How Is This National Dairy Company Related To The Hudson Valley?

While shopping in grocery stores, I often look at where products are made. I get excited when I see that something is made in New York and often somewhere a location that I know of.

A New York brand of cookies is sold in grocery stores in different states, they are now the "gold standard" and are delicious.

While I was purchasing cheese, I recognized the name of the brand and did research to see where they started. In fact, this national dairy company has had ties to the Hudson Valley all along.

How Is This National Dairy Company Related To The Hudson Valley?

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Those who drive through a specific Hudson Valley town may also notice the excitement behind a national dairy company.

The New York Almanack shared,

"When you enter the hamlet of Wallkill, you are greeted by the happy face of the Borden Company’s mascot, Elsie the Cow. The company’s website states that this mascot dates to the 1930s."

"Underneath Elsie is a sign stating that the Hamlet of Wallkill was the location of the “Home Farm” of John G. Borden."

The New York Almanack also shared that some believe that the Hamlet of Wallkill is where Borden Condensed Milk was invented although it does have ties to Burrville Connecticut along with Gail Borden Jr.

How Did Borden Dairy Influence The World?

The New York Almanack continued to explain Gail Borden Jr. and his positive impact on society.

They claimed that Borden Jr.'s mission was to improve the lives of people by finding a way of keeping food and drinks unspoiled.

Borden Jr.'s trip to and from Europle helped shape his ideas into reality when he witnessed what would happen if people consumed milk that had been contaminated.

The New York Alamanack claimed that,

"Borden, Jr. capitalized on his future creation when he came upon a contraption called vacuum pans by the Shakers. These were used to generate preserves from harvested fruit. Borden felt that he could utilize a variation of this technique to make milk safer."

They explained that Borden Jr. found a way to prevent milk from coming sour which he then called condensed milk. His discovery of heating milk would allow microorganisms to ward off and would prevent milk from spoiling.

The company was later called "The New York Condensed Milk Company".

Borden Dairy Supplied Milk To The U.S. Army

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Borden Jr. had a family, his son attended college in Poughkeepsie, NY. During that time, Borden Jr.'s milk company gained attention more than ever.

The New York Alamanack states,

"His father’s condensed milk business caught the eye of the U.S. Army; as a result, they contracted-out his family’s milk to be provisioned to the Union Army."

After the war, Borden returned to Brewster, NY which was where Borden Jr. had built a place where milk was manufactured.

Borden wanted to have a farm and community but still keep it near a city, especially New York City for the demand of milk and food.

The New York Alamanack continued to share,

"Borden finally settled on an area known as “the Basin” in the Town of Shawangunk in 1881. The Basin occupied the region where the present-day Hamlet of Wallkill is located."

There was also a time when Borden Jr. left the business to John G., he would then be known as the second president.

SEE MORE: 4 Historic Hudson Valley Factories And What They Are Now

How Did The Borden Dairy Family Help Shape The Hudson Valley?

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The Borden family helped create what is known today as the Hamlet of Wallkill.

The New York Alamanack continues to share information,

"The town, which was a short distance away, became his project as he went about “improving the lands and lives in the village.” Borden created in Wallkill what he viewed as a paradise."

"Frank Mentz, in his Recollections of an Old Timer, recalled that he not only built “new roads and lined them all with maple trees; he also lined the public roads that ran through Home Farm.”

Should The Hamlet Of Wallkill, NY Be Called Bordentown?

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The New York Alamanack explained,

"In fact, Mentz attributed the hamlet’s entire evolution to the Borden Family. They quite literally created a town parcel by parcel."

"It would have made sense to call today’s Hamlet of Wallkill the Hamlet of Borden or Bordentown because the Borden family came to own just about everything in Wallkill (or their fortune helped build it."

In 1899, the company changed its name to what we call today, Borden Dairy. We can remember the Borden family, their mark on history and in the Hudson Valley when we drive through the Hamlet of Wallkill and see Borden Dairy for sale in stores.

What company or brand do you see for sale in the stores that are related to the Hudson Valley? What story do you find fascinating about Hudson Valley's
history? Tell us more below.

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Gallery Credit: Allison Kay,

Have You Been To FDR's Cousin's House in Rhinebeck, NY?

Some may only know about FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt but there were other family members who played a role in the Hudson Valley.

Thomas Suckley and his wife Catherine Murray Bowne created history in Dutchess County, NY. Their estate called "Wilderstein" was designed in the 1800's.

According to Wilderstein.org, the meaning behind the name of their estate means "wild man's stone". This was in reference to "an Indian petroglyph on the property, a reminder of the cultural heritage that preceded European settlement of the region."

By the late 1800's, the son of Thomas and Catherine (Robert Bowne Suckley) along with his wife, Elizabeth Philips Montgomery decided to add onto the estate.

This "Queen Anne style mansion" is also known for its beautiful views, lush landscape and large property. There were three generations of the Suckley family members that lived at Wilderstein.

Who was related to FDR?

Margaret Suckley was not only just a cousin of FDR but they spent quality time together. She traveled with FDR during his presidency and gifted him his black Scottish terrier dog, Fala.

Margaret also helped FDR form his library located in Hyde Park, NY.

Some would also say that she was a "confidante" to him as well. Margaret was with FDR when he passed away in Georgia. She died at the Wilderstein estate in 1991 at 100 years old.

Margaret was the last resident to live at Wilderstein.

Wilderstein is also known as "the Hudson Valley's most important example of Victorian architecture."

Gallery Credit: Allison Kay