YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The Penguin City Brewing Company uncovered a piece of Youngstown history while digging the sanitary lines for their soon-to be taproom on Friday. 

The company uncovered an old beer bottle from the Smith Brewing Company, which could be the first brewery in Youngstown, opening in 1846 and located where the old Phantom Fireworks was. The bottle is still fully intact. 

"When I saw it said Smith Brewing Company on it, I got very excited because I’ve known about Smith Brewing Company," Aspasia Lyras-Bernacki, Co-Founder of Penguin City Brewing said.

According to Bill Lawson from the Mahoning Valley Historical Society (MVHS), there were many businesses located on the street and near the property where the new taproom is being constructed.

"They could have been stores, they could have been saloons, they could have been restaurants," Lawson said. "I know their was at least one hotel in that block of East Federal Street as well. I guess what is really interesting about it, is A, it was in the floor of this industrial building and intact which was really cool and second of all that we are putting in a new brewery or Penguin City is putting in a new brewery at this site and that just kind of makes it a little bit spooky I think."

So how it got there and how it survived remains a mystery, one that may never get solved. 

Penguin City Brewing sees it as a sign.

"It makes it like this is meant to be, just being here, just uncovering this bottle from the history of beer in our Valley, it definitely ties it in like ok, this is where we’re supposed to be," Lyras-Bernacki said. 

Lyras-Bernacki says she plans to keep the bottle, clean it up and then put it on display with other beer memorabilia when the tap room opens.