Milk Bottles

1912 to 1960

Waterloo’s earliest dairies relied on horses and wagons to make daily deliveries of fresh milk sold in glass bottles. Did you know that many Waterloo homes were built with a 2-way box in an outside wall to hold the milk delivery, and return the empty bottles? Refrigerated delivery trucks took over for horses in the mid-1950s and home refrigerators helped change the need for daily milk delivery.

John L. Beese Dairy, located at King and John Streets, (Newtex Dry Cleaners) sold milk from 1912 to 1923. Around the 1940s, Waterloo Dairy operated at the corner of Erb Street West and Beverley Street. Maple Lane Dairy launched in 1931 on a farm at the north end of Waterloo. In 1937, the growing business moved to a new plant at King and Spring Streets, a building that now holds Ethel’s Lounge. Maple Lane continued their expansion acquiring 10 smaller dairies including J.L. Beese and Waterloo Dairy. By 1970, Beatrice Foods (Parmalat) had purchased Waterloo’s most successful dairy.

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