The P.E. Sharpless Creamery & Philadelphia Cream Cheese
The most popular butter in the 1880s (according to articles and advertisements in the Atlantic City Gazette-Review, the Daily Republican, Evening Star, the Philadelphia Times, Newport Daily News, the Evening Journal, Press of Atlantic City, etc.) was “Sharpless Gilt-Edge Butter” or “Sharpless Philadelphia Butter”(Philadelphia was added to the name in 1890). It came from a creamery in the vicinity of Philadelphia, and its reputation greatly preceded itself. According to the Philadelphia Times in 1888, Sharpless gilt-edge butter was “the most delicious addition to the feast of good things” and consumers would “never put tongue to anything so toothsome.” The butter was so popular, it was reportedly used at the White House, according to the Lancaster Examiner in 1902, where they write: “The Sharpless butter is In great demand in Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore, and Washington. Butter used at the White House is made by Sharpless.” The Sharpless Creamery grew through the 1890s under the ownership of Pennock Edward Sharpless, a native Pennsylvanian and son of a prominent local dairy farmer, William Sharpless. He moved his creamery to Ward Village, Concord Township, PA in 1893, where he produced many dairy products from butter, pimento cheese, and most importantly — cream cheese! The creamery burned down in June 1900 due to an arson attack, but was immediately rebuilt. In 1904, Sharpless Creamery was fully incorporated as a domestic business corporation (#326461) and mass producing dairy products for sale all around the mid-Atlantic region. In 1910, the New York Produce Review and American Creamery notes that “John B. Fassler, head cheesemaker of the P.E. Sharpless Company plant at Ward, Delaware County reports daily receipts of 16,000 lbs. milk. Of this over half is made up into Neufchatel and Philadelphia cream cheese, the remaining goes into condensed milk.” Sharpless used the moniker “Philadelphia cream cheese” on his tinfoil packaged cream cheese cakes, and examples of advertisements can been seen in every major newspaper at the time in this region (Atlantic City Gazette-Review, Daily Republican, Evening Star, The Philadelphia Times, Newport Daily News, The Evening Journal, Press of Atlantic City, Delaware County Daily Times, Lancaster New Era, Denton Journal, Asbury Park Press, The Washington Post, Harrisburg Telegraph, The Virginian-Pilot, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Reading Times, etc.). The Sharpless Creamery also turned to the fluid milk business in 1922, when they consolidated with the Breyer Ice Cream Company to create the Breyer-Sharpless Milk Association. The Ice Cream Review of 1922 notes that “The Breyer Company confined itself to the manufacture of ice cream previous to the consolidation, while the Sharpless firm have long been known as manufacturers of fancy print butter and package cheese, as well as condensed and evaporated milk.” So basically, the Sharpless Creamery had the Philadelphia dairy market cornered! The reality of the cream cheese boom at the turn of the 20th century was that there were only 5 major creameries making and selling cream cheese: Phenix Company and F.X. Baumert Company in New York, Kraft Company and Blue Label Cream Cheese Company in Chicago, and the P.E. Sharpless Creamery in the Philadelphia area, according to the 1954 court case Kraft Foods Co. v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue. It goes on to state that “no other concerns, with the possible exception of one or two small ones, made and sold cream cheese commercially in the United States at that time.” Out of the 5 companies, the P.E. Sharpless Creamery was the only geographically authentic Philadelphia cream cheese company! The Sharpless Company went on to obtain three U.S. patents on their process of making soft cheese (patent # 1,258,438) and packaging (patent # 1,399,270 and 1,466,380) beginning in 1918, 1921, and 1923. Two patents in 1937 covering the manufacture of cream cheese (patent #2,098,764 and 2,098,765) were given to Pennock Edwards Sharpless’ son, Caspar Sharpless, who became the general manager of the still-operating Sharpless plant in Ward Village after the sale to Kraft Company. In 1924, Kraft Company purchased the P.E. Sharpless Creamery and all assets, including their patents. Kraft continued using the Sharpless name on their dairy products (likely for name recognition), until 1941 when Kraft trademarked the “Philadelphia Brand” moniker (trademark registration #0392212). Kraft also purchased the Phenix Cheese Company (formerly the Williamstown Lawrence Company) in 1928, the New York State company that is credited with inventing cream cheese and trademarking “Philadelphia cream cheese” before any other company. Of course, Kraft Company is the business that makes and sells Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese today, thus the P.E. Sharpless Creamery is an important story in the evolution of Kraft’s Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese.. The P.E. Sharpless Creamery is no longer standing, but two historic resources — The P.E. Sharpless House (#108) and the L.E. Buckley House (#107) — remain in connection to the creamery. Read more about the P.E. Sharpless company here.
