Wine Company name.

SUBJECTS

Names:
Pleasant Valley Wine Company
Subjects:
Viticulture -- New York (State).
Wine industry -- New York (State) -- Finger Lakes Region.
Liquor laws -- United States -- History -- 20th century.
Wine and wine making -- Law and legislation.
Internal revenue -- New York (State).
Taxation -- New York (State).
Prohibition -- New York (State) -- History -- 20th century.
Prohibition -- Economic aspects -- United States.
Grapes -- Varieties.
Viticulture -- United States.
Vineyards -- New York (State) -- Finger Lakes Region.
Wine industry -- United States -- Quality control.
Wine -- Marketing.
Wine industry -- Government policy -- United States.
Wine and wine making -- New York (State) -- Finger Lakes Region.
Wineries -- New York (State) -- Finger Lakes Region.
Grape industry -- New York (State).

CONTAINER LIST
Container
Description
Date
Assorted Papers and Correspondence
1859-1971
Box 1
Papers, Includes 1865 winery license.
1859 - August 1867
Box 2
Papers, includes 1967 Ithaca advertisement for Wheel Rake
September 1867 - October 1869
Box 3
Papers
November 1869 - June 1871
Box 4
Papers
July 1871 - June 1872
Box 5
Papers, includes flyer for Vienna Exposition listing Professor George Caldwell, constitution of the Cosmopolite Club
July 1872 - June 1873
Box 6
Papers
July 1873 - May 1874
Box 7
Papers
June 1874 - May 1875
Box 8
Papers
June 1875 - December 1876
Box 9
Papers
1877 - 1878
Box 10
Papers, includes folder of letters from John Cass, salesman.
1879 - 1881
Box 11
Papers
1882 - 1884
Box 12
Papers, Text of speech on history of Keuka Lake wine-making
1885 - April 1887
Box 13
Papers
May 1887 - June 1889
Box 14
Papers
July 1889 - January 1891
Box 15
Papers
1891 - July 1892
Box 16
Papers
August 1892 - 1893
Box 17
Papers, includes Bauder Family/Personal correspondence (1894-1896)Letter mentioning Cornell trustee Samuel Halliday & Groton School BoardU.S. Express Co. correspondence (1892-1904)
1894 - April 1895
Box 18
Papers, includes letter from Bauder's son about attending Temperance lecture
May 1895 - November 1896
Box 19
Papers
December 1896 - August 1898
Box 20
Papers
September 1898 - September 1899
Box 21
Papers
November 1899 - August 1900
Box 22
Papers
September 1900 - December 1901
Box 23
Papers, includes Bauder personal correspondence and advertising (1901)
1901 - 1902
Box 24
Papers
1903 - February 1904
Box 25
Papers, includes letter from Sherman Peer of the Cornellian yearbook about advertising
March 1904 - August 1905
Box 26
Papers, includes Bauder Family/Personal correspondence (1905-1906)Correspondence with Knapp winery. Sept 28, 1905 letter from George Washington University about adding the Paris Exposition gold medal to the wine label, also mentions Minister to Belgium enjoying wine (Pers. Cor. G folder) March 26, 1906 on registering the words "Great Western".
September 1905 - 1906
Box 27
Papers, includes some correspondence from 1907-1910
1907 - August 1908
Box 28
Papers, includes receipts, misc (1907-1910)
September 1908 - December 1909
Box 29
Papers, includes advertising correspondence (1909)
1909 - April 1911
Box 30
Papers
May 1911 - November 1912
Box 31
Papers, very little material from 1913 and 1914
December 1913 - 1915
Box 32
Papers, includes wine tax, anti-prohibition legislation papers
1915 - 1916
Box 33
Papers, includes sprinkler system correspondence (1912-1917)
1916 - 1917
Box 34
Papers
1917 - 1918
Box 35
Papers
1919
Box 36
Papers, includes notes about Congressional election between Cornellians Frank Irvine and Lewis Henry and correspondence with Cornell Chemistry Department
1919 - 1920s
Box 37
Papers, includes certificate of compliance with National Prohibition Director and letter from customer requesting medicinal champagne. One folder marked 1929 in back also contains items from 1900s
1920s
Box 38
Papers
1920s
Box 39
Papers, prohibition permits, IRS forms, tax information.
