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

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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 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. Standardizing milk is done by they took when Daddy was 13. Pop The growth that came caused separating some of the cream out of Burrage took Daddy, Dr. G. L. Lang [a 1939–1940 to be pivotal years for the the milk with a separator. This machine Concord optometrist], Mrs. Lang, and Creamery. The volume of business was spins at a very high rate of speed. The Leon Lang, Jr. in their 1933 Plymouth outgrowing the small plant on South heavier milk solids go to the outside of to the 1933 World’s Fair in . Union Street. Plans were made to build the bowl and the cream stays in the Daddy also told me that he made a a new plant. Self-contained center and rises out the top of the wisecrack about Dr. Lang driving too refrigerators and freezers were bowl. Removing some cream made close to the middle of the road. Dr. changing the way milk, and especially sure that the milk sold every day at Lang told him if he could do better, he ice cream, would be sold. A new 3.25% butterfat. If you didn’t do that, could drive. Daddy drove all the way to method of pasteurizing had been the milk could have as much as 5% Illinois, where he was pulled over and invented. High Temperature Short butterfat in the winter months. You told he would have to have a license to Time (HTST) pasteurization allowed could sell some of the extra cream as drive in that state. (Author’s note: Leon milk to be processed continuously whipping cream, but usually not all of Lang, Jr. verified this story for me in instead of in small batches. This it. To use the rest of the cream, they 2008.) equipment took more space, and with started making ice cream and selling it The 1930s brought the homogenization added even more in the front of the plant. beginning of never-ending space requirements. Homogenizers In about 1927, Robert Luther technological and regulatory changes in pumped milk at very high pressure was asked by a couple of local druggists the dairy industry. Some were fortunate (1500 psi) through a small opening. to make their formula of ice cream for for the Creamery, but most were costly This caused a vacuum to be formed them. They said he had the equipment and challenging. and the large butterfat globules and the ingredients and they could put exploded into many tiny globules that

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would stay in suspension in the milk Creamery six days a week. Every the best opportunities of the war was without rising to the top. Hopefully the chance he got he drove his 1932 B- the need for cream and sweetened expense of a new plant could be Model Ford to Raleigh to see Jackie. condensed milk for the Navy. We made justified. Pop Burrage told Daddy that it would product for the Charleston Navy Yard D a d dy — Ro b e r t L u t h e r be better for everyone if he would “just into the 1950s. I remember going with Burrage, Jr.—was attending North marry that girl and bring her to Daddy early on Sunday mornings to Carolina State College in Raleigh, Concord.” So he did. Jacquelyn meet the Winecoff Transfer Co. truck. studying Dairy Manufacturing. Uncle Branch and Robert Luther Burrage, Jr. He would roll the 10-gallon cans of Charles Edward Burrage was operating were married at Forest Hill Methodist condensed milk from the cooler to the the plant on South Union Street. Pop Church on Buffalo Street on July 5, truck and stack them up at the front of Burrage (R. L., Sr.) was managing the 1940. the truck. Then we would shovel snow business side and making plans to The pre-war years were good, (shaved ice) out of the ice maker (a 4' x build. Pop Burrage also had with steady growth and a new smooth 10' x 8'-tall room) onto the dock, and “hardening of the arteries” and his operating plant. World War II brought then throw it up on the cans. When we health was failing. He told Daddy, “If challenges and opportunities. had the cans covered in snow, the the doctors could just rod out my pipes, Rationing of tires and gasoline made driver threw a heavy canvas over the I would be okay.” Daddy was finishing delivery difficult. Ultimately they pile and took off for Charleston. his junior year at State in the spring of moved some chicken houses from Most of the history of the 1940 and had been dating a Raleigh Uncle Charles’ farm to the plant and Creamery was noted by reaction to girl (Jacquelyn Branch) for a couple of turned them into horse stables. During changes in the industry rather than our years. Pop Burrage told Daddy that he the rest of the war they delivered milk actions changing the industry. Changes hoped he had gotten enough education to the homes with horses and wagons, in processes, development of new because he needed him in Concord. saving the gas and tires for the packaging, and broad-ranging On May 4, 1940, land was wholesale routes. regulatory changes directed our path. bought on North Church Street for the After the war, the stables were We were never on the “cutting edge” of new plant. Construction was started made into a warehouse for sugar, anything! The costs of any new right away. bottles, cartons, and ingredients. These changes or regulations were far out of Daddy was working at the buildings were used until 1998. One of our reach.

