This document provides a history of dairy farming in Hanover, Massachusetts from the 1930s-1950s. It describes how dairy farms transitioned from small home operations to larger commercial productions. Specifically, it details the lives and memories of residents who recall North Hanover being dominated by three large dairy farms - John Brooks' Farm, Charles Bray's Farm, and the largest, Ben Ford's Farm, which housed around 200 milking cows. Farm workers and local children describe the daily routines of milking the cows and interactions between the rural communities of North and South Hanover in those earlier days.

1. 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

2.
"New Milking Machine."
Popular Mechanics Aug. 1907: 868. Google Books. Web.

3. 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.

4.
A Map of North Hanover
Hanover Historical Society

5. 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

7.
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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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.

13. 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.”

14.
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

15.
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

16.
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

17.
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.