Growing up in Little Lehigh Parkway, now called Little Lehigh Manor by the Realtors, the milkman was an early morning fixture. Almost every house had the insulated aluminum milkbox. The milk trucks were distinctive, and the drivers wore a uniform, indicative of their responsibility. Freeman's milk was the best by test, or so the slogan said. Their trucks were red and immaculate. The dairy building still stands, a quarter block north of 13th and Tilghman Streets. They competed with a giant, Lehigh Valley Co-Operative Farmers. That dairy, on the Allentown/Whitehall border, just north of the Sumner Avenue Bridge on 7th Street, even sported an ice cream parlor. Milk, up to the mid 50's, came in a bottle. The milkman would take the empties away when delivering your fresh order. In addition to white and chocolate, they produced strawberry milk in the summer. About once a week the milkman would knock on the door to settle up; times have changed.
Occasionally the bottle, and later the cartons, would feature themes and advertisements. A picture of Hopalong Cassidy would entertain young boys as they poured milk into their Corn Flakes. Earlier, during the War, (Second World) bottles would encourage customers to do their part; buy a bond or scrap some metal for the war effort.
reprinted from 2009
Yes, everyone had an insulated box on the porch and the money was left in box in an envelope, could you imagine that today? I sort of recall you could get cream and other dairy products also.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that bread may have also been delivered in this way.
There was also mail deliveries in the morning and then again in the afternoon.
And I had to be careful and accurate throwing the Morning Call newspaper on the porch. Occasionally a miss would rattle the empties.
DeleteFreeman’s milk always tasted better than other brands. If I recall correctly, Freeman’s used a slightly higher fat content. Sorta like the taste difference back then between the ice milk product and ice cream. You knew the difference.
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