THE STERLING CREAMERY

In 1800's Nobletown (now Sterling) stood the Sterling Creamery on Springhill Road, about 1/4 mile from the corners leading to Moscow on the left hand side of the road.  It was built in a "L" shape form with a stone foundation with beam and board construction on the top half.  A long driveway ran completely around the building and down the hill, across the creek and back up the road.

The creamery lasted until about the 1930s when the property was bought and it was torn down.  A well is the only thing that survives below the spot where the creamery once stood.

The water from the pump was used to wash out the milk cans and then flushed down a long wooden trough to the nearby creek making it flow white in which the fish loved.

The creamery was used to make butter, cream and cheese.  The creamery produced a nice quality of butter and created a flourishing market.

In 1890 they began to take in and ship canned milk to nearby markets.  This had its problems such as finding a way to keep the milk cool until it could be sold.  This problem was resolved by getting ice from nearby farms with small ponds where ice could be harvested.

Some of the milk was transported by horse and wagon every day.