Holyoke was home to large premium ice cream producers for roughly two-thirds of the 20th century. One was Dietz Ice Cream, which operated during the first quarter of the century, and the other was its successor, Glesmann Ice Cream, the subject of this post.
August Glessman emigrated to the United States with his parents at age eight in 1882. The family had been living in Posen, Poland, an area settled with a large German population.
For many years, he was employed by the Dietz Baking Company, which had been making ice cream since the early 1900s. In 1927, Mr. Glesmann founded the Glesmann Ice Cream Company, which he operated until 1951, when his son Edward became the business manager.
On April 15, 1927, August and Edward Glessman purchased land on Meadow Street from Holyoke Water Power Company. This parcel of land was one plot removed from the corner of Main and Meadow Street. On April 12, 1927, the city permitted erecting a one-story brick building. The estimated cost of the building to house the ice cream factory was $12,000.
The Glesmann brand of ice cream was sold to grocers, movie theaters, clubs and societies, and luncheonettes with ice cream counters. The company was also awarded contracts to supply ice cream to Holyoke and Chicopee schools.
The business closed in 1966. Maurice Casey Inc., a Westfield ice cream producer, purchased the business accounts in 1966. On November 7, 1967, the machinery and equipment were sold, followed by the sale of real estate on November 24, 1967.
Sources of news articles and information:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript-Telegram; publication dates are shown.
Holyoke Public Library, Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories.
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