The  Village  Cow:  Life  at  Home  in  Hanover  before  Big  Dairy  Productions    

Researched  and  written  by  Emily  Hauser,  Exhibit  and  Collections  Intern,  Hanover  Historical  Society,  2014  

 

Dairy  farming  in  America  has  a  long  history  that  dates  back  to  the  early  

1600s  when  people  brought  cattle  overseas  from  Europe.  However,  it  wasn’t  until  

the  1800s  that  farmers  began  to  breed  cattle  specifically  for  milk  production.  While  

dairy  farming  started  out  as  small  operations  in  the  home,  it  slowly  grew  into  the  

booming  milk  and  dairy  industry  that  we  know  today.  Around  the  turn  of  the  

century  it  became  necessary  to  mass-­‐produce  milk  due  to  increased  

industrialization  and  the  influx  of  people  moving  away  from  the  country  and  into  

urban  settings2.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mehring Milking Machine An early milking machine in Maryland, 1908 USDA Bureau of Dairy Industry Records. Special Collections, National Agricultural Library

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"New Milking Machine." Popular Mechanics Aug. 1907: 868. Google Books. Web.  

Although  the  mass  production  of  milk  began  in  the  early  1900s,  the  shift  from  

small  dairy  farms  to  large  dairy  productions  took  many  years.  Some  of  our  very  own  

residents  of  Hanover  grew  up  in  town  from  the  1930s  to  the  1950s.  They  recall  

Hanover  at  this  time  to  be  quite  rural.  It  is  remembered  as  a  time  when  children  

were  brought  up  on  raw  milk  from  the  neighbor’s  cattle  and  would  run  and  play  in  

the  open  pastures  that  once  made  up  the  town  of  Hanover.  “It  was  the  happiest  time  

of  our  lives,”  said  Hanover  resident  Beverly  Hayes  “We  never  wondered  what  to  do  

or  where  to  go,  we  never  said  ‘I’m  bored.’”  

Between  the  1930s  and  the  1950s,  the  village  of  North  Hanover  was  known  

for  its  dairy  farms.  The  three  largest  farms  in  the  area  were  John  Brooks’  Farm,  

Charles  Bray’s  Farm,  and  Ben  Ford’s  farm.  These  three  farms  were  very  close  to  one  

another,  around  the  intersection  of  Webster  Street  and  Main  Street  in  North  

Hanover.  While  North  Hanover  was  known  for  its  cow  farms,  South  Hanover  and  

Hanover  Center  were  known  for  their  horse  farms.  Long-­‐time  North  Hanover  

resident  Roger  Leslie  remembers  this  well.  As  a  child,  he  and  his  friends  would  get  

into  fights  with  children  from  South  Hanover.  Not  your  typical  skirmish  between  

neighborhood  kids,  the  boys  from  North  Hanover  would  throw  cow  flops  at  the  boys  

from  South  Hanover,  while  the  South  Hanover  boys  peppered  the  North  Hanover  

boys  with  horse  buns.    

 

 

   

 

A Map of North Hanover Hanover Historical Society

Apart  from  engaging  in  neighborhood  fights,  Leslie  spent  much  of  his  

childhood  around  Ben  Ford’s  farm.  Ford’s  farm  was  the  largest  of  the  farms  in  North  

Hanover,  and  much  of  the  milk  produced  there  was  sent  up  to  Boston.  The  farm  

housed  nearly  200  milking  cattle,  all  of  which  were  kept  in  the  pasture  near  Webster  

Street.  When  it  was  time  for  milking,  all  of  the  cattle  would  gather  around  the  edge  

of  the  fence.  “They  had  one  cow  with  a  leather  collar  and  the  bell  attached,”  said  

