# Monroe County PA milk bottles



## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

I have not had an opportunity to get on the site and post anything in quite a while, so I thought I'd make time to post up some pictures and information on my milk bottles from Monroe County, PA.

I've been collecting bottles from the area for about 20 years now, and while I have amassed quite a few milks there are still some I don't have. This list is not complete and they're not in any particular order. If anyone out there has other bottles from the area and would like to share pictures or information please do!

I seem to have misplaced my research notes (lost in a move I think), so any information I'm posting here is from memory unless it's on the bottle itself. I can't guarantee complete accuracy.

First up are my INDIAN SPRING DAIRY STROUDSBURG, PA bottles.
These are all Thatcher bottles. The "SPRING" bottles are both dated 1928. The "SPRINGS" bottle is dated 1927.
I believe this dairy was sold in the 1930's and continued in operation into the 1940's at least (I think Blakeslee took it over).


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

HAROLD WELTER STROUDSBURG, PA.
These are Thatcher bottles. The pint is dated 1934. I can't make out the date on the quart.
Welter pints are quite scarce.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

M.J. BOWMAN STROUDSBURG, PA. R.F.D. 4
Miles Bowman operated in Cherry Valley in the 20's and 30's.
These are both Thatcher bottles. The pint is 1929. The quart is dated 1930.
Scarce bottles.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

CLOVER LEAF MILK CO. STROUDSBURG
These bottles are on the rarer side. They are early 20's bottles based on the TMC mark that Thatcher used during that time period. I have not been able to find any information on this dairy.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

BLUE RIDGE DAIRY D.P. GRONER STROUDSBURG, PA.
Relatively common quart. Much scarcer pint. 
Both Thatcher bottles. The pint is dated 1934. The quart is not dated.
I have original caps for both of these bottles!


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

FABEL'S DAIRY STROUDSBURG, PA.
My grandmother was a Fabel and was Fred Fabel's niece (if I recall correctly). Fred Fabel took over the Stroudsburg Creamery Company before 1920. This dairy was located on First Street in Stroudsburg.
The "Fabel's" bottles are Thatcher bottles from the early 40's. The "Fabel" bottles are Owens bottles produced in their plant in Clarion, PA, also in the early 40's. I don't know why they would have different bottles produced like that at the same time.
The juice bottle does not have a maker's mark or date on it. It is the only dairy in the county that I know of that used a juice bottle of that type.
Both types of embossed bottles, except for the juice bottle, are relatively common and available. The juice bottle is pretty scarce. There are a couple of different pyro bottles from this dairy. It continued on into the early-mid 1950's.

There are earlier bottles that say "Fetherman and Fabel" on them but I don't have one yet.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

F.M. HANEY'S DAIRY STROUDSBURG, PA.
Floyd Haney was in operation in the 1930's. Both of these bottles are Thatcher bottles dated 1933.
The pint is much scarcer than the quart.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

STROUDSBURG CREAMERY CO.
These are early bottles. As I noted earlier, Fred Fabel bought the Creamery Co. before 1920. I don't know if he continued to operate as the Creamery Co. before he changed over to Fabel's Dairy, but these are all early bottles and the Fabel's Dairy bottles are mostly from the 40's. The bottles with the big "S" are both Thatcher bottles dated 1915.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

MEADOWBROOK FARMS STROUDSBURG, PA.
These are common bottles from the mid- to late-1940's.
The "R" is for the owner's name, which I believe was Reinhart.
I have also seen a wax cone from this dairy.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

SHEHAWKAN DAIRY WATER GAP, PA.
One of the few dairies from Delaware Water Gap. These are early Thatcher bottles dated 1919 (quart) and 1917 (pint). Quite scarce. My pint is kind of beat up but it's the only one I've ever had a chance to obtain. 
This dairy was along the creek near the school, and is one of the only dairies shown on the early Sanborn Maps of the area.
There are two other Water Gap milk bottles but I don't have either. One is from the Castle Inn Farm, which served the Castle Inn Resort, and the other I can't remember offhand.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

GOULD BROS. EFFORT, PA.
These not-so-common bottles are from the west end of the county. The embossed bottles are Thatchers from the early 30's. The pyro bottles are from the early 40's. I not seen a pyro pint from this dairy, but I have seen quarts and half pints like I have here and with "Gould Bros." next to the tree.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

JOS. A. POPE TOBYHANNA, PA.
Joseph Pope's bottles are scarce. They are the only bottle I know of from Tobyhanna.
He operated in the 30's-40's. This is a Thatcher bottle dated 1940.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

BUCKWOOD DAIRY SHAWNEE ON DELAWARE, PA.
The Buckwood Inn was a popular resort in Shawnee. I believe it was destroyed by a flood in 1955.
These are earlier bottles. The quart and half pint are Thatcher bottles with the half pint dated 1928. The pint is a "BESTOV" bottle which could pre-date 1920. 
I have seen pints with the round embossing like the quart and half pint here, but I have not seen a quart or half pint with the straight embossing on this pint. Are they out there?


