The Creamery

A creamery was considered an essential business in midwestern farming communities. It was therefore no surprise that John Gitchell, the town banker, decided to organize the Center Point Creamery in 1873. The business was housed in a frame structure that was painted red. Later, the building was remodeled and cement blocks and cement floor were added.

Most of the cream for making butter was picked up by the creamery from the townspeople and the neighboring farms. Two shifts of men were employed; one for the morning run and one for the evening run. Some of the farmers would bring their own cream once a week. Butter was made in 50-pound tubs and then shipped twice a week to other Iowa towns.

Creamery crew in 1913 at creamery on Water Street. l-r: Lee Dennison, Fred Kress, John Lundring, Lis Cochran, Floyd Mitchell.

One of the by-products created by the creamery was buttermilk. In those days, there must not have been much of a market for the product. The creamery would drain the buttermilk into a cistern by the creek. Farmers were allowed to take all that they wanted to feed their hogs.

During the years the creamery was in operation, it was run by several different people including: Derflinger, Weeks, Pollock and Romine. In 1904, the building was heavily damaged by fire. The business closed around 1916, but the buildings continued to be used for storage and livestock by John Wormer. The building, located in what is now the Wakema Park parking lot, was torn down in the 1960s.

A second creamery still stands today in 2004 at its original location on Washington Street, just east of Main Street behind Nelson Cabinets. Chas. Pollack owned the block building.