Lewisburg
Lewisburg Ice Cream Company
1918—1937
The Lewisburg Ice Cream Company first appears to me in a 1919 advertisement soliciting suggestions for names for their ice cream (paying $5 in gold coins to the winner!) (Lewisburg Ice Cream Co., 1919). A later 1930 article suggests the company actually began in 1918, however (“Lewisburg Ice Cream”, 1930). A 1922 advertisement indicates that the manager of their Mabscott outfit this point was H.L. Watkins (Lewisburg Ice Cream Co., 1922). By 1927, the manager of the Mabscott plant changed to Otto Cook (Lewisburg Ice Cream Co., 1927). The aforementioned 1930 article on the Mabscott plant states that this branch was founded in 1922. At that time, the Mabscott branch only manufactured and distributed ice cream, though around 1930 they began selling milk. It also mentions that the officers of the whole company in 1930 included George P. Alderson, President, C.A. Jackson, Secretary and Treasurer, and George Marrs, General Manager.
The company was purchased by Hugh F. Hutchinson and E.M. Johnson in 1937 and the name was changed to Greenbrier Dairy Company, which then merged with a larger dairy corporation in Chicago in 1954, then ceasing to exist independently in its entirety (“Greenbrier Co.”, 1954).
An embossed Lewisburg Ice Cream Company. Beckley as a second location.
A lime green pyro, quart-sized Lewisburg Ice Cream Company bottle. Mabscott as a second location. Front.
A lime green pyro, quart-sized Lewisburg Ice Cream Company bottle. Mabscott as a second location. Back.
Ronceverte
P.P. Ferrell
19??—19??
Ronceverte Ice & Produce Co.
1920—present
Ronceverte Ice & Produce Co. incorporated in 1920 with a starting capital of $50,000 (“Corporate Charters”, 1920). Incorporators included W.E. Deegans, Guy B. Montgomery, Frances B. Montgomery (the former’s wife), Alice Kramer, and C.H. Thompson. The company still exists today!
White Sulphur Springs
Greenbrier & Cottages
19??—19??
Oak Branch Dairy Farm
1922—1948(?)
Oak Branch Dairy Farm’s first mention is their sale of Holstein and Guernsey bulls in the newspaper in 1921 (Oak Branch Dairy Farm, 1921). They, however, did not charter until 1922, when they incorporated to sell milk, cattle, ice, and real estate and run a cold storage (“Oak Branch”, 1922). The owners included E.H. Tuckwiller, C.A. Livesay, A.M. Caldwell, D.O. O’Connell, and H.B. Austin. As of 1948, the owner was Carl Burr (“White Sulphur”, 1948), though I cannot ascertain when he purchased the dairy. It is said in this article that he acquired Ayreshire cattle from the Reymann Memorial Farm at WVU (see W.V.U. Dairy article), adding to his herd of already half a dozen of the same kind.
I unfortunately cannot find when this dairy closed at the present time.
References
Corporate charters. (1920, March 18). The Charleston Daily Mail, 15.
Greenbrier Co., Beatrice Foods reveal merger. (1954, December 30). Hinton Daily News, 1.
Lewisburg Ice Cream Company. (1919, February 28). $5.00 in gold will be paid [advertisement]. Greenbrier Independent, 5.
Lewisburg Ice Cream Company (1922, February 21). Greenbrier Velvet Ice Cream [advertisement]. The Raleigh Register, 11.
Lewisburg Ice Cream Company (1927, August 25). Eat more ice cream [advertisement]. The Raleigh Register, 9.
Lewisburg Ice Cream Company Mabscott plant. (1930, June 29). The Raleigh Register, 18.
Oak Branch Dairy Farm. (1921, May 6). Pure bred Holstein and Guernsey bulls for sale [advertisement]. Greenbrier Independent, 5.
Oak Branch Dairy. (1922, February 10). Greenbrier Independent, 5.
White Sulphur man improves dairy herd. (1948, September 18). Beckley Post-Herald, 10.