1916-1931
Box 40
Papers, revenue tax, Cornell Ag school letter.
1916-1929
Box 41
Papers, labels, wine analysis, Wine Embassy paper on increasing wine sales.
1930-1938
Box 42
Papers
1926-1937
Box 43
Papers
1930-1938
Box 44
Papers
1934-1938
Box 45
Papers
1937
Box 46
Papers
1937-1938
Box 47
Papers, includes letter from James Wadsworth, noted anti-Prohibition Congressman
1939-1940
Box 48
Papers
1940 - 1941
Box 49
Papers
1941-1942
Box 50
Papers
1942 - 1943
Box 51
Papers
1943 - 1945
Box 52
Papers
1945-1947
Box 53
Papers, includes letter to Professor Emile Chamot also letters to various New York State Agriculture Experiment Station employees, Hedrick, Wellington, Boyce, etc., also a United States map from 1951 showing the percentages of individuals who eat meals out in principal cities, importace of hotels and resteraunts, hotel and resteraunt business statistics, number of important resteraunts, number of hotels open year round with 50 or more rooms, etc. all by state, from Ahrens Publising Company..
1947-1952
Box 54
Papers
1952 - 1953
Box 55
Papers, includes IRS forms from the 1920s. 152 page 1955 report done by Cornell University students for Professor Byron Saunders consulting on the Pleasant Valley Wine Company on how to increase efficiency, this includes engineering aspects and drawings. The Grape Leaf publication of the Pleasant Valley Wine co., Volume 3 Issue 1, and Volume 4 Issue 3, 1971, includes picture of New York Mets celebrating pennant with Great Western champagne.Includes undated material
1915-1920s, 1953, 1955, 1963 - 1965, 1971
Box 56
Ephemera, Misc, Menus, Wine Lists, Advertising, Photos, Stock certificates. Sacramental wine ads, Cornellinan correspondence, prohibition menu.
Box 57
Ephemera, Misc, Advertising, labels, includes a Great western grape juice label.Publicity photos, biography of C.D. Champlin, poster supporting beer in the army. Very early photo of company building showing Bauder on the porch. 1890 Grapes bought booklet and employee expense brochures. Medicinal wine and prohibition ads. Grape Ketchup ad.
Box 58
Ephemera, Misc, AdvertisingAnti-Prohibition ad, Kortlander Bros Grand Rapid Michigan wine label, 1867 Urbana ad with note about competition, newspaper on Hammondsport wine-making history, Masson biography, taxes, misc. correspondence. Folder of misc visual items including some labels, receipts, envelopes, irs report, brochure for Friars Old Monastery Champagne Rheims N.Y., NY assembly bills on liquor laws and prohibition, American Champagne Makers Association brochure, Ukiah Grape Products Company booklet, Johannaber Wine Vaults card. Also a folder of voting proxies / stockholder information from early 1900s through 1933. This folder includes the letter from Victor Masson announcing his resignation from the board, this folder also contains drafts of photo postcards of the winery.
Box 58 V-10706
"Pleasant Valley Wines" videocassette
Box 59
Copy of bill of complaint from equity suit filed by California Wine association of New York in the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, April 21, 1926 against Internal Revenue for not allowing them to sell of wine to Jewish Rabbis for sacramental purposes. Inventories, Misc, Champlin Deed/Mortgage, Advertising (some nice color ones ca. 1930), Clippings, Scrapbook pages, blank forms. 1919 NY Liquor tax license. Also includes a handwritten history of the winery written ca. 1873, that includes lists of all awards won and text from press coverage on the winery. Also History of the Officers and Directors and Dividends, 1860-1933, compiled by F. M. Aulls September 1970, includes James Champlin Bauder obituary. Also 1862 letter from directors to firm discussing the requirements for building new cellar. Several letters from 1861-1862 in German to John F. Weber, PV superintendent, showing distillery plans.
