Community Corner

eBay Tuesday: Michael's Dairy Cap

Skim milk cap dates back to time when New London was a milk producer

Today's eBay auction pick is especially good if you're looking to add to your POG collection. But since I haven't heard of anyone playing that game based on milk caps or milk cap stand-ins in about 15 years, you might just be interested in this piece as a look back to the quaint time when you could still have milk delivered to your doorstep and New London actually had a place that produced it.

This milk cap from is being offered by younameit, a seller in Corning, N.Y. whose items include milk and bottle caps from around the region. This paper cap would have come from a bottle of skim milk back when the dairy was producing this commodity in the mid-20th century.

Michael's Dairy has been rather closely intertwined with throughout its history. According to the business's website, it was founded at its present location on Montauk Ave. in 1938 as the Mitchell Dairy. This was the same year that Mitchell College was founded, initially as the New London Junior College. The founding date of Sept. 14 turned out to be unfortunate, as the Hurricane of 1938 wreaked significant damage to the campus just a week later.

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The college received a number of gifts and contributions to help it get back on its feet, but perhaps none was more valuable than the Mitchell family's contribution of both money and 64 acres of land in December. The first classes began in September of 1939 with just 40 students, a number that had risen to 92 three years later.

The onset of World War II interrupted the educational activities, however. Most of the 1942 class ended up joining the military and the college itself became dedicated to the war effort. In the midst of this, the dairy changed hands. The Mitchell family sold it to the Buscetto family in 1943. According to the dairy's website, the business was renamed Michael's Dairy and continued to produce milk - becoming the last site in New London to do so - until the 1970s.

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The integration of Michael's Dairy and Mitchell College came about in 2006. In May of that year, Mitchell College purchased the business from Michael Buscetto Jr. for $900,000. Now managed by the college's Department of Hospitality and Tourism, Michael's Dairy employs college students during the spring and summer months when it is open. Although no longer producing milk, the big red barn remains, the has moved in on the upper floor, and 35 flavors of ice cream are available to help beat the heat in the warmer months.

The milk cap is about one and a half inches across, with a small stain. The requested starting bid is $2.50, and shipping is free. If you're interested, you'll want to act fast: the auction ends at about 9:50 p.m. tonight.


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