In 1919, ninety-four Cabot, Vermont farmers bought the village creamery. Railroads made it possible to ship butter, which does not spoil as quickly as fluid milk, to cities. The creamery started 1893. The farmers bought it from Fred A. Messer, a dairyman from Waitsfield, Vermont. They made it a cooperative. (Rochdale co-operative principles.)
Each farmer paid $5 per cow, a total of $3,700, plus a cord of wood to fuel the boiler. Their purchase included spring rights, remaining fuel, ice, and sawdust. Founding members owned a total of 863 cows. Some owned just one cow. Angus Smith and Herbert L. Nelson each had more than thirty cows.
The new cooperative began on April 1, 1919. The farmers on the first board of directors were: W.J. Perry, O.L. Dow, Angus Smith, E.C. Gould, R.M. Hoyt, F.G. Lamberton, and Burt Smith. Tom Orne was the first manager for nearly twenty years. The new owners sold butter under the Rosedale brand name. At first, Boston was their biggest market.
