COLTON -- History buffs in the Town of Colton, along with Traditional Arts in Upstate New York (TAUNY), seek input for research on glass milk bottles and the dairies that bottled and sold milk in the bottles in St. Lawrence County.

This activity, titled Heritage in a Bottle, includes two upcoming group discussions for participants to share stories and recollections, show milk bottles and other objects related to the bottling and selling of milk, and provide additional leads for the researchers to pursue in coming months.

The first discussion will be held on Saturday, Aug. 20 at The TAUNY Center from 1-3pm; and the second on Tuesday, Aug. 23 from 1-3 p.m. The sessions will be recorded; and the researchers will have the ability to scan photos and documents as well as to take photographs. The group discussions could lead to follow-on interviews with individuals, families, or others involved in the businesses.

The research activity also includes a display of milk bottles, which opened in time for the Dairy Princess Parade on June 4 and continues through the end of August. The display includes milk bottles from about sixty of the many dairies in St. Lawrence County and a map of the county showing the location of dairies associated with the bottles. Most of the bottles are on loan from Mary Jean and Reggie Chester as well as Kathy and Jack Flanagan. The researchers also were greatly assisted by retired Lisbon dairy farmer Robert Thompson, who now resides in Canton, in pinpointing the locations on the map.

While the exhibit has been open the researchers have sought input via forms available at The TAUNY Center about the milk bottles and the dairies bottling and selling milk in St. Lawrence County. Now, before the exhibit ends, they’d like to meet directly with historians, farmers, milk bottle collectors, antique dealers, and anyone else who is willing to share information about this aspect of the dairy industry in the county.

The group discussions are being hosted by Jill Breit, Executive Director of Traditional Arts in Upstate New York (TAUNY), who has done oral history projects and taught many others to do them as a way to gather and preserve the voices and memories of people. Trained by her, Mary Jane Watson and Ruth McWilliams are leading the research project and will be moderating the discussions on behalf of The Sunday Rock Legacy Project (SRLP).

In 2015, while doing oral histories about the building of hydroelectric dams on the Raquette River, Colton residents and others talked about life in the community at the time the dams were being constructed. Most dams were completed by the mid-1950s. The sale of milk in glass bottles with embossed or colored labels of local dairies, was the norm when the hydro dams were being built during the mid-twentieth century. Milk in bottles was available to pick up at farms and also was delivered to homes and local stores by dairies.

During 2015 The SRLP also began selling antique J.N. Swift & Sons milk bottles from South Colton, along with documentation, for $50 each to raise funds. The uncirculated bottles, acquired in January 2015 from the estate of Sally Swift Thomas, were manufactured by the Thatcher Glass Manufacturing Company in 1957 at the Elmira, NY plant. Sally Thomas, daughter of John N. and Hilda Swift, worked to preserve the history of the town in a variety ways during her lifetime. Proceeds from the sale of bottles at The TAUNY Center during the exhibit support both The SRLP and TAUNY.

The involvement of TAUNY builds upon its interest in documenting the life on North Country Dairy Farms which included an exhibit in 2014 featuring photos and excerpts from interviews with more than 20 farmers and employees.

For more information about the research and the upcoming group discussions please contact Ruth McWilliams by calling (315) 262-2450 or e-mailing her at ruth@catamountlodge.com.