Got Milk? Mrs Phillip Reed Endorses Cream Top Milk in This 1931 Ad

They say that the cream always rises to the top. What rose to the top of my internet search this week was this advertisement of cream top milk endorsed by Mrs Phillip Reed (Mary Zelda Reed) of Rockville. Phillip Reed was a brother of Lewis Reed and a part of the dealership’s first work force. Phillip came to work for the dealership as a mechanic in 1916. Characteristic is this compliment from Mrs. Phillip Reed of Rockville, MD:

I wish to tell you that I like your ‘Cream Top’ Milk better than any I have ever bought in the eleven years that I have been buying milk … The Cream whips wonderfully.

The Sunday Star, Washington D.C. March 8, 1931

The Chevy Chase Dairy resulted from the merger of two companies. Brothers George and Joseph Wise started Chevy Chase Dairy in 1885. The Dairy was utilized to supply milk to the Chevy Chase/Bethesda, Maryland and the Washington DC area with fresh milk. The dairy was started by H. G. Carroll who owned the farm in 1897. Sometime around 1913-1915 he sold the dairy to George, Joseph and Raymond Wise who added the “Wise Brothers” to the Chevy Chase Farm name. There first retail location in the District was at 3306 P Street NW. They later moved to 3206 N Street NW (adjacent to Martin’s Tavern which fronts Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown) where it remained until it was sold to National Dairy Products in January 1931.

Chevy Chase Dairy delivery wagons, circa 1918-28. (LIBRARY OF CONGRESS PRINTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS DIVISION)

The Chestnut Farms, Chevy Chase Dairy may be gone, but an unexpected descendant remains. Dairies used to sponsor all sorts of extracurricular activities for employees, from baseball teams to orchestras. Chestnut Farms, Chevy Chase Dairy had a brass band. In 1938, the band played in the stands of Griffith Stadium during a football game. The owner of the team liked the idea of entertaining the fans so much that he signed them up to play regularly. The owner was George Preston Marshall, the team was the Redskins and the band became the Redskins Marching Band.

Source: The Washington Post