Historic Cabarrus Newsmagazine 4
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THE NEWSMAGAZINE OF HISTORIC CABARRUS ASSOCIATION, INC. HISTORIC CABARRUS ASSOCIATION,PAST INC. TIMES P.O. Box 966 Fall 2010 Issue No. 4 historiccabarrus.org Concord, NC 28026 TELEPHONE (704) 782-3688 FIND US ON FACEBOOK! This issue’s Dip into the History of highlights Cabarrus Creamery Co., Inc. include... GET THE SCOOP ON THIS FAMILY BUSINESS VISIT OUR TWO MUSEUMS IN DOWNTOWN CONCORD: Free admission. Group tours by appointment. Donations warmly appreciated. The Creamery’s North Church Street location in 1957. CONCORD MUSEUM Union Street Square 11 Union Street South, Suite 104 Concord, NC 28025 Open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 AM until 3 PM CABARRUS COUNTY Hopalong Cassidy endorses All Star Dairy Remember this logo? VETERANS MUSEUM products. Historic Courthouse 65 Union Street South, First Floor Concord, NC 28025 Open Mondays through Fridays, 10 AM until 4 PM Past Times No. 4, Fall 2010 PAST TIMES! PAGE2 Boy Scout jamboree in Cabarrus County, circa 1974. Photo by Frankie Furr. Michael Eury, editor. Yum yum, have we got a tasty issue for you! many of Cabarrus County’s most Many Concordians pay regular visits-- trustworthy and valuable citizens: the Boy even during winter months!--to the Cabarrus Scouts. BOARD OF Creamery in downtown Concord (right next The Boy Scouts of America began DIRECTORS door to Union Street Square, home of the 100 years ago once William D. Boyce Concord Museum). If you’re new to town or incorporated the organization’s name. R. Michael Eury, are of a relatively recent vintage, however, During the past century scouting has helped Executive Director you might not be aware that the Creamery is shape countless American boys. Did you much more than the home of the delicious know that former US President Gerald Ford, Molly Reese, President scoops and milkshakes you’ve grown to love. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Steve The Cabarrus Creamery Co., Inc. got Canyon cartoonist Milton Caniff, and jazz Lois Marlow, its start in the early 20th century as a local trumpeter Winton Marsalis were all Eagle Vice President dairy processor, and through the ingenuity of Scouts? Robert L. Burrage, Sr. soon grew into a Our Boy Scouts special exhibit Jimmy Auten, Treasurer beloved institution. You’ll read about that gathers uniforms, camping equipment, genesis in this issue’s in-depth article penned handbooks, merit badges, and other items Debra Johnson, by Robert E. Burrage, grandson of the from past decades from the collections of Administrative Assistant Creamery’s founder. Robert authored such a Cabarrus County former Scouts and Scout and Acting Secretary captivating history of the Creamery that leaders. we’ve dedicated this entire issue to it. Both the Cabarrus Creamery and Boy Helen Arthur-Cornett We’ve also devoted a special exhibit in Scouts special exhibits run through Frances Brown the Concord Museum to the Creamery’s Wednesday, November 24, 2010. Deloris Clodfelter delectable past. Currently on display is a Print editions of Past Times are Joan Jones (life) special exhibit featuring rare and memorable produced as a membership benefit for Bonta Kee milk bottles, milk and ice cream cartons, ice Historic Cabarrus Association members. You Jim Kee cream parlor supplies, advertisements, can read or download each issue of Past Lisa Linker photographs, and other artifacts. Times in color by visiting our website, David McClellan We’re also holding a Cabarrus www.historiccabarrus.org. Thank you, Chris Measmer Creamery History Day event at the members, for your loyal support! Peg Morrison Museum on Saturday, October 16, 2010 Michael Eury, Editor George M. Patterson from 1 to 3 PM, with special guest Robert Heath Ritchie Past Times #4, Fall 2010. Published quarterly by Historic Cathy Werner E. Burrage. All members--and former Cabarrus Association, Inc., P.O. Box 966, Concord, NC Creamery employees--are invited to attend. 28026. Text and photo submissions pertaining to Cabarrus Creamery History is one of Concord’s and Cabarrus County’s history are sincerely two special exhibits on view this fall at the appreciated; contact Michael Eury, Editor, at Concord Museum. The other celebrates [email protected] or 704-782-3688. Past Times No. 4, Fall 2010 PAST TIMES! PAGE3 The History of Cabarrus Creamery Co., Inc. BY ROBERT E. BURRAGE, SR. James Monroe Burrage came to Robert Luther Burrage, Sr., be bottled. This cut down on the Concord dragging logs from the second son of James and Lucy, expense of buying, maintaining, and Pooletown, Rowan County, to Winecoff bought the old home place on Meadow operating their own equipment. The Lumber Company. The year