Hall's Dairy (172 Sargeant Street Dairies ~ Part 1)

 The history of some of Holyoke's dairy industry has not been previously presented in this blog. My original area of interest was the H. P. Hood & Sons dairy, which was located at 172 Sargeant Street at the corner of Beech. My research uncovered several dairies that operated in a single location over the course of about 40 years. So, it's time to start with the oldest and work forward, beginning with Hall's Dairy.

Hall's Dairy began operating in September 1915 at 11 Brooks Avenue in Holyoke. The street was later renamed and renumbered to reflect a continuation of O'Connor Ave. The original dairy building was a brick garage-like structure, located behind the home that had the same street number.

Early newspaper ads indicated that the milk originated from select cows, was perfectly pasteurized and sterilized; in essence, Hall's Dairy was the Home of Clean Milk. Its equipment was modern for its day, including refrigeration.

Upon arrival, the milk was placed into a large sanitary tank, then flowed into a clarifier, which spun at a high rate of speed to remove unwanted particles. From there, it was on to the pasteurizer, which heated the milk for 30 minutes at 142°. The milk flowed over a cooler to a bottle filler, reducing its temperature by 100° in two seconds. The filled bottles were then refrigerated at 34°.

The plant was sterilized daily. Equipment was washed with a cleaning solution with water that rose to 160°.  This was followed by high-pressure steam to complete the sterilization process. The concrete floor of the brick building was cleaned daily. 

The state granted a certificate of incorporation to Hall's Dairy Inc. in late 1915. The president was William Welch, and the treasurer was Roy P. Hall. To form a Board of Directors, A.I. Hall was added.

In August 1916, Hall's Dairy purchased Lamb's Dairy from Howard C. Lamb, which had operated a large milk route in Holyoke for three years. He had succeeded his father, James A. Lamb, who operated the dairy at 4 Elm Street in South Hadley for about 25 years.

In May 1919, it was reported that Hall's Dairy was a generous contributor to the success of the milk station. Although the company had not been paid by the City of Holyoke for seven months, Hall's Dairy continued to deliver milk to the Holyoke Infant Hygiene Station. The city owed Mr. Hall close to $4,000.

On August 1, 1919, the Holyoke Water Power Company sold an 18,509 square-foot parcel of land to Hall's Dairy Inc. The parcel was located at the southwest corner of Beech and Sargeant Streets. The plan was to build a dairy on the site.

The architect selected was George G. P. Alderman & Brothers, and the contractor was Casper Ranger Construction Company. The project cost for the 172 Sargeant Street dairy was $60,000. A second building to the rear of the dairy was also designed by the Alderman firm. There was talk that a New York company was interested in operating a plant to manufacture milk containers. 

In mid-1922, Hall's Dairy merged with the Tait Brothers Dairy in Springfield to form one of the area's largest dairies.

The story of the 172 Sargeant Street Dairies continues in Part 2 of this series.

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.

Assessors' Office, City of Holyoke, Massachusetts

Registry of Deeds, Hampden County, Springfield, Massachusetts

The former 11 Brooks Avenue Hall's Dairy location is shown above. 

The dairy is identified within the blue box at 11 Brooks Ave in the 1915 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map shown below.

Edge International Inc.

Newer businesses were starting out after World War II to meet current demand or replenish goods that were generally unavailable during wartime. One of these companies was Edge International Inc. of Holyoke, the topic of today's story.

William J. Lane, formerly of Dartmouth Street, who moved on to New York City, was a distributor of cutlery and other products. The new plant, which started in November 1946, employed 13 men and 2 women who worked in the production of three designs of pocket knives. Many of those employed were over 50 years old and highly skilled and experienced knife makers. There was an excellent demand for pocket knives in Europe, and the company hoped to capitalize on sales there.

One of the workers was Sidney Swaim, who, at age 70, had 50 years of knife-making experience at different businesses from Maine to Wisconsin. In 1904, while working for the Scrode Cutlery Co. of Walden, N.Y., he worked on the first folding pocket knife produced in this country.

George Alderman of Jefferson Street was the Plant Superintendent at the 34R Martin Street plant. He was the grandson of the acclaimed Holyoke architect George P. B. Alderman, who designed many edifices, including churches, banks, schools, tenement buildings, social clubs, and downtown Holyoke buildings. The story of his accomplishments will be the subject of a future episode. 

The brick two-story commercial building where the business operated had 7,000 square feet of space. The original 1929 building permit allowed for constructing a one-story commercial building. A second story was added by 1946, when Edge International Inc. occupied the space. 