Leslie  “One  cow  was  the  leader,  and  when  they  wanted  the  cows  to  cross  the  street  

to  milk,  they  would  ring  the  bell  and  say  “Come  Boss!  Come  Boss!”    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cows I woke up early in the morn, Before the sun proclaimed the dawn, And listening heard the well known call, That’s heard so oft from spring to fall, Come boss, come boss. And then I heard the tramp of feet. From field through lane they come to meet The one who ties them in each stall, And who had just sent out the call, Come boss, come boss. They found some grain was there to greet, And green feed too for them to eat. As they were milked the pails to fill, Quite oft that voice kept calling still, Come boss, come boss. When all the milk was taken, they Were sprayed to keep the flies away, Theyere started down the lane again And I can hear him calling then, Go on, go on. After the milking hour at night, They wander out to get a bite, And then lie down their cud to chew, Waiting the morning call anew, Come boss, come boss  

“The Cows” Circa 1900 Poems of John F. Brooks Hanover Historical Society  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To  care  for  the  cattle,  there  were  15  to  20  men  that  worked  on  Ford’s  farm.  

Many  of  the  men  came  down  from  Boston  to  work.  Leslie  describes  the  men  as  

“tough  guys”  who  seemed  to  enjoy  playing  with  Leslie  when  he  entered  the  barn  

around  milking  time.  “They  would  take  the  cow’s  udder  and  squirt  it  right  in  my  

face,”  he  recalls.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leslie  is  not  the  only  one  who  remembers  the  workers  at  Ford’s  farm.  Kenton  

Greene  and  his  wife  Janet  Briggs  Greene  remember  a  man  named  “Jerry  Ben  Ford”  

who  was  named  after  Ben  Ford  because  no  one  seemed  to  know  his  last  name.  The  

Greenes  describe  him  as  a  tall  and  skinny  man  in  his  fifties,  who  was  completely  

Cow Bell Circa 1900 Donated by Fred Phillips Treasurer of Lot Phillips & CO in the early 1900s Hanover Historical Society  

 

Tom Ford with a worker and young Guernsey Ford’s Farm, Circa 1940 Charlie Gleason Scrapbooks Hanover Historical Society  

harmless.    Jerry  Ben  Ford  would  run  the  till  cart  (or  manure  wagon)  up  and  down  

Webster  Street.  A  9-­‐year-­‐old  Roger  Leslie  remembers  Webster  Street  covered  with  

cow  flops  after  Jerry  Ben  Ford  had  driven  by  with  his  wagon.    

Another  Hanover  resident,  Mary  Sides,  grew  up  in  North  Hanover  next  door  

to  the  Bray’s  farm.  As  a  young  girl,  she  remembers  running  across  the  street  to  the  

farm  to  bring  milk  home  for  her  family.  “Everyone  knew  everyone!”  She  said,  “You  

didn’t  misbehave!  Your  father  would  know  before  you  got  home!”  Sides  recalls  that  

the  farm  workers  were  very  patient  with  the  children,  even  when  they  would  hang  

onto  the  back  of  the  hay  wagon  to  get  a  ride  with  their  roller  skates.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although  North  Hanover  was  littered  with  dairy  farms,  everyone  in  the  area  

worked  together  to  support  one  another.  “[The  farms]  weren’t  competitors  really,  

 Bray  Farm  Ad  Hanover  Directories  Early  1900s  Hanover  Historical  Society  

just  farmers  trying  to  make  a  living”  said  Sides.  Mary  Sides  spent  much  of  her  

childhood  playing  in  the  cow  barn.  She  remembers  that  the  cattle  on  Bray’s  farm  

were  kept  on  the  street  level  of  the  barn  and  the  hay  was  kept  in  the  upper  level,  

while  Brooks’  barn  had  three  levels.  The  cows  were  kept  in  the  lower  level,  barrels  

of  grain  were  kept  in  the  middle  level,  and  the  hay  was  kept  at  the  top  level.  Barns  

such  as  these  became  a  second  home  to  many  children  all  over  Hanover.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter  Gluckler  moved  to  Hanover  when  he  was  2-­‐years  old  after  his  

grandfather  purchased  property  on  Broadway.  Growing  up,  Gluckler  was  friends  

with  a  young  boy  named  Lee  Marden,  whose  father  had  purchased  Sylvester  Farm  

along  Washington  Street  in  1949.  Gluckler,  like  many  children  in  Hanover  at  the  

time,  had  his  fair  share  of  memorable  experiences  in  the  cow  barn.  Upon  jumping  off  

 

Twin  steers  “Pete”  and  “Repete”    Sylvester  Farm,  Circa  1946  Charlie  Gleason  Scrapbooks  Hanover  Historical  Society    

of  a  tractor  parked  in  the  barn,  he  fell  through  the  trap  door  in  the  floor  to  the  

manure  pit,  where  he  landed  safely  in  several  feet  of  manure.  After  roaring  with  

laughter,  Lee  Marden  and  company  were  able  to  pull  Gluckler  out  of  the  pit  with  a  

rope  they  had  attached  to  the  tractor.  Looking  back  on  the  incident,  Gluckler  is  

relieved  that  he  was  not  hurt.    

