Farmer's Collection Tells The History Of Milk

Farmer's Collection Tells The History Of Milk DAIRY EQUIPMENT & IDEAS Dairy Equipment & Ideas 26-3-23 It's a pretty sure bet you've never seen as many butter churns, cream separators or milk bottles in one place as you'll find in Gerald and Barb Surbrook's basement. The Surbrooks are senior partners in a Rives Junction, Michigan, dairy farm, along with their son, Rick and grandson, Jim. Over the years, they've accumulated thousands of dairy antiques, collectibles and memorabilia. Most of the collection consists of items used in the home or by dairy processors to package, process, or serve milk and milk products. They even have a 1940's vintage home delivery milk truck. Gerald says he began collecting dairy memorabilia when he inherited 10 bushel baskets full of milk bottles from an aunt. "At one time, there were 122 different producers bottling and selling milk here in Jackson county, and I have bottles from 50 of those," he says. They also have one of the most complete sets of Dazey butter churns around, from the earliest wooden model to the last of the glass ones. "Dazey made a number of quart-sized glass churns that were decorative and intended to be set out in the kitchen," Surbrook says. "We have one of almost all of those. And we have both the smallest and largest of the wooden box-type churns they made." They also have several crockery churns and two treadmill churns from the late 1800's, which used dog or sheep power to make butter. In all, they have 450 churns with 300 of them on display. The collection also includes butter molds and presses, cheese dishes, and both tabletop and floor model cream separators from several different companies. Of particular interest to many is the John Deere cream separator. They also have several of the small milk cans used for home delivery prior to the introduction of the returnable glass bottle. "People would set these out on their doorsteps and the milkman would come along with a bucket and pour milk into them," he explains. Included in the memorabilia in the collection are an unused Delaval equipment dealer sign from the 1920's and a couple of cabinets used by dealers to store separator parts. Surbrook says most of the collection was put together in the 1970s, by attending farm auctions and flea markets. They continue to add pieces from swap meets and shows and through connections with collector clubs across the country. Surbrook says their basement is not a museum, but the couple willingly opens up to school groups and others who want to look. If you're looking for something specific, he can probably tell you where you can see it or direct you to someone else who can. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gerald Surbrook, 4858 Maple Lane Road, Rives Junction, Mich. 49277 (ph 517 569-3143).

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