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Polk Sanitary Milk Company collection

 Collection
Identifier: L212

Scope and Contents

This collection includes company account books and microfilmed copies of drivers' route sheets from Polk Sanitary Milk Company; records of the Mecca Realty Company; and records of the Citizens Brewery Company in Indianapolis, Indiana ranging from 1904 to 1961 regarding business, financial and legal matters.

Dates

  • 1904-1961, undated

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.

Administrative History

Polk Sanitary Milk Company was started in 1872 as a canned tomatoes company by U.S. Civil War veteran James T. Polk and his wife, Laura (Burdick) Polk in their Greenwood, Indiana home. As the company expanded, it produced scrap agricultural produce, which they bought cows to utilize. They sold the milk to Tanglewood Dairy Company (Indianapolis, Indiana), which they bought out in the 1890s. The company expanded to a new building at the corner of North 15th and Lewis streets, adding 2 oversize sculptures of milk bottles to 2 corners of the building. "Pok-o-lak" was their signature buttermilk product. The business was managed by the couple's daughter and son-in-law into the 1940s. The business experienced financial hardships in the 1950s and closed around 1963. The building became the property of Indianapolis Public Schools, which demolished it in 1967. The Polk family also owned the Mecca Realty Company of Indianapolis.

Sources:

Information found within the collection.

"Indianapolis Then and Now: Polk Sanitary Milk Company." Historicindianapolis.com. Accessed March 23, 2016. http://historicindianapolis.com.

Extent

1 Cubic Feet (1 manuscript box, 2 medium oversize boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by subject.

Custodial History

This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation from Polk Sanitary Milk Company in 1963.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Processing Information

Collection processing completed 2016/03/30 by Edythe Huffman. EAD finding aid created 2016/03/30 by Edythe Huffman.

Creator

Title
Polk Sanitary Milk Company collection
Status
Completed
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository

Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671