Collection Statement 

Hal Pledger, daughter of Homer Warren, brought materials relating to the former family business, Meadowbrook Farms located in what is now Hewitt, Texas. Meadowbrook Farms produced and sold fresh milk products in McLennan County from the early 1900s until c.1965 when the Farms began selling their milk to a milk bottling plant. While the farm is no longer producing milk, Hal Pledger still lives on the farm just south of Waco. There are no restrictions placed on any of these materials.

Because Congressman W. R. Poage' mother, Miss Nellie, and Homer Warren's mother, were good friends, their children grew up friends. So when Bob Poage set out to write a book about how people in Central Texas lived in the first half of the twentiety century, he naturally asked his good friend, Homer Warren to write a chapter about life on a dairy farm. The result was published by Poage as How We lived, 1905-1920, On a McLennan County Farm. Warren was former Mayor of Hewitt and a successful dairyman, banker, and community leader. He was also involved in the early days of the Farm Bureau in McLennan County. This chapter has been scanned and is available as part of this web page. [Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 ] Poage's book, How We Lived, is out of print.

A number of these materials document the marketing aspects of a local dairy during the middle of the twentieth century. Fifteen undated "Meadowbrook Short Sheet" publications are examples of short 5.5"x8.5" ads placed with the fresh milk when it was delivered directly to local Waco homes. These short sheets provide important information about how the milk was produced, tested, and processed as well as the health benefits of drinking a quart of milk a day.

Six undated penny postcards contain similar ads which were mailed to residents not already on the home delivery route.

One letter dated January 31, 1945, encourages Mr. A. F. Adcock in Eddy, Texas, to enlist new members for the Farm Bureau. Homer Warren served as president of the local Waco Farm Bureau in the mid 1940s.

A two-page resolution requests McLennan County Commissioners authorize the use of county road building equipment to assist farmers in constructing terraces on local farms to prevent erosion.

The final item is an advertisement for Meadbrook Farms Milk in gallon jugs. This is of particular interest because it lists the locations of three Meadowbrook Farm Stores. The dairy stopped bottling their milk around 1965 and began selling their milk to a milk bottling company.