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

These are the other two bottles I know of from Shawnee.

ECHO VALLEY FARM RAW MILK SHAWNEE ON THE DELAWARE, PA.
IRVIN L. ALLEGAR SHAWNEE ON DELAWARE, PA.

I really never found any information on the Echo Valley Farm. A few quarts turned up in the late 90's and they have rarely come onto the market since. Mine is a Thatcher bottle dated 1943.
Irvin Allegar operated in the 30's and 40's, but this bottle is not dated.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

WILLOW SPRING DAIRY CANADENSIS, PA. ALLEN D. PRICE
This is a scarce bottle from the tiny town of Canadensis. I believe Allen Price was in business for some time, as he later added "& SON" to his bottles, but the bottles are not at all common. 
This is a Thatcher bottle dated 1934.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

DETRICK BROS. SNYDERSVILLE, PA.
The Detrick's were in business for quite a long time. The embossed quart and half pint are dated 1929 and 1928 respectively, while the pint is dated 1945! The various configurations of the pyro bottles show they were in business well into the 1960's. 
Although I don't really focus on the later rectangular half gallons, this one with the carnival barker guy was just too cool to pass on!


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

The Buck Hill Falls Company was another resort like the Buckwood Inn. Buck Hill Falls is in the northern part of the county near Canadensis. There are three distinct varieties of Buck Hill Falls Co bottles and they are easily dated and put in chronological order:

PROPERTY OF BUCK HILL FALLS CO. (block letters) are the earliest. These three are dated 1920 and have the early TMFGCO logo on the base.
THIS BOTTLE THE PROPERTY OF BUCK HILL FALLS CO. (script letters) came next. This bottle has the small T.M.C. logo on the front under the slug plate that Thatcher used in the early 1920's. 
THIS BOTTLE PROPERTY OF BUCK HILL FALLS CO. (block letters) was the last version. It was in use for some time and these bottles are dated 1922, 1928, and 1931.
The two earlier versions are pretty scarce, although they are both known in all three sizes. The later version is very common.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

G. H. SNYDER STROUDSBURG, PA.
Well, we know George Snyder was in business for at least 20 years, given that both of these embossed bottles are dated 1934 and both of the pyro bottles are dated 1954!
They are not uncommon bottles, but I don't have a half pint either embossed or pyro. The pyro bottles have a nice design. Both have the same designs on the front and back, so I showed one of each side in this picture.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

SPRING BROOK DAIRY FLORY E. STROUDSBURG, PA. 
and
FLORY EAST STROUDSBURG, PA.
The "Spring Brook Dairy" bottle is the earliest and is quite scarce. This pint is a Thatcher bottle dated 1919. The other pint is dated 1933, so we know the Flory's were in the dairy business for a long time. I used to have some good research on this dairy. Hopefully I'll find it and update this post one day!


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

POCONO HAY-VEN THE CREST OF HEALTH MT. POCONO, PA.

Pocono Hay-Ven was a health spa and resort operating in the 1930's in Mount Pocono. The gill and half pint are the only sizes I've seen, so I am thinking they only used these bottles within the resort itself and didn't sell milk to the outside.
The gill is the only gill I know of from anywhere in the county. It is a Thatcher bottle dated 1933.
The half pint was produced by Owens in Clarion, PA in 1933.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

MONROE COUNTY CO-OP BRODHEADSVILLE, PA.
The pint, half pint, and sour cream jar with the round slug plates aren't terribly scarce, but the non-slug-plated versions are extremely common.They are from the late 40's through the 1950's.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

SWIF****ER DAIRY SWIF****ER, PA.
These bottles are pretty rare. They are the earliest dated bottles from the county that I've seen. They may not be the earliest bottles, but they are the earliest dated milks I've come across. All three are dated 1914 and have the TMFGCO logo on the base.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

C.E. KUEHNER SPRING WATER DAIRY KUNKLETOWN
This dairy sat right on the county line with Carbon County. The embossed bottles are not terribly scarce, and I have seen an embossed half pint, but the pyro bottle is quite rare. 
Note the "KEUHNER" misspelling on this pint.
The quart is a Thatcher bottle dated 1930. The pint is an Owens bottle dated 1927. The pyro is also an Owens bottle and is dated 1944. They had corrected the spelling by then!


