As a child, one of the great mysteries in Fairfax for me was
this building located on Lonsdale:
It was clearly something industrial in nature, but there
it was, plopped down right in the middle of a residential neighborhood. I
figured it out sometime after I reached adulthood and recently came to realize
that I only needed to look up and the building itself would have answered my
question:
Yes, this building was once home to the J. H. Berling
Dairy Products Company.
First, a little background about the dairy industry. As
the United States began to industrialize and many people moved from rural to
urban areas, most people didn’t have a place to keep a family cow. So, people
began purchasing milk and dairy products directly from dairy farmers. As demand
increased, dairy farmers were unable to handle production and
distribution of milk themselves. Milk distributors began cropping up to get
dairy products from the farm to the consumer. Due to poor refrigeration and
limited transportation options back in the day, milkmen made daily deliveries
to their customers’ homes. It is surprising how many dairy distributors there
were in the first half of the 20th century.
J. H. Berling started his dairy business in the Linwood neighborhood
of Cincinnati in 1921. Joseph Henry (or Heinrich) Berling was born in Hannover,
Germany on Christmas Day 1877. He, his father, brother, and sister arrived in
Baltimore, Maryland in September 1895, joining another brother who had already immigrated
and was living in Cincinnati. Joseph became an American citizen in 1899. Throughout
his lifetime he was involved in various civic organizations and also served as
president of the Linwood Building and Loan Association.
In the late 1920s, Berling began purchasing lots in
Fairfax, on which he planned to build a state-of-the-art “milk distribution
station.” In 1927, construction of the plant was estimated to cost $25,000.
By the time the Berlings finished purchasing lots in
Fairfax, they not only owned the property where the plant stands, but also the
land where the Fairfax Maintenance Department garage, municipal building, and
recreation center are now located. In addition, the family owned four lots on
Watterson where Joseph and his son August built their homes.
The outlined properties on Hawthorne, Germania, Lonsdale, and Watterson were once owned by
J.H. Berling and family. Image from Google Earth.
Construction of J. H. Berling Dairy Products Company in
Fairfax was completed in 1932.
In January 1937, the Ohio River flooded and remained
above flood stage for 18 days, cresting at 80 feet. The flood not only did the
expected damage (closing roads and damaging and destroying property), but also
impacted utilities like power and water service. A number of businesses offered
their water resources to citizens who needed clean water for drinking and food
preparation. J. H. Berling Dairy Products was among those businesses.
In Mariemont, it was truly an instance of “water, water
everywhere, but not a drop to drink.” On January 26, while the flooded Little
Miami River threatened parts of the community, Mariemont used the last of the
water in their mains. J. H. Berling offered use of his dairy’s 170 foot driven
well. Mariemont maintenance personnel blocked the city water main near the
Berling plant and instead pumped water from the Berling well through the main to
Mariemont. At 7:30 a.m. the following morning, the pumping stopped so the dairy
could resume operations, then the water pumping resumed again at 4:00 p.m.
In January 1941, J. H. Berling Dairy Products celebrated
its 20th anniversary with a dinner party and sales meeting at
Mariemont Inn. The speakers included J. H. Berling and his son, August, who served
as vice president of the company.
On November 18, 1941, J. H. Berling died at the age of 63
after a brief illness. His son August succeeded him as president of J. H.
Berling Dairy Products Company. August’s sons Joseph and August R. Berling also
worked at the Dairy.
Joseph H. Berling, Cincinnati Enquirer, November 19, 1941
From the Cincinnati Enquirer, February 16, 1942
In addition to members of the Berling family, the dairy
provided employment to a number of other Fairfax residents.
Fairfax residents who worked at J.H. Berling Dairy Products Company included (front, L-R) Ernest Schoettler, Glenn Leach, Ed Noone, Ben Michels, (back, L-R) George Nickolin, Ed Kaufman, George Hytle.
From the Cincinnati Post, October 5, 1943
From Cincinnati Catholic Telegraph Register, October 31, 1947
The
property the Berlings owned is now the center of activity in the Village of
Fairfax. But even before there was a municipal building or recreation center,
the area was a meeting place for village residents. Residents used the Berling
properties for carnivals and meetings. In 1951, the Fairfax Welfare Association
met at the Berling garage to discuss the issue of incorporating the community
into a village.
Everett Johnson, milkman (and J.H. Berling's son-in-law) had a perfect safety record for over 25 years and 500,000
miles driving for J.H. Berling Dairy Products Company.
From the Cincinnati Post, December 12, 1951
From the Cincinnati Catholic Telegraph Register, September 5, 1958
In the 1950s, the dairy industry was changing. People
began to move from the cities to suburbs, which extended milkmen’s routes,
making delivery less cost-effective. Groceries and homes now had adequate
refrigeration and auto ownership was on the rise. Travelling to the grocery to
grab a quart of milk or a pound of butter wasn’t such a big deal any more.
Daily milk delivery had all but disappeared by the 1960s. The national milk
market, where milk could be produced hundreds of miles away and transported in
large quantities to retailers in refrigerated trucks, was the final nail in the
coffin for many small, local dairy distributors. Berling Dairy ceased
operations in the mid-1960s.
In 1967, the Village of Fairfax purchased the Berling
Dairy garage on Hawthorne at Lonsdale for $60,000. In July 1968, Mayor Ronald
G. Cribbet announced that Fairfax would be getting its first recreation center later
in the year. The Berling garage would be renovated at a cost of $20,000, which
would include installation of plumbing, heating, and air conditioning. The
converted J. H. Berling garage is now the Ronald G. Cribbet Recreation Center.
(Am I the only one who hadn’t realized that the recreation center used to be
the Berling garage?)
Ronald G. Cribbet Recreation Center today, formerly the J.H. Berling Dairy Products garage
August Berling passed away January 15, 1981, having lived
in Fairfax for over 50 years. Members of the Berling family owned the building
where the dairy once operated until 1983. The Berling Dairy building is now occupied by Havel's, Inc., a company specializing in medical, dental, and veterinary products, and cutting blades and scissors.