Dick! The Story of a Civil War Horse
This photograph and story was found in an old wooden file cabinet donated to the Concord Township Historical Society by the Willits Family. The cabinet was full of papers and various other objects. This photograph was written by Frederick Cushman Newhall (signed “F.C. Newhall” on the photograph). The Historical Society of Pennsylvania summarized Mr. Newhall’s life in their archive description: “Frederick Cushman Newhall (1840-1898) was born in Philadelphia to Thomas Albert Newhall and Sarah Jane Cushman Newhall. During the Civil War he served as lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry, with Major General Philip H. Sheridan. He recounted his military service in a work titled “With Sheridan in the Final Campaign against Lee.” The back of the photograph reads: “Dick! Taken 8 mo. 13th. 1883 He is 27 years old this spring. He was raised in New Jersey, and is of the “May-Day” stock. I bought him 8 mo. 1861 in entering the Army, and and rode him all through the war. He was in many cavalry engagements, and in all the principal battles of the Potomac, except Chancellorsville, at which time, he was with me on the Cavalry expedition known as the “Stoneman Raid,” which occurred while the battle of Chancellorsville was going on. I rode this horse also in Gen’l Sheridan’s campaign in the Shenandoah Valley, and in the last campaign against Gen’l Lee — which terminated in Virginia; in this campaign he was wounded in the leg, in the battle. On the day of Lee’s surrender after the Rebel flag of truce was displayed, I went on this horse to find Gen’l Grant and conducted him to Appomattox Court House to meet Gen’l Lee. In May 1865 I took the horse with me to New Orleans, and after terminations of hostilities in that region, I resigned from the Army, and brought the horse home with me. F. C. Newhall. He is in all respects a splendid horse.” Photograph scanned by architect and CTHS volunteer Mr. Robert Little.
History Unlocked – July 2017, Concord Mills
The Mills of Concord Township By: Karen Dingle Kendus, Concord Township Historical Society I love to bake. Cookies, cakes, torts, or trifles, I love it all. For my family’s July 4th celebration, I made raspberry brownies, from actual ingredients. The chocolate was melted in a bowl over a pan of boiling water. I mixed the sugar and eggs in, and then I added the flour. I poured it into the pan and baked them for 30 minutes. The entire baking experience took me a grand total of 45 minutes. In the 18th century, baking took much longer. Heating the oven alone took hours. Even before baking day can be set, the ingredients had to be processed and gathered. Flour had to be milled before being used in baked goods. And grist mills, which processed flour, were not the only type of mill in Concord Township. Saw mills turned forests into wood used in building houses and fences. Paper mills turned wood pulp into paper used for everything from currency to legal documents. Bark mills extracted tannin for use in tanning leather. Fulling mills cleaned wool for clothing. Cotton mills spooled cotton and stone mills processed stone. Milling was one of the first industries to come to the township, which was incorporated in 1683. By 1694, the first mill in the township, called Concord Mill, was in operation on Thornton Road, north of Route 1. Concord Mill appeared to be a small grist mill based on the tax rolls for 1694, showing only £10 in its assessment. By 1699, there was a road from Concord to Joseph Coeburn’s mill in Chester Township because Concord Mill could not handle the demand from Concord farmers. Nathaniel Newlin constructed a grist mill in 1704 on the West Branch of Chester Creek to handle the volume. Eventually, he added a dry goods store that specialized in cloth, sewing materials, and housewares. The second oldest mill in Concord Township, in operation by 1696, was a saw mill built by Nicholas Newlin north of Scott Rd, on Route 1. It later became a spoke mill, creating pieces of wagons. Around 1729, Thomas Wilcox built Ivy Mills paper mill, the second oldest paper mill in the United States. Ivy Mills started out manufacturing heavy pressboard paper. They manufactured a lighter paper for the printing of various colonial currencies. By the 1760s, demand for higher quality paper was used for newsprint and books. This led to a thriving business at the mill, and contracts with several printing houses, including Benjamin Franklin’s firm. During the Revolutionary War, the Ivy Mills created all paper for the Continental Currency. Today, Concord Township has one mill still functioning. The Newlin Grist mill operated commercially until 1941. In 1956, E. Mortimer and Elizabeth Newlin purchased the mill complex and immediately started to restore it. Mr. and Mrs. Newlin established the Nicholas Newlin Foundation in 1960, and it continues to support the mill today. They welcome visitors all year around and conduct demonstrations of the mill operation, where they grind the corn and sell the final product. Like many mills in Concord Township, the Newlin Grist mill was, and still is, operated by water power. A water wheel, connected to the two millstones inside the mill, is moved by the water current, from a millrace. A millrace is a diverted route of water, manmade, to create a stronger current from a mill pond. As the water moves the water wheel, the miller pours the grain into the millstones and produces the powder product from wheat, corn, and other grains. Concord Township was not alone in their building and running of mills. With the time needed to travel in 1700, it was useful to have any mill the residents needed close by. Concord Township is not lacking in creeks and waterways, and several families had the capital and desire to open mills, serving the residents and travelers in and around Concord Township. In the summer months, Newlin Grist mill has several programs for visitors. The property has a park attached, the mill and demonstrations, a museum, and opportunities for a picnic or fishing. I make an effort to visit anytime I need to appreciate my 45-minute baked goods! Check out their website here: http://www.newlingristmill.org/. References Case, Robert P. 1983. Prosperity and Progress: Concord Township Pennsylvania, 1683-1983. Chester, Pa.: John Spencer, Inc. pp. 92-110, 339. Newlin Grist Mill. 2017. Newlin Grist Mill: About Us; www.newlingristmill.org Accessed: 6/3/2017.