From the late 1920s into the 1940s, this was the business location of P. M. Taft Asbestos Inc., an asbestos pipe covering company owned by Patrick Taft. The commercial building was situated behind the Taft family residence.

The problem with the location was that it was embedded in a residential neighborhood. There could not be a second shift of operations, nor would there be additional plant expansion opportunities.

Producing a pocket knife with two blades required 150 operations. When additional accessories were added to the knife, such as a bottle opener, many more operations took place. Most of the pocket knives were covered with fabricated bone.

In June 1948, barely one and a half years into the business, a public auction sale of the company's assets was advertised in the newspaper. During that month, the state of Massachusetts alleged in a suit that the company failed to pay over funds due to the Division of Employment Security.

A second notice was published on December 17, 1948, for the auction of all business assets to occur on December 29, 1948. 

Several businesses operated at 34R Martin Street after Edge International Inc., including General Bookbinding Co., Holyoke Canvas Products, and Rex Records.

Citations:

Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations include Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram, and Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican, with publication dates and pages shown.

Google Maps View of 34R Martin St., Holyoke, MA

Hart Top Manufacturing Co. (later Hart Wool Combing Inc.)

 Many of the companies that started their mills in the area of the canals were formed in Holyoke. There are exceptions, of course, such as the Skinner Silk Mill and General Electric. This is the story of Hart Inc., a woolen company that was formed in Scotland back in 1790. 

Solomon Hart was a sheepskin trader who started the family business in the Netherlands with little fanfare and, initially, with modest success. The company eventually became successful and grew to become the major supplier of raw wool to the old Netherlands woolen mills. 

Moving into the 20th century, the rise of Adolph Hitler was the impetus for the company's establishment in the United States in 1935. During World War II, the Amsterdam company members concealed the records of the company and wool lots. The company resumed activities after the war ended, and established additional offices in South Africa and Australia in 1947 and in New Zealand in 1949.

In the U.S., this was a Boston-based concern with offices at 222 Summer Street. Walter Hindle, who had recently moved to Holyoke and resided on George Street, was placed in charge as Plant Superintendent at the 216 Appleton Street factory. The company had 150 employees and planned to expand and hire additional workers.

The company went to work, spending $37,000 to make structural modifications to strengthen the building. 

Within seven months, the employees voted overwhelmingly to join the Textile Workers Union of America TWUA-CIO). This was a very active union and was at the forefront of several strikes for increased wages, pension benefits, severance pay, additional holidays, and health benefits. Some of the strike actions were part of nationwide woolen strikes; others were specific to the Hart Top Mfg. Co.

The six-year mill and equipment modernization, along with product diversification, continued into 1954. Specialized equipment was introduced to gather the wool fat or grease removed from the raw wool, which would be used to produce lanolin, an ingredient in face creams. The lanolin would be sold to the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. It was anticipated that lanolin sales would generate $50,000 in additional annual sales. 

The raw wool used by Hart originated from South America, as well as throughout the United States, New Zealand, and Australia. The softest wool originated from Australia and Texas.

The modernization also allowed the company to handle all grades of wool, whereas in the past it was limited to low and medium grades. Most of the plant's machinery was consolidated onto one floor, reducing the number from four to increase efficiency. New washrooms, floors, two new boilers, a larger lab, and a first aid room were also added. 

Chester Salois, the plant's General Manager and George Street resident, was in charge of the modernization effort. He had forty years of experience working in woolen mills in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and Brooklyn, N.Y.

Due to seasonal demand for products, availability of wool sources, and fluctuating economic factors, the union was necessary to limit hourly pay cuts and loss of benefits. The industry continued to rebound through the 1950s.

Employees, in conjunction with the work of the TWUA, agreed to negotiated wage and benefits pacts in 1956, 1959, 1966, and 1969. In the latter year, the plant employed 80. It was about 1967 when the company changed its name to Hart Wool Combing Inc. to more clearly represent the nature of its activity.

In 1970, the company also began to process synthetics, including Orlon and nylon. An oil shortage in 1973 resulted in the layoff of 50 workers, prompting reports that the business was shut down.. The report was premature, as Hart Wool Combing continued in operation until about 1989.

The Holyoke Police Station was built on the company's parking lot in 1996 and completed in 1997. This is located at the corner of Appleton Street and Nick Cosmos Way (formerly Bond Street)

As of 2025, the plant at 216 Appleton Street along the canal is being repurposed for housing after years of minimal use. 

Citations:

Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations include Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram, and Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican, with publication dates and pages shown.

(Photo from my personal collection taken in 2018)

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