The Cabarrus Creamery in 1931. Its location was just below Corban on South Union Street, on the Robert L. Burrage, Jr., 1956, with north side of where the Concord Tribune office would be. Charles L. and Kathryn Burrage.

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In 1950 we leased our first bottle caps. Uncle Charles told us years is now.) He was trying to gain paper carton form-fill machine. The later that he saw Pop Burrage sitting on acceptance into the tight-knit Pure-Pak machine was of the wax, the curb across Union Street from the community of Albemarle. On August wire, and glue style. The flat, folded Creamery in front of the Post Office. 11, 1961 they were notified that the cartons were unfolded, slid on to a He was crying and told Uncle Charles desperately needed school milk mandrel, ends tucked and glued, and that the Grade C could be the end of contract for Albemarle would not be then the entire carton was submerged the Creamery. Uncle Charles said that renewed for the 1961–1962 school year. in melted wax. After the carton came he told Papa, “No, we will fight back At the same time, four key route men out of the wax and cooled, the carton and overcome this.” He called M. G. quit to go work for a competitor. There was filled; the top was stapled shut and Newell Co., where they bought their was no more money to carry on after it was sent to be crated. bottle caps, and ordered Grade C caps. two years of trying to breathe life into Miss Mary Propst, the Then he told the salesman, “But you the business. They had to close. In spite principal of Clara Harris School [now better not ship them!” They got busy of everything Daddy did, Stanly defunct], had my sister Jackie and me and prepared the plant for another Dairies could not be saved. go to the front at a school assembly. inspection. In a couple of weeks the The 1960s brought more She thanked us for our father getting regular inspector came and said, “If competitive changes. More and more milk cartons for school milk so she this plant was Grade A last month, I families had two incomes; that helped didn’t have to deal with those old glass don’t see any reason for it not to be the economy but changed lifestyles. bottles. Grade A this month.” Both parents would leave early in the Nineteen fifty-four was a busy In the late 1950s the morning for work, so there was no one year. The Creamery joined a new Creamery was selling ice cream and at home to receive “home delivery” buying group called All Star Dairy some milk products to Stanly Dairies, milk or to cook three meals a day. Association. The main purpose was to Inc. Cabarrus Creamery Co., Inc. and Coupled with the difficulty of finding group together a large number of small Stanly Dairies, Inc. had been working delivery people willing to work from independent dairies to be able to buy together for years. Stanly Dairies was 2:00 AM until 4:00 PM delivering milk cartons and supplies at prices slipping into financial trouble and was to fewer and fewer people, home competitive with big dairies. All Star behind in paying the Creamery. In delivery faded. Being a small local opened with star endorsement— October 1959 Stanly was in danger of dairy was no longer an advantage. Hopalong Cassidy! “Hoppy” (William having to close. My father, Robert L. Large supermarket chains wanted Boyd), the star of a popular Western Burrage, Jr., felt that the two businesses service from dairies that could contract television series, toured the country were a good match, and the only way with them for better prices over a large promoting All Star Dairies (“Hoppy’s for us to recoup our losses was for area. We were losing small grocers Favorite Dairy Products”). When Stanly to keep operating. On October monthly as they couldn’t compete with Hoppy came to Concord on November 21, 1959 Robert L. Burrage, Jr, Jackie the supermarkets. 26, 1956) he was escorted into town by Burrage, Charles E. Burrage, and Ice cream, thankfully, was Police Chief “Inky” Murr and greeted Daisy Burrage bought the stock of gaining. Supermarkets were getting the thousands at the Boys Club. It was the Stanly Dairies. Daddy jumped in with cheapest ice cream they could find to talk of the town for years! both feet, contacting producers and bring in the shoppers. No one seemed Most everything that I have creditors to agree on repayment terms. to be paying attention to the quality ice mentioned so far has been positive and He spent many long weeks working in cream market. Ice cream parlors upbeat. There were many challenges Albemarle fixing up the plant, wanted good product and the and disappointments along the way. In remodeling their dairy bar and adding remaining private grocers wanted good the mid-1930s a new dairy inspector a “party room” for customers to use as ice cream that families couldn’t find in came to the plant and told Pop Burrage a gathering place. (Stanly Dairies, Inc. the supermarkets. that he was downgrading the plant. He was on East Main Street in Albemarle We extended our routes into told Pop Burrage to order Grade C beside Good O’s, where Jay’s Seafood Charlotte. Other regional dairies were

