Title: White House Milk Company Records
Inclusive Dates: 1927-1967

Creator:

• White House Milk Company

Call Number: Green Bay Mss 110

Quantity: 2.6 c.f. (4 archives boxes and 2 flat boxes)

Repository:

Housed at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Archives and Area Research Center; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

UW-Green Bay Cofrin Library / Green Bay Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:

Records of the White House Milk Co., Manitowoc, Wisconsin (1917-1979), a subsidiary of the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, primarily involved in the production of evaporated milk, but also in the forefront of developing a process for the production of instant milk in the 1950s. Records from the central office in Manitowoc include a general ledger of expenditures, an equipment register, a depreciation schedule, budgets, and a union contract. Records from the various plant locations of Abbotsford, Eden, Marathon, Marinette, Mayville, Stratford, Vesper, West Bend, and Winneconne, Wisconsin, and Stephenson, Michigan, relate to the physical plant and equipment used. They include contracts, equipment specifications, and depreciation schedules. The records also contain a limited correspondence with the War Production Board on equipment ratings and sample can labels.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-gb0110

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

The White House Milk Co., a subsidiary of the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company since 1922, was also known as its National Dairy Division after 1968. The origin of the company can be traced to a milk condensing plant that was organized in 1917 and began operations in West Bend, Wisconsin, in 1918 under the White House name. On November 1, 1922, the company was purchased by the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company. Harlan M. Clark, the former general manager, continued to serve in that position.

The company expanded rapidly, adding a milk receiving station in Mayville in 1923, a plant in Eden in 1925, and a plant in Winneconne in 1927. A new processing plant was built in Manitowoc in 1928 and the company's central offices were moved there that year. Plants were later built in Stratford, Abbotsford, Vesper, Marinette, and Marathon, Wisconsin, and Stephenson, Michigan.

From 1922 to 1951 the company produced primarily evaporated milk. In May 1945, it won a War Food Administration “A” Award in the processing of “Food for Freedom.” In the 1950s, the White House Milk Co. expanded its research into the growing field of dry milk production. The company was one of the innovators in this field. In 1955 the company had in use one of the first operational agglomerators to produce instant non-fat dry milk. Several patent disputes with the Carnation Company ensued, with a patent being issued to the research staff of the White House Milk Co. that was later assigned to the Cherry-Burrell Dairy Equipment Company.

From 1951 to 1970, the plants combined production of evaporated milk and dried milk products. Some even made ice cream and butter for a short period. The consolidation of the evaporated milk production in a plant in Pennsylvania in 1970 meant the end of operation for most of the Wisconsin receiving and processing plants. The Manitowoc plant continued to operate until March 1979 when the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company vacated the facility. Ownership of the company was transferred to the Associated Milk Producers Cooperative, Inc. on January 1, 1979.

The records of the White House Milk Company include fragmentary financial records from the company's central office as well as detailed records of the physical plant operation of the ten plant sites. The material has been arranged in four series: Background Material, Central Office Records, Plant Records, and Statistical Studies.

The BACKGROUND MATERIAL consists of a few folders containing short histories of the company, material on the “A” Award received in 1945, and newspaper clippings about the company. There is also a folder of labels from the cans produced by the company.

The CENTRAL OFFICE RECORDS offer limited financial records, which document the general operating expenses of the company, but do not contain detailed financial reports, budgets, or sales information. A general ledger for the years 1928-1947 contains the most sustained body of information in the collection. It details the expenditures of the company for the twenty year period, although the period of the 1930s is the most thoroughly and consistently recorded. Expenditures of all kinds--equipment, maintenance, taxes, insurance, and labor--are documented. Entries are made monthly or quarterly and are not broken down by specific plant origin. Only limited sales figures, accounts receivable, and profit and loss figures are recorded. The files do not contain financial reports from the various plants, or information on the financial relationship to the parent Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company. Budget figures are given on a quarterly basis for only 1944, 1945, 1946, and 1948. Detailed milk receiving statements exist only for the fiscal year 1967. Likewise, a union contract containing detailed information on job classification and wage scheduling exists only for the year 1953-1954. Two equipment registers cover the years 1927-1967. They provide detailed information on the cost of equipment, the rate of depreciation and the length of use of dairy industry machinery.

