Sprague Dairy delivery wagon. Anyone recognize the man or the house? Click to enlarge.
This photographic memory concerns the Sprague Dairy, an early 1900’s processor and vendor of milk products. Claude E. Sprague founded the business while in his twenties. It was originally located at 115 West Eighth Street.
An advertisement in the 1902 city directory proclaimed C. E. Sprague as the “producer of pure milk, cream and butter, ice cream made from pure cream, and fruit ices of all flavors.” The company’s logo was a four-leaf clover, with each sections displaying one of the Sprague products. The listing also announced the availability of “pasteurized milk for babies, young people, and old people.” I suppose that middle-aged people could survive on non-pasteurized milk.
At age 32, Claude Sprague entered the ministry, and served 23 years as a Baptist minister and evangelist until his death in 1930. He served as pastor of Avondale Baptist, First Baptist of Cleveland, and Deaderick Avenue Baptist in Knoxville. Rev. Sprague also organized the Brainerd Baptist Church.
The Sprague Dairy continued under its founder’s name, but its president was Mose Simpson. The dairy moved to 719 Market Street, with a branch on West Thirteenth Street. Mr. Simpson passed away in 1919, and was described in his obituary as “one of the best-known of the younger business men.” The Sprague Dairy appears to have ceased operations after Mr. Simpson’s death, for it is not listed in the 1920 city directory.
The reader who submitted the photo of the Sprague Dairy delivery wagon requests help in identifying the man in the picture. Also, does anyone recognize the house in the background? If you can share a photographic memory of the Sprague Dairy, please send me an e-mail at jolleyh@signaldata.net. You may also submit your own historic photos to the same e-mail address.