In  the  early  1940s,  when  many  young  Hanover  residents  spent  time  playing  

in  the  cow  barn,  Lorine  Bergeron  was  working  hard  on  Elmwood  Farm.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  

George  W.  Mitton  owned  Elmwood  Farm  at  this  time,  land  previously  owned  by  

Michael  Sylvester.  The  farm  was  located  where  Cardinal  Cushing  School  is  located  

today.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bergeron  worked  along  side  four  other  employees,  Herbert  Casey,  Caroline  

Lea,  and  the  Foreman,  Ed  Sykes.  He  spent  his  time  at  work  mowing  the  hay  fields,  

 

Elmwood  Farm  Ad  Hanover  Directories  Circa  1940  Hanover  Historical  Society  

cleaning  the  barns,  milking  the  cows,  and  delivering  the  milk.  Bergeron  milked  50  

Guernsey  cows  twice  a  day,  and  sold  the  milk  all  across  the  town  of  Hanover.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pasteurization  became  routine  in  the  United  States  in  the  1920s,  and  was  

widespread  by  the  1950s3.  Many  Hanover  residents  growing  up  at  this  time  

remember  drinking  raw  milk  at  home,  and  Bergeron  recalls  that  Elmwood  Farm  

sold  pasteurized  milk,  but  also  had  raw  milk  available  for  purchase.    

With  the  enactment  of  the  Meat  Inspection  Act  of  1890,  the  US  Department  of  

Agriculture  also  began  inspection  of  dairy  industries  to  ensure  sanitation  and  

hygiene.  Inspection  officials  observed  the  health  of  the  herd,  the  cleanliness  of  the  

cattle  and  employees,  as  well  as  the  cleanliness  of  the  milking  tools  and  the  handling  

of  the  milk2.  

 

Cows in pasture on Mitton (Elmwood) Farm Circa 1946 Charlie Gleason Scrapbooks Hanover Historical Society  

In  the  beginning  of  the  20th  Century,  Dr.  Charles  E.  North  was  the  first  to  

encourage  dairy  farms  to  pasteurize  their  milk.  North  was  a  both  an  agricultural  

scientist  and  a  public  health  officer.  He  developed  a  6-­‐step  system  that  he  believed  

any  dairy  farm  could  implement  to  ensure  sanitation:    

1) Healthy  cows  

2) Careful  grooming  of  cows  

3) Clean  hands  and  clothing  

4) Clean,  dust-­‐free  barns  

5) Thoroughly  washed  and  sterilized  milking  utensils  

6) Prompt  and  efficient  cooling  of  milk2  

 

On  Elmwood  farm,  Bergeron  would  use  milking  machines  to  milk  the  cattle.  

From  there,  the  raw  milk  was  poured  into  large  20  and  40-­‐quart  cans  where  it  

would  remain  until  it  was  poured  into  the  pasteurization  machine.  Having  worked  

with  Mrs.  Caroline  Lea  to  pasteurize  and  bottle  milk,  Bergeron  recalls  that  “The  

place  was  spotless,  [and]  Mrs.  Lea  was  a  peach  of  a  lady.”    

The  pasteurization  machine  was  operated  by  hot  water  and  steam,  and  

would  automatically  record  the  temperatures  of  the  machine  at  different  times  

during  the  day.  “You  had  to  watch  the  chart  and  watch  the  temperatures  or  you  

could  ruin  it  and  burn  it”  said  Bergeron.  At  the  end  of  the  pasteurization  machine  

was  a  bottling  machine,  which  would  automatically  turn  as  the  bottles  filled  with  

milk.  After  the  bottles  were  filled  to  the  top,  the  machine  would  secure  a  cardboard  

cap  on  the  bottle.  When  capping  was  finished,  they  were  placed  into  milk  crates  for  

delivery.    