Box 60
IRS ledger book, account book, letterbooks
Box 61
Letterbooksincludes letters from Jules Masson, 1898-1902
Box 62
Letterbooksincludes chemistry notebook
Box 63
Letterbooks
Box 64
Letterbooks
Box 65
Letterbooks
Box 66
Letterbooksincludes account books
Box 67
Accounts payable, sales records
Box 68
Account books, tierage records
Box 69
Sales records
Box 70
Wine labels (unsorted)
Box 88 Folder 1
Wines and Vines Vol. 39 No. 7
1958-07
Box 88 Folder 2
Pleasant Valley Wine Bottle Labels
Undated
Box 88 Folder 3
Pleasant Valley Wine Bottle Labels
Undated
Box 88 Folder 4
Assorted Bottle Labels
Undated
Box 88 Folder 5
Presidential Wine Glasses
Undated
Box 88 Folder 6
PV Correspondence 1 of 3
1866-1904
Box 88 Folder 7
PV Correspondence 2 of 3
1865-1921
Box 88 Folder 8
PV Correspondence 2 of 3
1906-1919
Box 88 Folder 9
Envelopes, Postcards, and Pamphlets
1900-1950
Box 88 Folder 10
Pleasant Valley Correspondence
Date Unknown
Box 88 Folder 11
Correspondence
1885-11
Box 88 Folder 12
A-G Correspondence 1 of 2
1897
Box 88 Folder 13
H-Z Correspondence 2 of 2
1897
Box 88 Folder 14
A-J Correspondence 1 of 2
1909-03
Box 88 Folder 15
K-Z Correspondence 2 of 2
1909-03
Box 88 Folder 16
A-J Advertising Correspondence 1 of 2
1912
Box 88 Folder 17
L-Z Advertising Correspondence 2 of 2
1912
Box 88 Folder 18
A-L Advertisement Invoices 1 of 2
1915
Box 88 Folder 19
M-Z Advertisement Invoices 2 of 2
1915
Box 89 Folder 1
Business Correspondence Pleasant Valley
1870-08
Box 89 Folder 2
Business Correspondence Pleasant Valley A-J
1889-01-1889-02
Box 89 Folder 3
Business Correspondence Pleasant Valley K-Z
1889-01-1889-02
Box 89 Folder 4
Business Correspondence Pleasant Valley A-J
1893-12
Box 89 Folder 5
Business Correspondence Pleasant Valley K-Z
1893-12
Box 89 Folder 6
Business Correspondence Pleasant Valley A-G
1896-08
Box 89 Folder 7
Business Correspondence Pleasant Valley H-Z
1896-08
Box 89 Folder 8
Business Correspondence Bauder A-G
1899-05
Box 89 Folder 9
Business Correspondence Bauder H-W
1899-05
Box 89 Folder 10
Business Correspondence Pleasant Valley A-G
1908-01-1908-02
Box 89 Folder 11
Business Correspondence Pleasant Valley H-Z
1908-01-1908-02
Box 89 Folder 12
Correspondence
1884-1890
Box 89 Folder 13
Bauder Family Correspondence
1888-1890
Box 89 Folder 14
Other Bauder Correspondence
1890
Box 89 Folder 15
St. John Military School Evaluations
1889-1890
Box 89 Folder 16
Correspondence
1901
Box 89 Folder 17
Correspondence
1916
Box 89 Folder 18
Correspondence
1919
Box 89 Folder 19
Great Western Sales Inc. Correspondence
1931
Box 89 Folder 20
Correspondence
1931
Box 89 Folder 21
F. M. Champlin Correspondence
1931-1932
Box 89 Folder 22
P.P. Stargis Correspondence
1931-1932
Box 89 Folder 23
Frank Nickerson Correspondence
1931-1932
Box 89 Folder 24
Correspondence
1932
Box 89 Folder 25
Correspondence
1933
Box 89 Folder 26
Pleasant Valley Great Western Advertising and Pricelists
1940-1945
Box 90
Invoices and Correspondence
1885-1900
Ledgers
1875-1965
Letters Books
1901-1931
Box 72
Gold Seal Letters Book
1901-09-01-1901-12-09
Box 72
Gold Seal Letters Book
1911-12-19-1912-02-19
Box 72
Gold Seal Letters Book
1914-04-28-1914-06-30
Box 72
Gold Seal Letters Book
1914-09-14-1914-10-31
