<![CDATA[The Roberds Dairy: A glimpse into Savannah’s agricultural past]]>On a recent winter morning, I took a trip with some friends to explore the site of an abandoned dairy. I had no idea anything like this even existed in Savannah,  being such a humid and urban place it’s hard to imagine cows grazing on a marsh. But apparently they did, and there is proof in the structural remains of what was once a thriving farm industry. In this era of mass consumerism where everything is available at one large store, it is easy to forget that in the not so distant past all grocery needs were from local sources.

As for how large it was and the area the farm served I was unable to find any information but then again, my research has been limited to the internet. What I have been able to find out though is that this was an operating dairy until 1986. Maybe one of these days I will have some time to get to the Georgia Historical Society and see what I can find. For the time being, I wanted to at least share some photos and talk a little about the experience as a whole.

Down a winding bumpy road we ended up in this field on the marsh. This property backs up to Bonaventure Cemetery.

Down a winding bumpy road we ended up in a field on the marsh. This property backs up to Bonaventure Cemetery.

"He went that-a way!" Bare trees on the marsh pointing towards Bonaventure.

“He went that-a way!” Dead trees on the marsh (ironically) pointing towards Bonaventure.

I imagine that the surrounding neighborhood was once open land for the farm. Here are some interesting photos of the buildings. Of the two large structures, one looks like it is from the late 19th or early 20th century where the other one definitely is from around the mid-20th century.

The 20th c. building that appears to have once functioned as the main operations of the business.

The 20th c. concrete/cinderblock building that appears to have once functioned as the main operations of the business in the foreground; peeking up from the background is the standing seam metal roof of the older brick foundation/wood frame building.

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wellll……..

DAIRY03

A closer look inside reveals what remains of some old equipment. It also appears there was some fire damage on at least one occasion.

Rear exterior view of the 20th century building.

Rear exterior view of the 20th century building.

Old milk crates!

Old milk crates!

Here is a view of the older building. Perhaps this was used to house the dairy cows but I am not well versed in the operations of a dairy farm to say with certainty.

Here is a view of the older building. Perhaps this was used to house the cows but I am not well versed in the operations of a dairy farm to say with certainty.

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A side view of the older brick foundation structure, Note how the brick is disintegrating!

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This brick is disintegrating from water damage and salt deposits.

Old control panel!

Old control panel!

Glass tube fuses.

Glass tube fuses.

Rusting milk tank. I wonder if anything is left in there...

Rusting milk tank. I wonder if anything is left in there…

So there you have it, some photos from a fun and interesting adventure. It seems that walking around the grounds is ok and there were plenty of folks walking their dogs and sitting near the property on the morning we were there, but it is probably not advisable to climb inside the actual buildings and I am not advocating such activity. I do hope to go back there soon in the spring and get some photos when things start blooming. And I plan to do more research to see what else I can find out about this really cool kind of hidden site, so stay tuned for more on one of my new favorite places!

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