In mid-1922, Hall's Dairy sold its business and the 172 Sargeant Street plant to a major milk and ice cream producer from Springfield. Tait Brothers was an established dairy that started its business in the 1890s.
The company continued the dairy operation in Holyoke upon its acquisition. For a time, it continued to use the Hall's Dairy name in its advertisements for Angel Drink, which was available at soda fountains. The Holyoke plant was managed by John S. Spencer.
In February 1923, the company acquired the former Davis Stables at the southwest corner of Elm and Cabot Streets for $40,000. The property was formerly owned by Caroline Prew, the widow of J. N. Prew. The stick-built property was home to Edward F. Quigley's Elm Garage, Dr. J. J. Moynahan, Kolb Bakery, and Pierce Davis. The street address was 243 Elm Street.
In May 1923, the company received approval to open a gas and service station at the Elm Street location and built a 25-foot by 10-foot addition.
As a Thanksgiving promotion, the company awarded six free turkey-shaped ice cream desserts at the Victory Theater.
In July 1925, Tait Bros. Inc. merged with three other dairies located in New Haven, CT, Burlington, VT, and Providence, RI into Eastern Dairies, Inc. Eastern Dairies Inc. purchased the 172 Sargeant Street plant on June 25, 1925.
In January 1926, five additional large New England ice cream makers merged into Eastern Dairies Inc. Harry Tait was named Chairman of the Board of this vast dairy combine, which had over $6 million in assets.
Tait Bros Inc. retained its name until 1928. In that year, General Ice Cream Inc. from Schenectady, N.Y., merged with Eastern Dairies Inc. The merger resulted in the largest dairy processor in New England and New York. Together, nine million gallons of ice cream were produced annually in addition to other dairy products. At the time, the Springfield branch had 52 dairies in operation, and the Schenectady branch had 32 plants.
As a result of the latest merger, the six-year corporate growth pattern had ended in Holyoke, as the plant was no longer needed by the conglomerate. On March 15, 1928, the 172 Sargeant Street plant and equipment were sold to the locally-owned Holyoke Producers Dairy Company, the subject of the next installment.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Morning Union; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription), Price & Lee City Directories, Holyoke, Massachusetts.
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