Box 72
Gold Seal Letters Book
1917-04-18-1917-06-14
Box 72
Gold Seal Letters Book
1918-02-01-1918-04-16
Box 72
Gold Seal Letters Book
1918-07-09-1918-10-23
Box 74
Gold Seal Letters Book
1918-12-27-1919-02-25
Box 74
Gold Seal Letters Book
1919-02-25-1919-05-11
Box 74
Gold Seal Letters Book
1930-12-08-1931-10-08
Check Ledgers
1896-1941
Volume 30
Pleasant Valley Checks 22000 to 28999
1896-04-1898-11
Box 74
Bank of Hammondsport Check Stub Book
1935-1936
Box 74
Pleasant Valley Check Stub Book
1930-1934
Box 74
Check Stub Book
1940-1941
Order Ledgers
1890-1922
Box 76
Pleasant Valley Orders No. 11
1890-1892
Box 76
Pleasant Valley Orders No. 12
1892-07-1894-08
Box 79
Pleasant Valley Orders No. 13
1894-08-1896-08
Box 73
Pleasant Valley Orders No. 14
1896-10-1898-07
Box 75
Pleasant Valley Orders No. 16
1900-1901
Box 79
Pleasant Valley Orders No. 17
1901-11-1903-04
Box 80
Pleasant Valley Orders No. 18
1903-04-1904-11
Box 80
Pleasant Valley Orders No. 19
1904-11-1906-09
Box 81
Pleasant Valley Orders No. 20
1906-09-1908-06
Box 81
Pleasant Valley Orders No. 21
1908-06-1910-01
Box 73
Pleasant Valley Orders Book
1910-1911
Box 85
Pleasant Valley Orders No. 23
1911-05-1912-10
Box 77
Pleasant Valley Orders No. 24
1912-10-1913-12
Box 77
Pleasant Valley Orders No. 25
1913-1915
Box 82
Pleasant Valley Orders No. 26
1915-11-1917-04
Box 82
Pleasant Valley Orders No. 27
1917-04-1922-09
Shipping Ledgers
1876-1933
Box 83
Pleasant Valley Shipping
1876-06-1879-09
Box 78
Pleasant Valley Shipping
1879-12-1882-03
Box 83
Pleasant Valley Shipping
1882-03-1884-07
Box 84
Pleasant Valley Shipping
1884-07-1887-03
Box 84
Pleasant Valley Shipping
1889-05-1891-04
Box 85
Pleasant Valley Shipping
1895-08-1897-09
Box 78
Pleasant Valley Shipping
1914-09-1916-07
Box 71
Pleasant Valley Shipping
1918-1933
Cash Books
1880-1933
Volume 1
Pleasant Valley Cash Book No. 2
1880-1884
Volume 2
Pleasant Valley Cash Book No. 3
1884-1889
Volume 3
Pleasant Valley Cash Book No. 4
1889-1894
Volume 4
Pleasant Valley Cash Book No. 5
1894-1899
Volume 5
Pleasant Valley Cash Book No. 6
1899-1903
Volume 6
Pleasant Valley Cash Book No. 8
1908-1912
Volume 7
Pleasant Valley Cash Book No. 9
1912-1916
Volume 8
Pleasant Valley Cash Book No. 10
1916-1924
Volume 9
Pleasant Valley Cash Book No. 11
1931-1933
Sales Ledgers
1875-1936
Volume 10
Pleasant Valley Sales Book No. 1
1875-1879
Volume 11
Pleasant Valley Sales Book No. 2
1879-1882
Volume 12
Pleasant Valley Sales Book No. 3
1882-08-1885-09
Volume 13
Pleasant Valley Sales Book No. 4
1885-1888
Volume 14
Pleasant Valley Sales Book No. 7
1894-1898
Volume 15
Pleasant Valley Sales Book No. 8
1898-1900
Volume 16
Pleasant Valley Sales Book No. 9
1901-1902
Volume 17
Great Western Sales Book No. 10
1902-11-1905-02
Volume 18
Pleasant Valley Sales Book
1905-1907
Volume 19
Pleasant Valley Sales Book
1907-1909
Volume 20
Pleasant Valley Sales Book No. 13
1910-01-1912-02
Volume 21
Pleasant Valley Sales Book No. 14
1912-02-1914-01
Volume 22
Great Western Sales Book No. 15
1914-06-1916-10
Volume 23
Pleasant Valley Sales Book No. 16
1916-10-1919-03
Volume 24
Pleasant Valley Sales Book No.17
1919-1930
Volume 62
Montage Vineyards Co. Sales Book
1934-1936
Teazer Ledgers
1882-1915
Volume 25