Past Times No. 4, Fall 2010 PAST TIMES! PAGE7 closing or selling out to the big boys. In Even as ice cream picked up year old trucks. One day we sat down 1972 we bought the ice cream routes of at the end of the 1960s, everything else and figured that if we kept up this pace Superior Dairy in Statesville and grew was shaky. I had married Cathy Austin for another five years we could afford into Iredell and Alexander Counties. in 1964, graduated from NC State in to buy one new truck. We sold the Then in 1974 we bought the ice cream 1965, and was drafted in 1966. I came distributorship. routes from Sunrise Dairy in Gastonia. back home at the end of 1969. My Earlier I said we tried a lot of That let us grow into , brother, Charles Luther, graduated in things that didn’t work. When we Gaston, and Rutherford Counties in 1970. After National Guard training in looked back on those years, we said North Carolina and York and Union early 1971, he was also back at the that what saved us was not that Counties in South Carolina. Creamery. anything worked well, it was just the The fourth Robert Burrage In the 1970s our prayer was to fact we wouldn’t give up and kept (Robert Ernest Burrage, Jr., known trying! Several times our accountant be able to survive as a family business, today as “Little Robert”) was born in told us we were bankrupt and should doing SOMETHING! We tried many 1972. He went to work at the close. Daddy said only the sheriff could things—most didn’t work. We stopped Creamery like all the rest of us. I close us down, and he wouldn’t do it as bottling milk in 1976 and had Hunter carried him with me to Statesville while long as we kept paying our bills. Dairy in Charlotte bottle for us. That I scouted out new ice cream accounts. I In 1974 the Coca-Cola plant didn’t work. On October 13, 1978, met two of our teenage employees (I stopped bottling in Concord and when the trucks came in off the routes, think they were Kenneth Swan and moved to a new building on Florence we ended over 60 years of delivering Albert Klimas) trying to get an 8-foot Avenue that was set up for distribution milk to homes and stores … a scary ice cream cabinet through the door of —not production. Norman Bisnar, the time. a country store. It was a tight fit, so I president of Coca-Cola Concord, In 1974 we bought a Sealtest tried to help push. I couldn’t push asked Daddy if he wanted to buy their milk distributorship in Albemarle. enough with Little Robert in my arms, plant on Church Street that joined Then in 1976 we added a Sealtest ice so I laid him on top of the box so I ours. Daddy said we couldn’t afford it cream route from Monroe to Hamlet. could use both hands. His mama had a and didn’t know what we would do In 1978 we were struggling to exist. We fit when she heard about that. I was with it if we had it. In about six months were making a little profit on the afraid she was going to turn me in to Coke sold a two-year option on the Sealtest routes and operating six 15–20 the child labor people. property to two businessmen who

Fans of all ages crowded the Cabarrus County Boys Club in November 1956 to meet TV cowboy Pete Brown works the Hopalong Cassidy. machine, late 1970s.

