Monongahela Area Dairy Farms Remembered

Young readers may find it hard to believe but milk (pronounciation) wasn’t always sold at the local store in paper cartons or plastic jugs. I’d venture to say that most Lost Monongahela readers remember a time when milk was home delivered in glass bottles. Milk bottles are collectible now and fortunately for us they were embossed or pyroglazed with the name of the dairy. Occasionally you can find bottles from former Monongahela area dairies for sale on eBay:

Eventually the waxed paper milk carton we all know and love started to replace glass milk bottles:

According to Ohio History Central: “By 1929, Van Wormer [the inventor of the paper milk carton] developed a machine capable of manufacturing his carton, and that same year, the American Paper Company purchased Van Wormer’s patent and machine. By 1950, this firm was producing twenty million paper milk cartons per day.”

Believe it or not, old milk cartons are also collectible. If you have any historic Monongahela area milk containers languishing in your refrigerator send me a picture or upload it to the Lost Monongahela Facebook page. Any comments, information or memories of any local dairy would be greatly appreciated!