The PLANT RECORDS contain the most detailed records in the collection. They essentially document the physical plant and equipment use of ten plants of the White House Milk Co., including Abbotsford, Eden, Marathon, Marinette, Mayville, Stratford, Vesper, West Bend, and Winneconne, Wisconsin, and Stephenson, Michigan. The records are organized by plant location and further divided into categories of plant operation. They contain contracts for equipment and maintenance work, equipment specifications, use and depreciation information, and some correspondence relating to physical plant. The records offer a good overview of the type of equipment necessary to a dairy processing plant from 1927 to 1967, although the records are most complete for the period 1927 to 1947. For research into the history of technology, these records provide information on equipment use, standards, and specifications in the dairy processing industry. The files also contain papers and correspondence relating to industrial waste, inspection and sanitation issues in the dairy industry, as well as the equipment needed to meet industry standards. There is also a small amount of material relating to War Production Board guidelines, equipment ratings, and preference rating applications that illustrate aspects of a food processing industry during World War II.

The series of STATISTICAL STUDIES is a group of reports undertaken by the company from 1948 to 1951. The studies indicate some of the issues facing their industry such as a plant expansion, advisability of the manufacture of cans within their own plant, and production reports on evaporated milk, butter, and cheese.

Acquisition Information

Presented by the White House Milk Co., Manitowoc, Wisconsin, via Henry F. Harder, 1975. Accession Number: M75-322, M75-404, M75-415

Processing Information

Processed by Lynn Lubkeman, 1987.

