Although it originally opened in 1900 as a joint effort by local farmers, the Pickerington Creamery became a part of the Good family years later due to unique circumstances.
Violet Township Historical Society
In 1913, Arthur J. Good was on his way to Parkersburg, West Virginia, for a possible job when his train was forced to stop short of its destination. Due to the Great Flood of Ohio, Good got off in Pickerington and got a job at the then Pierce Brothers Creamery.
Violet Township Historical Society
He began his career at the Creamery by gathering cream from local farms to make the butter. Six years later, he bought the shop and renamed it the Pickerington Creamery.
At the height of its business in the late 1960s, the Creamery became one of the area’s largest employers and the state’s largest butter producer, churning up to 10 million pounds of butter per year.
The Creamery also owned Mayflower Farm and produced for several other labels and brands over the years.
During the outbreak of World War II in the 1940s, the Creamery built a dry milk plant to aid with government needs for dry milk for the troops, sending 70 percent of its product toward the cause.
Through all its successes, the Creamery was no stranger to challenges. In 1921, the facility was destroyed in a fire. Luckily, it was rebuilt bigger and better the next year with two 1,000-pound barrel churns and vat pasteurizers.
The Creamery faced a second fire decades later in 1977, but it was able to recover and rebuild.
Although the business was sold in 1972 to Beatrice Foods, the property still remains in the Good family name and houses Combustion Brewery & Taproom, which opened its doors in April 2017.
Violet Township Historical Society
Pickerington Creamery...
- was once the largest employer in Pickerington and the largest butter maker in the state
- had many names and owners 1900-1919, A.J. Good took over in 1919, naming it the Pickerington Creamery
- destroyed by fire in 1921, and again in 1977
- was rebuilt after the fires and had 3 expansions
- is still owned by the Good family, although it got out of the dairy business in 1972
Notes from Violet Township Historical Society:
Pickerington Creamery: 80 W. Church St.
Circa 1940s: Arthur J. Good owned the Pickerington Creamery from 1913 until his death in 1960. During his tenure, the Creamery was the largest employer in the Pickerington area and the largest butter maker in the state. At the height of operations, a crew of 200 worked around the clock churning up to 10 million pounds of butter per year. They were famous for their Mayflower brand of butter but produced more than 70 other labels or brands as well.
In 1921, a fire destroyed the plant, and a new building was built. The building you see today is what is left after 2 building expansions and another fire in 1977.
By 1989, all of the Creamery’s products and trademarks had been sold; however, the Good family still owns the renovated property on Church Street in Olde Pickerington Village. The renovated building is now home to Combustion Brewery & Taproom and Event Space, and Bob’s Backyard BBQ.
Rachel Karas is the lead editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at rkaras@cityscenemediagroup.com.
