We all know what a transitory place Naperville can be, but at least one family has roots that stretch back through eight generations. Three-month-old Jack is the latest member of the Stenger family whose entrepreneurial stories are entwined with the city’s history.
“I think it’s worked for us because there’s such a booming family environment here,” said Nick Stenger, Jack’s father. “We have a robust downtown with smart zoning. It’s a good business environment. Naperville is at center of innovation.”
Stenger can trace his family tree back to Peter Stenger, a farmer who came to Naperville from Bavaria in 1848. It is believed his son John was an apprentice cabinet maker in Germany, because when he came to America he was employed as a cabinet maker in New York. Craving more, in 1849 he left for the California Gold Rush.
In 1850 he returned to Naperville, joining his father and brother Nicholas. Shortly after, Peter bought a local brewery which stood on Franklin and Webster.
“We get asked about the brewery all the time,” Stenger said. “There’s a lot of cool history. When we’re asked if we’re planning on bringing it back we say that’s to be decided. There’s no plan but at some point it might be neat. The brewery has a unique story.”
Unfortunately, the Stenger brewery burned to the ground around 1854. Peter and his son, also named Nicholas, then constructed a series of stone buildings on the northwest corner of Jackson Avenue and Eagle Street, which were closer to the tunnels used to lager the beer. These tunnels, some as long as 100 feet, were hand-dug and lined with limestone blocks.
“My father used to run through the tunnels with his friends when he was young,” Stenger said.
The first Nicholas Stenger died when he was only 35, but John kept the brewery going. In 1869 he brought in a young German immigrant to help him, Adolph Coors. Coors famously went on to start his own brewery in Colorado, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.
“It’s a Cinderella story,” said Stenger. “No one knows why he left Stenger brewery. I guess he couldn’t move up higher, so he started Coors.”
When he left, Coors was the brewery’s highest paid employee.
Following Peter, John and Nicholas, the next in line on the Stenger family tree was Grant, who was involved with athletics at North Central College. The fifth generation was Jack Stenger, whom Stenger’s son is named for.
“My Grandpa Jack passed around the time of COVID, so, sadly, didn’t get to see the eighth generation,” Stenger said. “He was in real estate and very successful. He founded Era-Realty in 1976 which is still operating.”
Although the family is no longer involved in the brewing industry, they all have something in common with Peter Stenger: an entrepreneurial spirit. Nick’s father Ron was a financial services professional and he now runs his own company working as a financial advisor.
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“My baby will do what he wants when he grows up, but we have built a multi-generational office so we hope to serve the grandchildren of present clients,” Stenger said.
Like his father, Stenger is keeping the city’s history alive by serving on the Naperville Heritage Society.
“Recently I was asked to join the Heritage Society because my dad retired in 2021,” he said. “You learn about things you don’t know. It’s a really cool place to meet other long time families like the Wehrli’s. You get a front row seat to what’s going on. It’s really important to see how things used to be. My grandpa would talk about how small Naperville was and things like how there used to be a dry cleaners on a certain spot and before that a bank and before that a restaurant. When he was growing up there was just one sheriff in the city who would stand outside the bank. It was a small farm community.”
Nicholas married his wife, Jamie, two years ago and welcomed their son in May.
“I think living in Naperville has given me a lot of pride,” Stenger said. “It’s really cool to have the brewery story and my grandpa’s. You have to know where you have come from to know where you are going. Having that background and to know the stories can pave my road. I hope to pass legacy on to my son eventually. It really helps having deep roots. We’re planning to stay.”
Hilary Decent is a freelance journalist who moved to Naperville from England in 2007.