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

OYER'S DAIRY STROUDSBURG, PA.
One of the later embossed milks, these are all dated 1942 and 1943. All Thatcher bottles.
The logo in the center is the owner's initials...Walter R. Oyer ("WR" inside an "O").
Relatively common bottles.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

MAPLE IN THE PINES WILEY & SONS
These don't have a town name, but they are from Stroudsburg. They probably seem scarcer than they actually are because people may not know where they're from. C.A. Wiley & Son are listed in the Monthly Bulletin of the PA Department of Agriculture in 1919 as being in Stroudsburg and selling unadulterated milk.
The bottles pictured here are all Thatcher bottles from the 1920's. I also have a pint dated 1919 with the TMFGCO logo on the base.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

BREYSTONE FARM GEO. K. BRANDS STROUDSBURG, PA.
Uncommon bottles from the mid-1930's, these are Thatcher bottles dated 1935 and 1936.
I found this pint in a box of junk bottles that someone was about to throw away after a yard sale. I bought it for $2!


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

J.S. BLAKESLEE R.F.D. STROUDSBURG, PA.
I believe it was Jerome Blakeslee who took over the Indian Spring Dairy. He was in operation for some time. The embossed pint is dated 1934 and the pyro pint is dated 1948.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

These are three of the scarcer dairies from Stroudsburg. I only own them in quarts, but I have seen Hahn and Dennis pints.

MAPLE LAND DAIRY R.F. HAHN & SON BOX 242 STROUDSBURG, PA.
E.E. KIRKHUFF STROUDSBURG, PA.
SUNNYSIDE FARM H. DENNIS & SON R.F.D. STROUDSBURG, PA.

The Kirkhuff is the rarest of the three. I can't make out the date on this bottle but it looks like it's from the 30's. Eugene Kirkhuff was listed as a postman in Saylorsburg in the 1930 census. I wonder if he delivered milk and mail together??
The Dennis bottle has no date or mark. Harry Dennis is listed in the same 1919 bulletin as C.A. Wiley.
The Hahn is a Thatcher bottle dated 1929.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

These are some other scarce dairies that I only have in quart size:

J.W. SMITH DAIRY KUNKLETOWN, PA.
This is an Owens bottle from their Clarion plant in 1936.

HARRY HAY BARTONSVILLE, PA.
This is a Thatcher bottle dated 1935. I have seen a pint with the same embossing as well as a quart that says "Raw Milk" in the center instead of "HH."

CEDAR GROVE DAIRY WILLIS NEWELL STROUDSBURG, PA. R.F.D.1
A scarce one! This is a Thatcher bottle from 1935.

JOHN ZUKAWSKI'S DAIRY R.F.D. EAST STROUDSBURG, PA.
Scarce for a milk from the 40's (this one is dated 1943). It is the only "birdcage" bottle I know of from the county.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

MOUNTAIN DAIRY E.E. MOORE POCONO PINES, PA.
I randomly met Elmer Moore's nephew several years ago. I can't remember exactly how it came up in conversation, but once I realized who he was and he realized I was interested in his uncle's dairy he told me stories about working there back in the 30's. He worked there for several summers and then the dairy was eventually sold to the Penn Dell Dairy. 
At that time I had the two embossed bottles, but he tracked me down a few days after we met and gave me the pyro bottles! He said they had been in his garage for decades and he would have eventually tossed them in the trash, so he gave them to me for my collection!


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

HINELINE BROS. EAST STROUDSBURG, PA.
Another scarce set from the 1940's. These are Thatcher bottles dated 1942.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

KLEINTOP'S DAIRY KUNKLETOWN, PA.
The third milk from little, tiny Kunkletown!
Both of these are Owens bottles produced in the Clarion plant, but both are so weakly embossed on the bases that I can't make out the date code!
I have seen both of these bottles in other sizes as well.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

FELLENCER'S DAIRY STROUDSBURG, PA. (HILLSIDE DAIRY)
Scarcer embossed than pyro, I've seen quarts and pints but never a half pint that I can recall.
Both of these are Thatcher bottles. The embossed bottle is dated 1940. The pyro is dated 1945.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

