Johnson's Creamery

Johnson's Creamery. . Ward W. and Ellis W. Johnson founded the Johnson Creamery in 1913. Johnson's provided milk, butter, cottage cheese, buttermilk, whipping cream, ice cream and ice. , “Today's Milk Today” , In the days before refrigeration, it was important for milk to be moved quickly from the cow to the customer. Johnson's Creamery, with its slogan Today's Milk Today, prided itself on providing quick delivery. Horse-drawn wagons delivered milk and other dairy products directly to homes. , During its peak, Johnson's purchased raw milk from 80 local dairy farmers. It employed as many as 100 people to deliver and process its products. , Horsepower Replaces Horse Power , Johnson's Creamery maintained stables on South Washington Street until 1939, when a fleet of trucks replaced the horses. , Associated with the creamery was an ice house. Johnson's was the largest ice producer in southern Indiana. It sold ice in 300-pound blocks for ice boxes. A three-story, cork-coated ice room was built onto the creamery in 1927. In addition to selling ice to its local customers, refrigerated railroad cars would receive loads of ice from Johnson's. , The invention of refrigeration signaled the decline of smaller local dairies and creameries. Refrigeration gave milk a three-week shelf life, allowing it to be transported further distances. Larger, centralized dairies replaced small local dairies. In 1987, Johnson's ceased operations. In 1995, the old creamery building was restored and adapted as the Johnson Creamery Business Center. , Captions: , Bottom left: Ammonia compressor used in the refrigeration process. , Bottom right: Take the West Side Walking Tour to see Bloomington's early African American landmark churches and elementary school.