Historic Borgess Avenue home was once a dairy

MONROE — The Rev. Douglas and Sharon Ralston didn’t know they bought a former dairy.

In 2012, the couple purchased a historic home on Monroe’s Borgess Avenue. From neighbors, they learned about its past.

“Borgess had goats that were raised here. People bought goats' milk here. We heard from a lot of people. They told us these tales. People used to say they knew someone who worked there,” Sharon said. “People told the Fullers, the previous owners, that people came with buckets and walked down the sidewalk to buy milk.”

According to local historian and Monroe County Historical Society member David Eby, Monroe County was once teaming with cows and dairies.

“There have been over 50 dairies in the county since the 1890s. The historical society’s collection right now has bottles from 27 different county dairies, from all parts of Monroe County,” Eby said.

Eby has written about the topic in the past and is currently working on an exhibit about area dairies that he hopes to debut this summer.

Previous Coverage: Where have all the cows gone in Monroe County?

“I am at the museum archive weekly doing research. I also go through dairy industry state publications from the 1800s and early 1900s," he said.

The Borgess Avenue Dairy

The Ralstons are trying to find out all they can about the Borgess Avenue Dairy. Sharon, who minored in history, has compiled a book of their findings. They learned that two sisters were among the dairy operators. Elizabeth and Bernadette Donahue also were Monroe County teachers and the daughters of James and Hulda Donahue.

“When the Borgess Avenue Dairy first started, I have not found yet," Eby said. "It was in operation in 1920 when James Donahue (the father of the two sisters) died at age 60. It probably was in operation even earlier in the teens. On his death certificate, it says his occupation was the dairy business. He was born in Ireland. It seems the father was the founder. Maybe after his death the sisters took it over. It was still going in 1933 when it merged with Drew Dairy. Drew’s was on West Second Street. The new entity was named the Borgess-Drew Dairy. How long it lasted is, at present, unknown. I don't think it made it to the 1940s. They did have a delivery truck belonging to the dairy."

Lynn Reaume from the Monroe County Museum System said the Borgess Avenue Dairy was listed in city directories until 1943. In 1946, the dairy was no longer listed, but the Donahues were still recorded on Borgess Avenue.

The Ralstons learned that goats were raised on the property, and their milk was processed in the backyard.

“People had lots of interest in goats' milk at the time. They had lactose intolerance back then. Goats milk made sure kids could have milk,” Sharon said.

The couple believes the milk was stored in the basement.

“The basement is an old dirt root cellar. It’s cool there; it’s better than an air condition,” Sharon said.

The Borgess Avenue Dairy also bottled cows' milk, the Ralstons learned. Farmers who raised cows at nearby dairies, including one where Meijer is located today, brought raw milk for processing.

So far, the Raltons haven’t found any photos of the dairy, but they did purchase a ½-pint milk bottle bearing the dairy's name.

Douglas said a local woman found the unbroken bottle in the old Monroe dump at Hurd and LaPlaisance Roads. The dairy also had larger bottles.

“She would go looking for stuff,” Douglas said.

Sharon grew up on a dairy farm in Marshall. Today it’s a modern centennial farm that is owned by her brothers. She has a degree in health education and worked for years as a nurse. Douglas was Methodist pastor until retiring. They both enjoy research and have traced their relatives back to the Mayflower.

“We get into Thanksgiving a little bit,” Sharon said.

The Ralstons' home

The Ralstons also researched their home. They believe it was once two structures. Part of it can be traced back to Judge Edwin B. Gilday in 1873.

“It was moved on log rollers pulled by horses to its present location, sometime between 1901 and 1904," Reaume from the museum found.

The homes were pieced together. Two roof styles and a basement under only half of the home offer proof to its past.

“The oldest part of the house (gable roof) dates to the (1870s). We are uncertain about the exact age of the part under the flat, mansard-style roof. Some have suggested it was probably built around the same time as the Monroe Golf & Country Club since there are architectural similarities,” Sharon said.

The Ralston are preparing their home for the American Association of University Women’s home tour this spring. They recently contracted a local young artist to paint a mural on a previously plain wall.

“The stairway to our upstairs needed to be painted, so we commissioned Presley Bergmooser to paint a mural on that wall incorporating the history of this home, Monroe’s history, plus both Doug’s and my ancestor’s who were Mayflower passengers: Captain Myles Standish and Stephen Hopkins," Sharon said.

Bergmooser is a student at Michigan State University and a graduate of St. Mary Catholic Central High School and Monroe County Community College. She worked a couple long days and finished the full-wall mural on the stairwell. It features a replica of the home, goats to remember the dairy days and important features to the Ralstons, like their current and a past dog.

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“I love it,” Sharon said. “I hope future residents will add to it and history continues.”

To provide information about the Borgess Avenue Dairy, email the Ralstons at borgessavedairy@gmail.com. To provide information about other Monroe County dairies, call the Monroe County Historical Society at 734-242-3445.

— Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@monroenews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Historic Borgess Avenue home was once a dairy