Past Times No. 4, Fall 2010 PAST TIMES! PAGE8 wanted to make and sell soy bean milk County Recreation Department had its formed their good, hard work ethic (Dairene). They asked us to bottle it for first office there. We stored everything working at the Creamery. A lot of them until they could get their plant from household items to boats, cars strong friendships were formed there, going. They brought us a sample. It and campers. We made enough to and several marriages. I even got a tasted like milk of magnesia. As badly make the payments and interest until wonderful daughter-in-law, Michelle as we needed business, we were scared 1978, when we found a use for the Spears, from the dairy store kids. of these two and couldn’t stand the building. Another thing we tried in the product. Another reason not to: At that Another time that Mr. Bisnar 1960s was to expand on the dairy store time the State of North Carolina would was a good neighbor was during idea. We tried it for about ten years and not allow a dairy to bottle any milk WWII, when our boiler failed. We fired had dairy stores in Midway, except pure cow’s milk. Dairene caused the boiler with coal at that time, and Kannapolis, Landis, Enochville, us a great deal of concern. One day one day the boiler ran out of water. Albemarle, Rockwell, and Norwood. one of the two Dairene businessmen With the terrific heat of a coal fire Most met with some success, but it was came into the dairy store, looked into under the boiler it is crucial that water tough managing them from Concord. the office, and then just walked around be in the boiler or the fire would melt By the late 1970s, we were back down in the dairy store. Dot Bowers, who ran the bottom of the boiler. They called to the one store at the plant. the dairy store day shift for about 30 that bagging. That was a bad day. With Thank Heaven for the late years, asked him if she could help him. the war on you couldn’t just order a 1970s and the 1980s! In 1977 Daddy He said, “Well, we can’t decide boiler. The only thing to do was to was riding to Raleigh with Everette whether to buy them out or run them rebuild it. Working with a perishable Flora ( Charlotte) for a out.” Dot told him where he could go. product like milk and being obligated NC Milk Commission meeting. (She was a good judge of character.) to take all the milk your farmers Everette was talking about the difficulty After two years of trying to figure out produced means you can’t stop! The he was having in getting condensed what Dairene was up to, Mr. Bisnar Coke men and our men ran a milk for Ice Cream. Daddy came to see Daddy again. It seems that temporary steam line over the fence to mentioned that we had a small Dairene had never paid a dime to Coke their boiler. For several weeks, Coke condensing pan that we used to make for the option, much less gone through would bottle for a while and then holler our ice cream mix. Sealtest had extra with the purchase. across the fence for us to start up. We milk, but no way to condense it and the Mr. Bisnar told Daddy that we would run for a couple of hours and nearest place to buy condensed milk needed his building if we were ever stop for them to start back. Their boiler was . Before they got back going to grow. He said they would sell was barely big enough for them, but home, they had agreed for us to try to the whole property for $120,000 and they shared until ours was rebuilt. make a batch for them. What was he they would finance it. Brother Charles Retail ice cream was always a thinking?! Our pan held 300 gallons of Luther and I told Daddy to buy it and big part of our lives. We had a dairy milk and could cook down the milk we would find something to do to pay store in the front of our building from 12% solids to 40% solids at a rate for it! Coke and Mr. Bisnar were always starting in the teens. We were always of about 200 gallons per hour. At that great neighbors and good friends, and grateful for the following we had for time, we had three 2000-gallon raw he was certainly looking out for us now. our products. Most people thought that milk tanks and two 1000-gallon We told him we would take it, but ice cream was all we made, probably finished product tanks. It took us three would like for them to clean out the due to the visibility of the store. Untold days to work up the 5500-gallon tanker basement and get rid of all of those old numbers of teenagers worked in the of milk they sent. They liked the Coke signs and coolers (sometimes we dairy store as their first job. They were product and wanted to do it on a weren’t too smart). We got busy and all great workers and made us proud regular basis. started renting space out. Specialty years later when they thanked us for We got busy and found a 300 Dyers stored cloth and the Cabarrus the opportunity. Many said they gallon-per-hour pan at United Dairy in

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Greensboro for $500 (scrap price). Thus began a 10-year up with the demand and the equipment. The 8000-gallon growth spurt and the best 20 years in the history of the tank capacity grew to 277,000 gallons (more than any dairy company. in the state). Ammonia refrigeration to cool everything and We put the 300-gallon-per-hour Majoinner pan in to freeze ice cream grew from 75 tons to over 1000 tons. the alley between our plant and the Coke building to be Reading over these pages I realize how grossly over- close to the steam line and the cooling tower line for our simplified I have made this expansion sound. We were condensing pan. Condensing pans use a tremendous blessed with wonderful employees and local tradesmen who amount of steam, and obviously we didn’t have enough. At were willing to accept change as a way of life and to be that time we had a 125 hp 1923 James Leffel Scotch Marine willing to try most anything. boiler (yes, built for a ship). Bob’s Laundry had closed on None of this was done with a blueprint, an Cabarrus Avenue West and we bought their 1938 James architect, an engineer (other than Bill Cochran), or a city or Leffel, just like ours. Before the expansion was over we had c o u n t y added boilers from Locke Mill, Kerr Bleachery, and a p l a n n i n g hosiery mill in Monroe for a total of 2500 hp. We rattled committee. windows three blocks away when the big ones started up. B i l l When word got out that we were processing surplus Widenhouse milk for Sealtest, Ben Kilgore at Pine State Creamery in and Larry Raleigh asked if we could do anything with their surplus Templeton cream. We found a 1300-gallon General Dairy roll vane did rigging churn at Alcam Creamery in Richland Center, Wisconsin. and welding, We moved a few storage tenants around and installed the and Guy and churn in the Coke bottling room. The largest churn we had Tracy Cress Float in the 1963 Concord Christmas Parade. before was a 50-gallon wooden barrel churn. The 1300- had a crew gallon vane churn could make 4500 pounds of butter per of plumbers batch. We wound up with three 1300s and one 1100-gallon assigned to us for years. Arnold Hatley and Eddie Furr did churn. We could churn 40,000 pounds of butter per day. all the wiring and controls. Bill Cochran poured concrete The next challenge was what to do with the and Earl Ballard laid brick. buttermilk (the skim milk left over from making butter). The Charles L. Burrage has a wonderful mechanical answer was to dry it. We found a 750-pound-per-hour Blaw- mind. He went all over the country removing equipment Knox v-bottom box dryer in Pennsylvania. It wouldn’t fit in and marking the pieces so they could be put back together. the building, so we took off part of the Coke warehouse Daddy juggled the money between buying equipment, roof, put in the dryer, and then raised the walls and put on a installing it, paying for raw materials and collecting for sales. new roof. None of us had ever seen a milk dryer in I just tried to choreograph the dance between what product operation. As the dryer project was coming together, dairy was available, what equipment was up and running, what people in the state kept asking me who we were going to hire construction was in the way, and what had to be done before to teach us. I told them that we were going to turn on all the anything spoiled. switches, light the fire, pump in the milk and see what Our employees were amazing in their willingness happened. People asked Daddy if we were crazy because to accept change and their stamina in doing difficult jobs. those things were known to blow up from time to time. For example, John Carter (sales manager for bottled milk When asked what he was going to do he said, “When they and ice cream) and Bill Carson (wholesale milk route man) light it, I am going to stand on top of it and wave the became experts at the art of making butter. Plant employees flag”—and he did! We added two more 300-pound-per-hour might unload milk tankers and condense milk today, and go dryers later and could produce a trailer load of powdered to Asheville tomorrow and disassemble an ice cream storage milk in three days. room. They all adapted willingly and we actually had fun! Our entire infrastructure had to be beefed up to keep Life was never boring!