	Series: Background Material
Box   1 Folder   1	Company history and newsletter
Box   1 Folder   2	“A” Award data
Box   1 Folder   3	Newspaper clippings
Box   1 Folder   4	Labels
	Series: Central Office Records	⇧
Box   5	General ledger, 1925-1947
Box   1 Folder   4	Completed budgets, 1944-1948
Box   1 Folder   5	Milk statements, 1966-1967
Box   1 Folder   6	Union contract, 1953-1954
Box   6	Equipment register and depreciation schedule, 1927-1967
	Series: Plant Records	⇧
	Abbotsford
Box   2 Folder   1	Boilers, 1927-1928
Box   2 Folder   1	Buildings, 1928-1950
Box   2 Folder   1	Cleaning equipment, 1948-1950
Box   2 Folder   1	Compressors, 1928-1950
Box   2 Folder   1	Electrical, 1942
Box   2 Folder   1	Evaporators, 1928, 1948
Box   2 Folder   2	Hotwell, 1928
Box   2 Folder   2	Land, 1927-1947
Box   2 Folder   2	Liquid level control, 1949-1950
Box   2 Folder   2	Meters, 1949-1950
Box   2 Folder   2	Plumbing, 1928, 1950
Box   2 Folder   2	Preheater, 1928-1930
Box   2 Folder   2	Stacks, 1938-1953
	Tanks
Box   2 Folder   2	Drop tanks, 1928
Box   2 Folder   2	Milk storage tanks, 1939-1947
Box   2 Folder   2	Water storage tanks, 1928
	Eden
Box   2 Folder   3	Buildings, 1950-1952
Box   2 Folder   3	Canwasher, 1931
Box   2 Folder   3	Contracts, milk haulers, 1935-1937
Box   2 Folder   3	Filtration system, 1938-1939
Box   2 Folder   3	Heating and ventilation, 1944
Box   2 Folder   3	Pumps and pumphouse, 1942-1943
Box   2 Folder   3	Tank, drop, 1931, 1950
Box   2 Folder   3	Wells, 1943
	Marathon
Box   2 Folder   4	Boilers, 1946-1967
Box   2 Folder   4	Buildings, 1936-1961
Box   2 Folder   4	Can stand, 1948-1949
Box   2 Folder   4	Can washer, 1942-1945
Box   2 Folder   4	Condenser, barometric, 1937-1938
Box   2 Folder   4	Cooler plate, 1942-1945
Box   2 Folder   5	Dryer, 1951-1952
Box   2 Folder   5	Evaporator, 1948-1953
Box   2 Folder   5	Heating, 1947-1956
Box   2 Folder   5	Land, 1933-1957
Box   2 Folder   5	Pump House, 1946-1947
Box   2 Folder   5	Tanks, 1942-1949
Box   2 Folder   5	Washing equipment, 1948-1950
Box   2 Folder   5	Wells, 1944-1945
	Marinette
Box   2 Folder   6	Boilers, 1929-1949
Box   2 Folder   6	Buildings, 1928-1929
Box   2 Folder   6	Can washer, 1929-1947
Box   2 Folder   6	Condenser, barometric, 1929-1944
Box   3 Folder   1	Evaporator, 1929-1948
Box   3 Folder   1	Floors, 1945-1948
Box   3 Folder   1	Land, 1928
Box   3 Folder   1	Liquid level control, 1950
Box   3 Folder   1	Magnetic separator, 1946
Box   3 Folder   1	Plumbing, 1949-1950
Box   3 Folder   1	Preheater, 1929, 1948
Box   3 Folder   1	Scales, 1929, 1948
	Tanks
Box   3 Folder   1	Tank, drop, 1929
Box   3 Folder   1	Tank, milk storage, 1929-1947
Box   3 Folder   1	Tank, wash, 1949
Box   3 Folder   1	Tank, water storage, 1929
	Mayville
Box   3 Folder   2	Condenser, barometric, 1935
Box   3 Folder   2	Contracts, milk haulers, 1935-1937
Box   3 Folder   2	Conveyors, 1944
Box   3 Folder   2	Cooler, plate, 1942
Box   3 Folder   2	Elevator, 1944
Box   3 Folder   2	Heat exchange and water cooler, 1944
Box   3 Folder   2	Intake, 1938
Box   3 Folder   2	Pumps, 1944
Box   3 Folder   2	Refrigeration, 1937-1944
Box   3 Folder   2	Roofs, 1923, 1929
Box   3 Folder   2	Stacks, 1944
	Tanks
Box   3 Folder   2	Tank, drop, 1937
Box   3 Folder   2	Tank, dump, 1937
Box   3 Folder   2	Tank, milk storage, 1940
	Stephenson
Box   3 Folder   3	Boiler, 1928-1948
Box   3 Folder   3	Buildings, 1929-1950
Box   3 Folder   3	Can conveyor, 1929
Box   3 Folder   3	Can washer, 1929-1948
Box   3 Folder   3	Condenser, barometric, 1935
