Cape Cod: Articles: Life, Retro -- post an article

Cape Cod’s Lady Milkman

(circa 1961) For over a year the residents of Harwich and South Chatham enjoyed the efficient services of the only “female milkman” on Cape Cod. She was Mrs. Edna Homer, who answered an ad that was by error placed in the Female Help wanted column of a newspaper.

She applied for the job, and though the dairy wanted a man, she convinced them that she could make a go of the job. So she did. Despite bad winter weather, she made every call on her route. In some places that meant walking nearly a mile, when wires were down. During the summer she worked seven days each week, and delivered five hundred quarts of milk each day.

In fact, she covered two routes: one through West Harwich, Harwich Port, South Harwich, South Chatham, West Chatham, and East Harwich; the other: Hyannis, Hyannisport, West Yarmouth, South Yarmouth, and Bass River. Cape housewives liked having a woman milkman, because they didn’t need to worry about what they were wearing when they went to the door.

• tell-a-friend • link to this post •