Hofwyl Dairy

Hofwyl Dairy. . , Hofwyl Dairy was established by Gratz Dent around 1915 and operated by his sister’s Miriam and Ophelia until 1942. During the dairy’s most prosperous period approximately 35 Jersey and Gurnsey cows produced 100-150 bottles of milk daily. This was delivered to nearby residences. The dairy also supplied 40-50 gallons daily to millionaires vacationing on Jekyll Island during the winter season. The dairy closed in 1942 after the Dent sisters paid off the family debt and reached a financially comfortable state., Left - Dairy Barn , Here cows were brought in from the fields and washed with water from the large metal tank located just outside the barn. The cows were then divided equally on both sides, chained to feed troughs and milked. Electric milking machines were installed in the 1920’s but some manual milking was also done., Right - Bottling House , Fresh farm milk from the adjacent dairy barn was brought to this building twice daily in five gallon milk cans to be processed. It was weighed first to record each cow’s daily output. The animal heat was then removed from the milk to help preserve it by using an aerator. It was then bottled in one pint bottles and capped by a bottling machine. Originally, the bottled milk was stored in the large cooler with the ice locker on top. With the advent of better methods of refrigeration, a refrigerator operated by a gas generator and electricity were also used., Far Right - Silo , The circular stone structure seen to your far right was the foundation of a silo used during the dairy years.