STROUDSBURG SANITARY DAIRY
There are a number of embossed and pyro varieties of SSD bottles. My favorite is the one third quart embossed "CHOCOLATE MILK" bottle that is front and center in this picture! It is the only bottle of that size and the only embossed chocolate milk bottle from the county that I know of.
These are all Thatcher bottles. Dates range from 1931-1944.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

C.A. CHRISTMAN CLEAR VIEW DAIRY KRESGEVILLE, R.D.1, PA.
Another tough one from a tiny town at the west end of the county. 
This is an Owens bottle from 1935.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

PENN-DELL DAIRY STROUDSBURG, PA.
There are a number of different embossed and pyro Penn Dell bottles. The coolest design has to be the quart with "PENN-DELL" filling the entire slug plate. On the back it has a square plate inside a round slug plate that says "PROPERTY OF PENN-DELL DAIRY STROUDSBURG, PA."


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

HAMILTON DAIRY STROUDSBURG, PA R.D.#1
The Hamilton Dairy was actually in Saylorsburg. It operated in the 1940's and there are a number of different pyroglazed designs and colors. I don't believe I've ever seen an embossed Hamilton Dairy bottle.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

MONROE DAIRY EAST STROUDSBURG, PA.
Another large dairy that operated for a long time. Bottles say "Monroe Dairy," "Monroe Dairy Inc.," "Pasteurized Milk," "Quality Milk." Bottles are Thatcher and Owens with dates ranging from 1927 to 1947. There are East Stroudsburg and, later, Stroudsburg bottles as the Monroe Dairy had multiple plants in the area.


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## houseman (Jul 3, 2017)

And still looking for more!!!


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## macjxl (Jul 5, 2017)

Awesome effort. Thanks for sharing.


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## BlancoBros (Jul 7, 2017)

Great collection! Thanks for sharing!


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## ACLbottles (Jul 10, 2017)

Very nice!


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## MarkWiley (Jul 24, 2017)

*Family Farm*

C.A.Wiley is Charles Allen Wiley and was my great grandfather.  My grandfather Allen Wiley grew up on the farm and deliver the milk every morning by horse and wagon.  The horse knew the route and would walk down the street while my grandfather would run door to door delivering the milk.  My grandfather probably delivered the bottles you own.  The farm was in East Stroudsburg and is a kennel club today.



houseman said:


> MAPLE IN THE PINES WILEY & SONS
> These don't have a town name, but they are from Stroudsburg. They probably seem scarcer than they actually are because people may not know where they're from. C.A. Wiley & Son are listed in the Monthly Bulletin of the PA Department of Agriculture in 1919 as being in Stroudsburg and selling unadulterated milk.
> The bottles pictured here are all Thatcher bottles from the 1920's. I also have a pint dated 1919 with the TMFGCO logo on the base.


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## MarkWiley (Jul 25, 2017)

*Photo of entrance to Maple-in-the-Pines*

See attached photo


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## houseman (Jul 27, 2017)

Thanks to everyone who checked out my collection and thanks for the replies.

Mark Wiley--That's such a cool story to hear! One of the reasons I decided to post my collection was the hope that it would draw out some stories like yours. I love hearing the history and family connections. Of course the bottles are old, but we have to remember that we're really only one or two generations away from these people!
Is it safe to assume you have some of their bottles? Have you ever seen any that are different than the ones I posted. Those are the only types I've seen, except that the oldest one I have with the 1919 date doesn't have the gripper on the neck. 
Where in East Stroudsburg exactly was the dairy? I love the picture, but the area has changed so much you can't even use the landmarks in a lot of the old pictures of the area.


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## dptjr (Aug 6, 2019)

The Hineline Brothers dairy was my wife’s great grandfather’s and was located where the fields across from the ESU field house to 447.  Do you have photos of the bottles you have in your collection?  I am currently unable to see the photos you originally posted.  Thanks!


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## houseman (Aug 18, 2019)

Hi. Thanks for looking and for the information about the Hineline Dairy!
These are the bottles I have...a quart, pint, and half pint. This is the only style bottle I’ve seen from the dairy and every bottle I’ve seen with a date has been from 1942. I’m guessing they didn’t use too many bottles. Have you seen anything different?


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## yacorie (Aug 21, 2019)

I grew up in reeders but haven’t found any bottles from there.  Curious if you Have you seen any?  

Thanks and great looking bottles you’ve posted


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## dptjr (Aug 25, 2019)

Those are the only style bottles, I have seen.  My father in law has a complete set, as well as the bottle caps.  If you are ever interested in selling those, please let me know.  Thanks!


