Vigo County Historical Society

Historical Treasure Article

Historic Treasure of the Week - April 22, 1984
By Susie Dewey
Vigo County Historical Society

Swing churn evokes history of early man's love for butter

The swing or rocker churn in the Guy Stantz room of the Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., represents an interesting history story.

Nomadic man in very early times developed a taste for butter...not necessarily made form cow's milk. He used goat, sheep, mare and yak milk. For the manufacturing process, he used movement. The first butter was made by swinging the milk in a skin container. Some nomadic people still practice this custom today.

The swing churn used the same technique but the skin container became a highly developed and decorated instrument. Suspended from crossed wooden bars, the wooden containers were intricately stenciled and painted a beautiful yellow color.

Well-preserved specimens, and there are many in the area, are still legible. Almost all seem to have come from one company in Bellows Falls, Vermont. The Vermont Farm Machine Company displayed its wide selection of churns in the Sears and Montgomery Wards catalogs of the 1870s to the 1910s. Between 1790 and 1893 the U.S. Patent Office granted 2,440 patents for churns alone.

The swing churn was constructed of carefully selected wood with a reinforced bottom. All contained some sort of hole for removing the buttermilk and water used in the process. In some models a screen covered the hole and in others a cork was used. A handle on each end of the container was used to swing the contents vigorously. The size of the container varied with different models but it is evident that a sturdy, buxom arm was required to use the churn.

The smaller dash churn was the favored household appliance but many a farm wife made butter for barter or sale at markets. There the swing churn came into its own.

Swing and dash churns were not the only churns manufactured by the Vermont Farm Machine Company. They sold crank churns, barrel churns, cylinder churns and diamond balance churns.

Most interesting today are the churns powered by dogs on a treadmill. There were one and two dog-powered churns. Sheep and goats were also used for the same purpose. some churns held up to 60 gallons of milk. The early farms were home dairy factories. They also put every animal to work. Dog powered models specify the weight of the animal required.

The design of the swing churn has made it an ideal planter for contemporary times. Many can be seen on country roads.

The churn at the museum has faded but maintained its identity.The black stencil on the faded yellow churn can still be discerned with careful study. Farm machine collectors as well as kitchen appliance collectors value this item for the stories it embodies about nomads, farm wives and ingenuity.

The Historical Mureum of the Wabash Valley,is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday through Friday. For more information, phone 235-9717.