Bergeron  and  other  workers  on  Elmwood  farm  delivered  milk  to  different  

sections  of  Hanover  each  day  of  the  week.  After  loading  the  farm’s  1941  green  Ford  

pick-­‐up  truck  with  milk,  the  workers  would  head  out  on  their  milk  route.    “We  

would  drive  down  the  street,  and  one  guy  would  deliver  to  one  side,  and  the  other  

guy  would  deliver  to  the  other  side”  said  Bergeron,  “In  a  very  short  time  you  knew  

where  the  next  house  was,  who  your  were  delivering  to,  and  how  much  they  took.”  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elmwood  farm  not  only  sold  milk,  but  light  and  heavy  cream  as  well.  Quart-­‐

sized  bottles  were  reserved  for  milk,  while  pint-­‐sized  bottles  contained  light  cream  

and  half-­‐pint  bottles  contained  heavy  cream.  On  Elmwood  farm,  bottles  that  were  

used  for  delivery  were  orange.  Bottles  that  could  be  purchased  at  the  local  market  

were  red,  and  often  had  a  red  “STORE”  label  around  the  neck.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elmwood Farm Milk Bottles Circa 1940 Courtesy of Mark Lancaster

 

Beverly  Hayes  remembers  the  milk  delivery  well.  “In  the  winter  the  milk  

would  freeze,  and  the  cream  would  come  to  the  top  and  push  the  stopper  right  off.  

And  we  would  take  the  cream  right  off  the  top  and  put  it  on  our  cereal”  said  Hayes.  

Her  family  got  their  milk  from  Brook’s  farm  because  her  father  worked  for  Brooks.  

Having  grown  up  on  raw  milk,  Hayes  said  that  the  milk  no  longer  separated  in  the  

bottle  after  pasteurization  was  implemented.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elmwood Farm 1 Pint and ½ Pint Bottles, Bray Farm (Red Clover Farm) 1 Quart Bottle 1940-1945 Hanover Historical Society  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As  pasteurization  became  more  popular,  so  did  large  dairy  farms.  Around  the  

1950s,  small  dairy  farms  began  going  bankrupt.  For  a  long  time  dairy  farming  had  

been  a  family  business.  However,  younger  generations  were  no  longer  interested  in  

farming.  “Nobody  wanted  to  farm  anymore,”  said  Lorine  Bergeron  “The  big  dairies  

put  the  small  guys  out  of  business”.  Small  dairy  farms  began  selling  their  land,  and  

housing  developments  began  to  appear  where  pastures  once  were.  Peter  Gluckler  

remembers  this  time  well:  “Milk  regulations  were  stiffening,  and  even  with  the  

federal  subsidies,  the  farmer  could  make  much  more  money  by  selling  off  land  one  

lot  at  a  time  or  wholesale  development.  Post-­‐war  demand  for  housing  and  the  

outpouring  of  young  families  from  Boston…  nailed  the  coffin  shut.”    

 

 

 

Milk Bottle Lid Circa 1935 Brooks Farm  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As  the  small  dairies  died  out,  people  purchased  milk  from  big  name  suppliers  

such  as  H.P.  Hood.  The  small  rural  town  of  Hanover  had  slowly  grown  larger  right  

under  everyone’s  noses.  Said  Peter  Gluckler,  “With  residential  development  came  

commercial  development,  came  increased  need  for  infrastructure  like  better  roads  

and  schools,  came  the  end  of  rural  life  in  Hanover.”    

 

References    

1. “Company Overview." Hood. HP Hood LCC, 2014. Web. 2. "Early Developments in the American Dairy Industry." (2014): Special Collections, National Agriculture Library. United States Department of Agriculture, Web. 3. "Raw Milk Questions and Answers." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. USA.gov, 7 Mar. 2014. Web.

 

 Hood Milkman, 1950 From Dairy to Doorstep. HistoricNewEngland.org, Web.