History Unlocked-December 2017, Christmas Traditions
Christmas Time Traditions By: Karen Kendus, Concord Township Historical Society The end of the year offers a multitude of family get-togethers and holidays to celebrate. For my family, we celebrate Christmas, and find every reason there is to get together. Just this week, the women of my husband’s family (now including me) have started to review schedules to find a day for our annual cookie baking tradition. My maternal extended family recently picked Pollyanna assignments so we could start shopping nice and early. Meal assignments for the Christmas and Christmas Eve feasts were handed out around Thanksgiving when we were all together, and plans for picking up our Christmas tree at local tree farms were all set. I am still fascinated by how deep holiday traditions go and all the unlikely sources from whence those traditions came. Surprisingly, the term “Pollyanna” as it relates to gift giving is not well known. It seems to be a regional term used by those in Pennsylvania. One could find the term, occasionally, in newspapers between 1914 and 1947, but then it largely disappears. Some credit it to the “glad game” found in Eleanor Hodgman Porter’s 1913 book Pollyanna, though this appears to be a loose correlation. There are other names for this, including Secret Santa, with variations on the rules, and appear to be popular within church groups, large families, or office colleagues. It seemed to be a way to allow for everyone to receive a gift, usually with a capped value, and exchanged during the holiday season. For my family’s Pollyanna, we split the children and the adults. Each group had their own Pollyanna exchange and names were chosen before Black Friday. Usually, a wish list (with items within the cost limit) was to accompany the picking, and everyone was to keep their person secret until after Christmas dinner, when we handed out the presents. My first memory of this was smaller. There were only 7 cousins, and 10 adults. Now that my cousins and I are grown, (and some have children of their own), we have expanded to 19 cousins and still 10 adults. Indeed, the actual exchanging of gifts is perfectly chaotic. Many Americans have a Christmas tree. My family has always had a Christmas tree. And every year was pretty much the same. We would find a tree, either at a lot or, (more recently), at a local tree farm, bring it home, cut it down (because it was always too tall), and set it up in the living room. There are still brown streaks on the ceiling where we stood the tree up when it was too tall. One can track where we had our tree in previous years based on those marks. My mother would sit with the container of ornaments and hand out one at a time to each of us. Decorating the tree took an entire evening, and by the end, no one could see the boughs anymore. My dad took care of the lights, and we each took turns being lifted up to place the star on top. Christmas trees were a German tradition, probably started by the German Lutherans. The earliest known record of a decorated Christmas tree is 1605 in Strasbourg, Germany. Old World Germans decorated their trees with stars, angels, toys, nuts, and candies. Later, they added tinsel and lighted candles. The first record of a Christmas tree in the United States, around 1820, was found in the diary of a Lancaster man. However, Christmas trees were quite prevalent in the United States by this time. Santa Claus has his own legends and started out differently than the man we know today. He was likely based on a monk, St. Nicholas, born around 280 A.D. in modern-day Turkey. He did not make it into American popular culture until the end of the 18th century with the Dutch settlers in New York. Santa Claus evolved from St. Nicholas’ shortened Dutch name, Sinter Klaas. Washington Irving is credited with growing St. Nicholas’ popularity by added him to his book, The History of New York in 1809 (though much of what St. Nicholas did in that book, and the traditions surrounding it, are believed to be made up by Irving). Irving did not portray him quite the same way as we know him now. That is credited to Clement Clarke Moore who wrote a poem about a visit from St. Nicholas for his daughters in 1822. He contributed to the jolly elf image, with a “portly figure” and supernatural ability to come down the chimney. A political cartoonist in 1881 used Moore’s poem to draw a likeness of the man Moore described, and this image is what we all think of when we think of Santa Claus. Food is a tradition in every holiday and language I think. Even for those holidays that include fasting, also include a time for food. Around Christmas, both my family and my husband’s family have cookie baking traditions. I am relatively new to my husband’s family’s traditions, but am loving it all the same. Every year, the women of my mother-in-law’s family, (my mother-in-law, her sister, her niece, my sister-in-law, and the children as well) meet to bake sand tarts. I had never heard of sand tarts before meeting my husband, but I quickly fell in love. They are thin, crispy sugar cookies that are sweet and light. It’s tricky to roll them out thin enough, and then get them on the pan without ripping them. We use cookie cutters to make them into all sorts of shapes, and they are decorated and baked for only a few minutes. Delicious. Sand tarts probably originated with the Pennsylvania Dutch. The origin of the name sand tart is believed to be from “sand hearts” or “saints’ hearts” since they were originally cut into heart shapes. It is a wonderful day of baking and bonding and I look forward to it every year. My family also has a cookie tradition,