Pleasant Valley Teazer No. 2
1882-11-1890-12
Volume 26
Pleasant Valley Teaser No. 3
1889-09-1896-12
Volume 27
Pleasant Valley Teazer No. 4
1887-01-1893-09
Volume 28
Pleasant Valley Teazer No. 5
1903-10-1910-04
Volume 29
Pleasant Valley Teazer No. 6
1910-05-1915-09
Day Books
1885-1905
Volume 31
Pleasant Valley Day Book
1885-1893
Volume 32
Pleasant Valley Day Book No. I
1893-1905
Fermentation Ledgers
1955-1964
Volume 41
Pleasant Valley Wine Fermentation Record
1955-01-1957-05
Volume 42
Pleasant Valley & Great Western Wine Fermentation Record
1957-09-1959-08
Volume 43
Great Western Fermentation Records 2054
1959-09-1961-05
Volume 44
Great Western Wine Fermentation Record
1961-09-1962-10
Volume 45
Taylor Wine Co. Wine Fermentation Record
1962-07-1963-06
Volume 46
Taylor Wine Co. Wine Fermentation Record
1963-07-1964-06
Effervescent Ledgers
1955-1962
Volume 47
Pleasant Valley Record of Effervescent Wine
1955-01-1957-04
Volume 48
Pleasant Valley Record of Effervescent Wine
1957-05-1959-04
Volume 49
Great Western Record of Effervescent Wine
1959-05-1960-07
Volume 50
Great Western Champagne Form 2057
1960-07-1961-12
Volume 51
Taylor Wine Co. Record of Effervescent Wine
1962-01-1962-07
Still Wine Ledgers
1955-1965
Volume 52
Pleasant Valley Record of Still Wines
1955-02-1956-11
Volume 53
Pleasant Valley & Great Western Record of Still Wine
1956-12-1958-10
Volume 54
Great Western Still Wine Records 2056
1958-11-1960-04
Volume 55
Great Western Record of Still Wine
1960-05-1961-08
Volume 56
Great Western Record of Still Wine
1961-09-1962-07
Volume 57
Pleasant Valley Record of Still Wine
1962-1965-06
Other Wine Reocrds
1955-1962
Volume 58
Pleasant Valley & Great Western Special Natural Wine Production Record 2058
1955-1962
Volume 59
Pleasant Valley, Great Western, & Taylor Wine Co. Wine Reserve Inventory Record 2055
1955-1962
Volume 60
Old 702 Forms
1955-01-1959-12
Volume 61
Great Western Record of Bottled Wine
1960-07-1961-06
Other Assorted Ledgers
1865-1963
Volume 35
E Ledger
Undated
Scope and Contents
Blank
Box 86
Pleasant Valley Ledger
Box 87
Pleasant Valley Day Book A
1865-1868
Box 87
Day Book
1865-04-1876-06
Box 71
Champlin & Rose Hammondsport Journal
1866-1867
Box 86
Ledger
1871-1875
Box 74
Pleasant Valley Ledger
1887
Volume 36
Pleasant Valley Ledger No. K
1889-1891
Volume 34
Invoices
1891-1904
Volume 37
Pleasant Valley Ledger No. L
1892-01-1894-05
Volume 33
C.N.Y.G.G.U. Ledger
1893
Volume 38
Pleasant Valley Ledger No. M
1896-1900
Volume 39
Pleasant Valley Ledger No. N
1900-1905
Volume 40
Pleasant Valley Ledger No. O
1906-1914
Box 74
Pleasant Valley Ledger
1930-10-1932-04
Box 75
Pleasant Valley Winemakers Production Record
1950-03-1950-09
Box 75
Taylor Wine Co. Inventory of Wine
1960-01-1963-12
Unprocessed material
Box 91 (unprocessed)
Unprocessed
Box 92 (unprocessed)
Unprocessed
Unprocessed
Box 94 (unprocessed)
Unprocessed
Unprocessed
Box 96 (unprocessed)
Unprocessed
Box 97 (unprocessed)
Unprocessed
Box 98 (unprocessed)
Unprocessed
Box 99 (unprocessed)
Unprocessed
Unprocessed
Unprocessed
Unprocessed
Pleasant Valley Wine Company website
Digital
The digital preservation copy may be made available on request if a delivery copy is not already online.