BMancaatar Firming, Saturday, April 16, 1994
A Trip Back In Time Milk Peddlers Reminisce
GAIL STROCK
Mifflin Co. Correspondent
It began with an article sugges
tion from loyal Lancaster Farm
ing readers, J. Loren and Wanda
Yoder of Belleville. Why not inter
view some of those who used to
peddle milk in wagons. They even
gave me names—Nelda Peachey
of Allensville and Lester Zook
(Wanda’s dad) of Belleville. I
knew it would be an interesting
trip back through time, but it
turned out to be a trip further back
than I'd expected because Nelda
said there was someone else I
should talk to Sadie Byler at
Valley View Haven.
Sadie Byler
Delivering MUk Somewhere
Arotmd I9l<
Sadie Byler’s quick mind and
friendly talkaljhreoea belie* hpr
95 years of age. Bern inltSft
Sadie delivered milk house id
house as a teen during the teem
after the turn of the century.
“We had a big square carriage
with lines along the side (to steer
the horse as they walked along'
side), side doors and windows.
The horse came down Mechanic
Street and we’d ring the bell. At
the foot of the hill that horse (she
told me his name was Frank) knew
to turn around and back up and
turn some more and back up. Then
coming back up the hill, he went
back and forth across the street (to
different houses). He knew where
to stop. People would come out
with kettles, pitchers, what have
you.”
Sadie’s milk wagon carried two
SO-quart milk cans. They kept a
pie plate and quart measure beside
each can. “We kept nice, white
cloths to keep the cans from
sweating. If you dropped one on
the floor, you used the other one,”
Sadie remembers.
Sadie said they offered whole
milk, skim milk, and cream to
their customers every day and
Saturday evenings, but never on
Sundays. The seat of their wagon
lifted and there they stored extra
quarts in case they needed them.
She also said customers could pay
Nelda Peachey of Allensville delivered milk during the
1940’e and saw the coming of pasteurized milk.
cash or use tickets.
“The tickets were for $1.20,
$.60, and $.30. They had circles
on them and we punched holes to
keep track. We charged 6 cents for
a quart of milk, 3 cents for a quart
of skim milk, and 24 cents for a
quart of cream.”
“Belleville was half what it is
now,” Sadie continued. “We went
down Mechanic Street, Main
Street, Trella Street, I’m not sure
where else, and back. We finished
up on Jenkins Street.”
Sadie said she was IS, 16, or 17
when they sold out When the men
were busy, she delivered the milk
by herself! Sometimes she took a
little one along, but, she adds
matler-of-factly, “It went just as
good when I went by myself!”
There is one March 3rd Sadie
remembers well. She’s not sure of
the year but there had been a terri
ble snow storm. Her father took
the wheels off the wagon and
Attached sleigh runners. He
traveled the back roads and, Sadie
eai4‘There came a blast and blew
everything over. Dad broke his
arm. He went to the doctor the
next day.”
Sadie Byler married David J.
Byler in December of 1918. They
have 11 children, 36 grandchil
dren, 68 great grandchildren, and
6 great-great grandchildren.
Lester Zook
Delivering Milk During The
’2os, 30s, And ’4os
Lester Zook delivered milk for
almost 30 years, beginning in the
late ’2os and early ’3os for his dad.
He and his brother pulled a large
wagon through town selling quarts
of Cloverleaf Dairy milk for 9
cents and pints for 5 cents. By the
time he sold his business to Nelda
Peachey around 1947, a quart of
milk was selling for 19 cents.
“The wagon had four big
wheels, about 3 feet high. The bed
of the wagon was about eight feet
long. We delivered every day but
Sundays. The customers picked
one bottle of milk out and put the
empty one in. We sold whole milk
and chocolate milk. Had a special
formula from raw cocoa and made
During the 30-yoar span that Lestar Zook delivered milk, he went from pulling a
wagon to peddle the milk to delivering by car.
our own syrup.”
Lester wishes he had a picture
of how they used to cool their milk
before bottling it
“The top container had holes in
it. It set on top of a cone shaped
one (small end up). The cone was
filled with ice and water. The milk
ran out the holes in the top con
tainer and down over the cone
with ice in it. It ran into a large
container with a spigot. Then we
filled the bottles.”
Lester said they’d buy extra
milk from a neighbor if they
hadn’t enough for their couple
dozen Allensville customers. He
said they also sold milk to Mrs.
Laura Kennedy who made home
made ice cream. “She had a good
ice cream business in Allensville,”
Lester remembers.
“We liked it (delivering milk),”
Lester says. “Now semi-trailer
trucks come in with it at the store.
What a difference!”
Lester stopped delivering milk
in the late '4os and went on to, at
different times, own a general
store in Allentown, type-set for
the Belleville Times, and work at
the Valley View Nursing Home.
“I guess I had too many jobs,”
Lester replies with a grin. "But I
read stories of my grandparents
and great-grandparents, and I can
see how I got it honestly!”
He speaks fondly of his wife
Amanda who passed away four
years ago.
“I want to give recognition to
my Lord, my beloved wife Aman
da of 56 years, and out four child
ren, for the ability to serve the
church and the community for
many years. Amanda and I work
ed together all our lives. When I
was at the nursing home, she was
the receptionist there. Those were
the best years of my life.”
Lester has 'four children, 11
grandchildren, and seven (soon to
be eight) great-grandchildren.
Nelda Peachey
Delivering Milk During
The ’4os
Nelda Peachey’s small, quiet
house in Allensville contrasts with
what I imagine his life was like
when he delivered milk to his 100
customers. He lived (where this
writer likes now) with his father,
step-mother, and eight children
himself, three siblings and four
step-children.
Nelda cooled and bottled milk
in the old milk house that he says
has a 100-foot well. He had a con
tainer that held 12 quarts of milk.
They would fill one bottle at a
time with a machine that would
shut off automatically.
Ninety-live year old Sadie Byler delivered milk some
where around 1916 to Belleville residents, offering whole
milk, skim milk, and cream.
“Then we got one that would
fill three bottles at a time. That
was a great thing at that time.”
Nelda laughs. “We delivered once
a day, never on Sundays. When
the war came, delivery was Tues
days. Thursdays and Saturdays.
Nelda said that during the
Depression, some people came to
the farm to work off their milk bill
while some just couldn’t pay and
the bills were forgotten.
Nelda delivered milk in a Ply
mouth station wagon that looked
much like a van does today. “We
delivered in all lands of weather.
We hauled milk in the manure
spreader because of the snow.
Wouldn’t dare do that now. We
had rougher winters then, worse
than now. Snow would be up near
the telephone wires. We traveled
JTomestead
through the fields. We got out
somehow. I don’t ever remember
missing a day.”
Nelda asked me if we were able
to keep our drifting driveway open
this winter. I said between us
shoveling and our kind neighbors
plowing us out, we managed. He
laughed and said of our driveway,
“If you can get up there, you can
get most anyplace.” After this past
winter, I knew what he meant. *
Nelda showed me his only
remaining bottle from his Mea
dowbrook Dairy.
“We took them out by the truck
loads (to get rid of). Never dreamt
they’d be going the way they are
now. We gave $8 for a gross
(144), bought new. Now they
JToles
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(Turn to Pago B 3)