According to the 1880 Census, each of the following was said to be a
"dairyman." The list is for western Columbia Township, which
included Norwood. Starting at the present northern boundary of Norwood
and traveling south ... (note: just to the north, and probably in
Pleasant Ridge, were A. F. French, 30; R. Meys?, 48, and Christ? Stofer,
39)
In the 1882 "Report of the Treasury Cattle Commission on the lung plague of cattle, or contagious pleuro-pneumonia", published by the United States Dept. of the Treasury Cattle Commission, two Norwood dairy farmers, Louis Graber and Henry Weghorst, were recorded, with another, H. Stagge, in Oakley, who may have moved to Norwood later (possibly with Stagge, Bruggeman & Goosman – see listing below). Stagge had 74 cows, Graber 54 and Weghorst 50. In describing his business, Stagge said he milked the cows as long as they would give milk, and then fattened and sold the cows to the butcher. All three dairies were determined to be free of the disease. In 1896, there were ten dairies listed in Bettinger's Norwood Directory. The reason for so many dairies at that time in Norwood, and in many other suburbs surrounding Cincinnati, can be traced back to Cincinnati pollution. By at least 1887, some Cincinnati citizens were complaining that the milk from cattle on dairies within Cincinnati's borders was contaminated. They argued that only milk from the suburbs should be allowed. One of the suburban dairies mentioned was S. Gunther, of Norwood. His dairy, which supplied The Cincinnati Hospital, was "reported as all right to the Board of Public Affairs." Ironically, within a few years, pressure from residential development and, soon afterwards, the rapid growth of industry in Norwood, relegated Norwood's dairies to the history books. Some of the 1896 "dairies" were listed in the main part of the directory, at their respective addresses, as something other than dairies. e.g. drygoods stores. Did this mean they had a cow or two in their back yards, that they only processed and bottled milk, or that they sold milk produced by others? Note: Years given are verified dates the dairy was in business, not necessarily the only years of operation. |
On Thursday, August 20, 1953, Boerger's Dairy Farms
store opened at 2031 Worth Avenue, at Rolston. For that
Thursday-Saturday, special prices were offered as part of the opening
celebration.
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