Box   3 Folder   3	Cooling tower, 1943-1944
Box   3 Folder   3	Electrical and heating, 1929
Box   3 Folder   3	Evaporator, 1947
Box   3 Folder   4	Instruments, 1929-1950
Box   3 Folder   4	Land, 1929
Box   3 Folder   4	Pastuerizing, 1958, 1967
Box   3 Folder   4	Powder equipment, 1958-1964
Box   3 Folder   4	Preheater, 1945-1958
Box   3 Folder   4	Pumps, 1930
Box   3 Folder   4	Scales, 1929, 1948
	Tanks
Box   3 Folder   4	Tank, drop, 1929
Box   3 Folder   4	Tank, milk storage, 1930-1947
Box   3 Folder   4	Tank, water storage, 1929
	Stratford
Box   3 Folder   5	Boilers, 1927-1948
Box   3 Folder   5	Buildings, 1927-1949
Box   3 Folder   5	Can conveyors, 1927, 1945-1947
Box   3 Folder   5	Condenser, barometric, 1934-1947
Box   3 Folder   5	Evaporator, 1927
Box   3 Folder   5	Pumps, 1927-1934
Box   3 Folder   5	Refrigeration, 1927-1945
	Tanks
Box   3 Folder   5	Tank, drop, 1927, 1949
Box   3 Folder   5	Tank, milk storage, 1938-1945
Box   3 Folder   5	Tank, water, 1927
Box   3 Folder   5	Water, 1947-1948
	Vesper
Box   4 Folder   1	Boilers, 1928-1949
Box   4 Folder   1	Buildings, 1922-1928, 1948-1949
Box   4 Folder   1	Can conveyors, 1928
Box   4 Folder   1	Can washer, 1928-1948
Box   4 Folder   1	Chlorination system, 1946-1947
Box   4 Folder   1	Condenser, ammonia, 1946
Box   4 Folder   1	Cooling towers, 1928-1949
Box   4 Folder   1	Desks, 1948-1949
Box   4 Folder   2	Evaporator, 1928-1948
Box   4 Folder   2	Floors, 1946-1949
Box   4 Folder   2	Land, 1928-1929, 1951
Box   4 Folder   2	Plumbing, 1928, 1935
Box   4 Folder   2	Refrigeration, 1928-1934
Box   4 Folder   2	River water intake, 1934
Box   4 Folder   2	Scales, 1928-1946
Box   4 Folder   2	Tank, milk storage, 1945-1947
	West Bend
Box   4 Folder   3	Buildings, 1953-1957
Box   4 Folder   3	Clarifier, 1938-1942
Box   4 Folder   3	Condenser, barometric, 1935
Box   4 Folder   3	Homogenizer, 1933-1946
Box   4 Folder   3	Land, 1920-1921
Box   4 Folder   3	Powder and Butter, 1953
	Winneconne
Box   4 Folder   4	Bailey Meter, 1939-1940
Box   4 Folder   4	Boilers, 1927-1957, 1966
Box   4 Folder   4	Can washer, 1944-1945
Box   4 Folder   4	Compressors, 1942-1950
Box   4 Folder   4	Condenser, barometric, 1935
Box   4 Folder   4	Contracts, 1927-1937
Box   4 Folder   5	Evaporator, 1927, 1948-1949
Box   4 Folder   5	Insulated standpipe, 1945
Box   4 Folder   5	Intake equipment, 1946
Box   4 Folder   5	Land, 1927-1953
Box   4 Folder   5	Magnetic separator, 1945
Box   4 Folder   5	Refrigeration, 1927, 1958-1962
Box   4 Folder   5	Reline tanks, 1938
Box   4 Folder   5	Stainless steel tanks, 1944-1945
Box   4 Folder   5	Tank, drop, 1927, 1940
Box   4 Folder   5	Tank, milk storage, 1944-1945
	Series: Statistical Studies	⇧
Box   4 Folder   6	“Study of an Evaporated Milk Plant in Kentucky,” from L.T. Davis, April 19, 1948
Box   4 Folder   6	“Detailed Information on Evaporated Milk Production in the South as Compiled by Dr. Frank Birch,” 1947, June 1-13 and 1948, February 21-March 7
Box   4 Folder   6	“Preliminary Study of the Advisability of Manufacturing Evaporated Milk Cans at Manitowoc, Wisconsin,” 1948, May 14
Box   4 Folder   6	“Study of Manufacturing Evaporated Milk Cans at Manitowoc Wisconsin,” from L.T. Davis, 1948, July 23
Box   4 Folder   6	“Evaporated Milk, Creamery Butter, and American Cheese Production Data,” from C.C. Terrizzi, 1949, July 29
Box   4 Folder   6	“Evaporated Milk, Creamery Butter, and American Cheese Production Data,” from C.C. Terrizzi, 1950, March 3
Box   4 Folder   6	“Evaporated Milk, Creamery Butter, and American Cheese Production Data,” 1951, March 30