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We tried to involve family in our daily instead of 15 days stamped on the provided this service for dairy farmers lives even though we worked long and carton. We would unload their trailer, and plants from New York to Florida. strange hours. This included extended pull our ice cream crew and other plant Even to this date, September family (employees) as well. I remember and office people out, and open and 2010, there has never been a case of when we made the first churn of butter pour up every carton. Then we would any human being harmed in any way with the big churn; we were all waiting re-process the milk into a less- by antibiotic contaminated milk. No and watching for it to get ready. Just as perishable product. Every now and study has ever shown any ill effect of it was ready to dump, my wife, Cathy, then someone would rinse out a tanker antibiotic presence in milk. No study came in with a big pan of hot biscuits or tank too well and get some water in has ever been able to detect the she made for the occasion. Everyone the milk. The bottling plant couldn’t presence of antibiotics in a human that stopped what they were doing and bottle that milk for Grade A. There came from drinking milk. In 1991, the came to the butter room to marvel at was nothing wrong with the milk. FDA added two words to the milk the butter and eat hot biscuits and Condensing removes water from milk ordinance that instantly removed a butter! and concentrates the total solids. We profitable line of work from our plant. Christmas was our biggest could use that milk in ice cream or The new wording read—“Every effort season for surplus milk. Cows don’t powder and butter. will be made to keep antibiotics out of know it is a holiday and that schools Another way we learned to the human AND ANIMAL food are out for two weeks. Milk from help other plants was with disposal of supply.” several states came in during that time antibiotic contaminated milk. In the During the heydays we were to be made into butter and powder. late 1970s the FDA decided that if a the place you could call and the answer Between Christmas and New Year’s we cow was treated for mastitis (a common was always, “Yes, we will take it.” I told just “chose up sides” and worked 12- mammary gland infection), traces of everyone at the plant that we had one hour shifts, 7 to 7 and 7 to 7. Robert that antibiotic could be found in her chance and one chance only with any E., Jr, Michelle Spears (future milk seven to ten days later. Out of given load of milk. If a bottling plant daughter-in-law), and Amy-Lyn and concern that these antibiotics could or producer had a problem load, they Greg Lafferty (sister Jackie’s children) harm humans either by allergic had to get rid of it fast to free up the always drew the night shift. Running reaction or by building up immunity to tanker and get a replacement load. If powder is a hard and dusty job. They the antibiotic, they outlawed feeding we said no or maybe, they would push had to wear ear plugs and dust masks that milk to humans. There were no another button and call another surplus while filling and lifting 50-pound bags standards set as to what concentration plant. We wanted to be their one and of powder all night. Everyone wants to was allowable. Detectable presence was only call. We never used answering celebrate the New Year, so Jackie, all it took to reject the milk. Legal machines at the Creamery. A real Cathy, and I carried hats, noise makers, disposal of the milk was almost person answered on the first or second and refreshments up to the powder impossible. Dumping the milk in the ring. We were on call 24 hours per day, room. We couldn’t stop the machines, sewer would upset the sewer seven days a week. but they celebrated at midnight— authorities; dumping on fields or near A great ride, which I often including firecrackers. streams would upset the EPA. We took referred to as “operating on the edge of The large dairies that put us it in and made medicated animal feed out of control,” was coming to an end. out of the bottled milk business were powder and butter for the cosmetic The milk surplus of the 1980s now our customers. We tried to be the industry. This was like most things we was under control and leaning toward place they all could call on to handle did—feast or famine. We could get shortage. Government regulations were their surplus or problem products. If 50,000 gallons in a day or go two becoming harder and harder to meet. the refrigeration failed on a transport months with none. Thank goodness we Healthcare, workman’s compensation trailer and the milk got warm, the milk had buyers who would take whatever insurance, taxes, and “fees” were might be good for only three days we made whenever we made it. We exerting tremendous pressure.