was about Street. At that time, he was working in dairy also handled delivery to homes 1870 and the thirty some mile trip was the sash shop at Sills’ Lumber Co. and stores. long and hard. Most trips required Robert Luther farmed a little on the Soon, Co-Operative Dairy spending the night at the Winecoff side and sold milk and eggs to the moved into a building on South Union home on North Union Street at Barrow neighbors. Street, where they could pasteurize Lane. Nature took its course and he By 1908 he was selling enough milk to kill any germs and extend the married the Winecoff ’s daughter Lucy milk to buy bottles with his name on shelf life of the milk. This building was in 1874 and moved to them: “Burrage Dairy, R. L. Burrage, at 95 South Union between Bell and Concord. Proprietor.” About 1912, with 12-year- Harris Funeral Home and Furniture James started a farm on old son Charles Edward to help, he was Store on the south and Concord- Meadow Street which was outside of able to quit working at the lumber yard Kannapolis Gas Co. on the north side. town on the east side of Concord. The and dairy full time. There was an alley between the dairy home they built there is still standing In 1917 Robert L., along with and the funeral home. The farmers today (122 Meadow Avenue NW). He several other small farmers, formed would pull their wagons loaded with had a few cows and chickens and sold Co-Operative Dairy. They set up a 10-gallon milk cans into the alley and milk and eggs to his neighbors. bottling plant in the “back lots” (about push the cans thru a hole in the wall. If The James M. Burrages raised where the current Cabarrus County the ambulance had to make a run, the six boys and two girls. In 1899 the Courthouse is now). Robert L. was the farmers had to hustle around and get family moved to a new farm on what is general manager of the plant. For the out of the way. now Burrage Road at Brookwood first time in Cabarrus County, farmers Co-Operative Dairy was Avenue. carried their milk to a central area to successful and growing in 1924, when a Roy Burrage makes Co-Operative Robert L. Burrage, Sr. in his Co-Operative Dairy office in 1923. Dairy delivery, late 1910s. Past Times No. 4, Fall 2010 PAST TIMES! PAGE4 new opportunity arose. Dr. T. N. their time to better use. They also said Pasteurization of milk to kill Spencer [a veterinarian and he was welcome to use their formulas if pathogenic bacteria was developed in community leader after whom Camp he wanted. This got the Creamery into the teens and was adopted by Co- Spencer was named] and other the wholesale side of the business and Operative Dairy at that time. In 1939 investors approached R. L. Burrage those formulas were the basis of our the State of North Carolina adopted with a merger proposal. Dr. Spencer formulas from then on. All through the the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, which and the other investors had bought 1920s the milk and ice cream business required milk to be pasteurized before stock in a proposed new butter plant, increased. More and more small it could be sold to the public. This Cabarrus Creamery Co., Inc. Mr. H. farmers chose to milk more cows and ordinance had tremendous impact on E. Baker had come to Concord, sold sell their milk to the Creamery instead the infant dairy industry in North stock, and left town. The investors were of bottling, selling, and delivering it Carolina. Hundreds of dairy farmers/ left with a few pieces of dairy themselves. bottlers had to stop bottling milk or equipment, and a corporate name, but The Great Depression that spent a huge amount of money to build nothing else. started in 1929 was never mentioned in a pasteurizing plant. To pasteurize milk Dr. Spencer asked Robert L. the minute book of Cabarrus you had to have a boiler to heat the to help them salvage what they could. Creamery Co., Inc. One story my milk, vats to process it in, mechanical The result was a merger using the father (Robert L. Burrage, Jr.) told me cooling systems to cool the milk, and corporate name, the milk plant from about the Depression was that no sanitary bottling equipment. This was a Co-Operative Dairy and the matter how tough times were, people boon to the Creamery, because they management of Robert L. Burrage. would get milk for the baby, and ice had been pasteurizing for years. Milk During the teens they bottled cream was a great treat that was came pouring in as farmers decided to only sweet milk, buttermilk, and affordable. To illustrate that the keep milking cows (the “utter” side of chocolate milk in glass quarts, pints, Creamery did okay through the the industry) and let the Creamery deal and ½ pints. Depression, he told me about a trip with the regulations.