The Berling Dairy

     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 20^th 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 20^th 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.