Peter Kern (American businessman) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Kern
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| Born | October 31, 1835 Zwingenberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
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| Died | October 28, 1907 (aged 71) Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
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| Resting place | Old Gray Cemetery Knoxville, Tennessee, USA |
| Occupation | Confectioner, businessman, politician |
| Spouse(s) | Henrietta Myer |
Peter Kern (born October 31, 1835 – died October 28, 1907) was a businessman and politician. He was born in Germany and later moved to the United States. He lived in Knoxville, Tennessee, during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Peter Kern is most famous for starting a candy and bakery company. This company eventually became Kern's Bakery, a brand still known in the Knoxville area today. His old candy and ice cream shop, now called The Oliver Hotel, is still a famous building in Knoxville's Market Square. Peter Kern also served as the mayor of Knoxville from 1890 to 1892.
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Peter Kern's Early Life
Peter Kern was born in Zwingenberg, Germany, in 1835. He learned how to be a shoemaker in his home country. In the early 1850s, he moved to New York in the United States to work as a shoemaker.
By 1857, he had moved to Georgia. When the Civil War began, he joined the Confederate army. He was hurt while fighting in Virginia and sent back to Georgia to get better.
Starting a Business in Knoxville
In the fall of 1863, Kern was healthy again. He began traveling back to Virginia to rejoin his army friends. But while he was waiting for a train in Knoxville, Union soldiers took over the city. Peter Kern was captured. He was later set free, but he had to promise to stay in Knoxville until the war ended.
After being released, Kern and another German immigrant, William Heidel, opened a bakery. It was located at the corner of State Street and Main. They sold cookies made from flour and molasses to the Union soldiers.
By the late 1860s, Peter Kern bought out Heidel's part of the business. He moved the bakery to a two-story building in Market Square. During this time, Kern added an ice cream shop to his candy store. This shop used a special ice cream machine designed by a local gunsmith named Thomas Burrier.
Kern had to bring in ice from northern states during the warmer months. Because of this, he became very good at understanding refrigeration. He even became the president of the Knoxville Ice Company in the 1880s.
The Famous Kern Building
In 1876, Peter Kern decided to build a new, larger building. This three-story building, now known as The Oliver Hotel, was built on the southwest corner of Market Square. An architect named Joseph F. Baumann designed it.
The first floor of the building was for Kern's candy store. The second floor held his ice cream shop. The third floor was a meeting hall for a group called the Odd Fellows. Kern held a big party in April 1876 to celebrate the new building.
By the early 1880s, Kern's candy store also sold soft drinks. Some people believe he might have been the first person to sell Coca-Cola in Knoxville. Kern loved to host big parties and festivals. This helped Market Square become a very important shopping area in the late 1800s.
Even though he was a member of a Presbyterian church, Kern also helped raise money for the city's Catholic and Lutheran churches. He served one term as Knoxville's mayor, from January 1890 to January 1892. He also helped start the Knox County Humane Society, which is now called the Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley.
Kern's Bakery Legacy
Peter Kern's family sold his company to the Brown family in the 1920s. In 1931, the company moved to a new building on Chapman Highway. There, they focused more on making bread than on candy. Over the years, Kern's bread became one of the most popular breads in East Tennessee.
In 1989, a company called Sara Lee bought Kern's Bakery and stopped making the brand. However, in 2008, Food City brought Kern's bread back. They wanted to reintroduce popular local brands. Until 2012, Sara Lee made Kern's products at the old Kern's Bakery building.