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## houseman (Aug 28, 2019)

Yacorie--thanks for checking out my bottles! No I have not seen a bottle from Reeders. Bartonsville and Scotrun are the nearest towns I've seen milk bottles from. There's a pontiled soda from Tannersville and I saw a labeled medicine bottle from there also. 

dptjr--I'm not looking to sell these three but I think I have an extra quart somewhere that I was keeping for a trader. I'll have to look to be sure. Maybe we can work something out.


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## yacorie (Aug 29, 2019)

houseman said:


> Yacorie--thanks for checking out my bottles! No I have not seen a bottle from Reeders. Bartonsville and Scotrun are the nearest towns I've seen milk bottles from. There's a pontiled soda from Tannersville and I saw a labeled medicine bottle from there also.
> 
> dptjr--I'm not looking to sell these three but I think I have an extra quart somewhere that I was keeping for a trader. I'll have to look to be sure. Maybe we can work something out.




I’d love to find that tannersville soda bottle but haven’t been able to do so yet.

Thank you for the reply


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## dptjr (Sep 3, 2019)

That would be awesome!  Please let me know.  Thank you


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## welterb (Oct 20, 2019)

Houseman - you are right...Harold Welter milk bottles are quite scarce.  I am Harold Welter's grand-daughter and have been looking for his bottles for over 50 years. I have yet to find one. If you or others have one for sale, please let me know. I would love to have one of Harold's bottles in the family.


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## yacorie (Nov 29, 2019)

How about Fabels dairy from Stroudsburg?


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## Swampfox38 (May 13, 2020)

Great collection. I you ever come up with a source to get another Shehawkan bottle from the gap would be interested in it I roamed that area in my youth I know a dump that was never picked I'm  sure..  I did when I was a lad it was on the old trolley line between  Stbg and the gap.


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## houseman (Aug 7, 2020)

Hello Ms. Welter, I'm glad you got to see these bottles! These are the only two Welter bottles I've ever owned...but I have seen a few others over the years. I was offered one a few years ago but it was badly damaged so I didn't buy it. I'll keep my eyes open for you though and see what I can find.

Yacorie--I have quite a few different Fabel's bottles now. If you have one that's different than what I have pictured here I'd be interested in it. There's also an older Fetherman & Fabel that I don't have.

Swampfox38--I'm always looking but that's a tough one too. There's a dump along the trolley line on the Stroudsburg side of the mountain by the park (which used to be a large dump/junkyard). It's been pretty-well dug out over the years. Is that the area you're thinking of? Believe it or not, my Shehawkan pint came out of that dump!


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## houseman (Aug 8, 2020)

I have some new additions I'll add soon so everyone can see them, but here are a few I'm still looking for:
Glen Brook, Kerr, Guernsey Herd--this bottle has no town on it but it's from Stroudsburg
Fairview Dairy, V.L. Williams, Stroudsburg
Castle Inn Farm, Delaware Water Gap
Predmore Bros
C.D. Predmore--no town name but it's from East Stroudsburg
Indian Ladder Farm Dairy--no town name but it's from Shawnee on the Delaware
Scotrun Dairy, G.C. Post, Scotrun
Fetherman & Fabel, Stroudsburg
Clearview Farm Dairy, L.E. Kessler, Gouldsboro
Willow Spring Dairy, Allen D. Price & Son, Canadensis--specifically looking for the "& Son" variety
And, of course, anything else not pictured or listed (different sizes, varieties, etc...)

I also collect milk bottle caps and other types of bottles from the area.
Thanks for looking!


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## macjxl (Aug 8, 2020)

Looking forward to seeing your new additions Houseman. Are there any round embossed ambers in your collection? I'm always looking to buy, but I'd settle for a photo for my database. I'm aware of 21 that I'm missing from PA, but I'm not sure of the counties. I think most are from Pittsburgh.


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## Ahowey (Sep 10, 2020)

houseman said:


> These are some other scarce dairies that I only have in quart size:
> 
> J.W. SMITH DAIRY KUNKLETOWN, PA.
> This is an Owens bottle from their Clarion plant in 1936.
> ...





houseman said:


> These are some other scarce dairies that I only have in quart size:
> 
> J.W. SMITH DAIRY KUNKLETOWN, PA.
> This is an Owens bottle from their Clarion plant in 1936.
> ...


Hi! These are amazing. I just found out today that 'John Zukawski dairy bottles exist out there! John Zukawski is my great grandfather.  Are you able to point me j. The direction of where to find something like this?? I did a Google search today and found nothing but this group. Thank so much!


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