Past Times No. 4, Fall 2010 PAST TIMES! PAGE11

Every 20 years or so, the We tried to take stock of than agonizing over another Creamery had to reinvent itself to stay where we were. reinvention. (Daddy was a professional in business. We were never able to Our wonderful 50-year and designated worrier.) We didn’t afford new equipment and as time went employees were gone. Our 40–30-year want to let any of the loyal employees on, the gap between modern employees had mostly retired. We go—which would be a sure thing as we automated equipment and our energy- didn’t have many 20–10-year downsized and started over. inefficient and labor-intensive employees. What would be left to work We finally decided the time equipment took away any competitive with were the younger, less-than-10 - had come to sell and hope a new owner edge we may have had. year employees that didn’t seem to feel with an influx of money and ideas As a family, we thought long the loyalty or dedication to the job that would save the employees and the and hard about the legacy that had the family did. The huge plant we had business. Cabarrus Creamery was sold been left to us. The ones that went assembled was becoming an overhead on July 8, 1999, to Clarke Ice Cream before us struggled to keep the nightmare as sales dropped off. Old Co., owned by Mr. Henry D. Clarke, Jr. Creamery going for future generations. equipment needed routine A tough day was made okay when Over the years we often discussed the maintenance to be ready if and when I went straight from the sale closing to desire to keep it going no matter what. business came back. the hospital to see our first grandson That stubbornness got us through— Competition in the wholesale born, “RJ,” Robert James Burrage. should we apply it now? My son, ice cream business was stronger than A condition of the sale of the Robert E. Burrage, Jr. (Little Robert), we had ever seen. Repair costs to our Creamery was that I stay as the graduated from Pfeiffer in 1995 and aging fleet of 1100 ice cream cabinets president of the Creamery for at least came back to the Creamery. Like all were unbearable. Freon R-12 and one year. My last day was September the previous Roberts, he expected the R-502 were being phased out by the 14, 2000—the day Austin Wayne Creamery to be his life’s work. We government because of carcinogen Burrage, our second grandson, was wrestled with the possibilities of concerns. Existing supplies had reached born. continuing. Would it be fair to him and $300 per pound. Cabarrus Creamery Co., Inc. other family members? We had always Lastly, Daddy was in his 80s closed on January 29, 2001. overcome the obstacles in the past, but and showing signs of Alzheimer’s had the day of the family business in disease. We didn’t want to do anything ROBERT E. BURRAGE, SR. is a America passed? that would cause him undue stress. We member of Historic Cabarrus felt that selling would be less stressful Association, Inc.

The Burrages bought the Furr Photo Studio and house in the mid-1950s for parking lot expansion. Delivery trucks, 1958.

Past Times No. 4, Fall 2010 Cabarrus Flashback

Historic Cabarrus Association, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of the heritage of the City of Concord and of Cabarrus County, North Carolina, and to the education of its citizens, students, and visitors. HISTORY MYSTERY: We recently discovered this wonderful 1930s photograph by legendary Concord photographer (and former Concord mayor) Zack L. Roberts--but we can’t identify its location or subjects. If you have any information, please call us at 704-782-3688.

FROM: PAST TIMES HISTORIC CABARRUS ASSOCIATION, INC. NONPROFIT P.O. Box 966 ORGANIZATION Fall 2010 Issue No. 4 Concord, NC 28026 U.S. Postage Paid Concord, NC 28025 Permit No. 9

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