This 1956 ad shows the wide array of dairy products available for delivery to front doorsteps citywide by their Robert’s dairy milkman. Home milk delivery remained popular through the 1950s until the age of the supermarket. (Image: Indiana State Library)
Business: Robert’s Dairy
Date of Ad: September 2, 1956
Location: 4201 Millersville Road
Years of Operation: 1877-1988
Notable: Do you remember home milk delivery? Or have you heard of it? Until refrigeration and supermarkets, most folks received frequent delivery of dairy products directly to their doorsteps from a local dairy. One of the bigger names in Indianapolis was Robert’s Dairy, which began operating in 1877. In 1930, they opened a vast new bottling operation on Millersville Road on the northeast side of the city. They even featured a giant cow mascot.
Robert’s remained a dominant supplier of dairy products to grocery stores and schools through the 1980s. The company declared bankruptcy in 1987 and sold off all of their production to Maplehurst, which in turn sold to Dean Foods in 1997. With the popularity of home grocery delivery, perhaps we’ll see a return of the milkman in the future?
Additionally: In 1982, Robert’s acquired Lindner’s stores, another local institution. These operated as a hybrid type of convenience store/ ice-cream counter, similar to United Dairy Farmers in the Cincinnati area. At their peak, over thirty Lindner’s were located around Indianapolis. After the bankruptcy of Robert’s, the popular local icons were sold several times until closing for good in 1990.
During the day of the milkman, fresh dairy products would be placed in a box like this that was made of stainless steel or wood. Daily deliveries were necessary due to lack of reliable refrigeration. (Image: eBay)
This 1986 ad show’s the final days of the Robert’s Dairy empire. The Robert’s Dairy building remains on Millersville Road near 42nd Street. (Image: Indiana State Library)
in the 1960s there was a Maplehurst Ice Cream parlor in Indianapolis on College Avenue. The parlor had an indoor mural illustrating Edward Lear’s children’s poem “Hey Diddle Diddle,” with a fork and spoon with legs and arms and a cow jumping over the moon. The mural was in deep blue and silver, like a nighttime sky. The ice cream at Maplehurst was wonderful and so was the mural. The parlor was right next to a furniture store.
Does anyone remember the mural? Is there a way to get a copy of it?
I remember it, from the late ‘40s / early ‘50s. I have a scar on my chin from when I ran and slipped on the floor there. A great place, though.