Savannah Morning News : Pollys People Memories of Gernatts Creamery live on for family members by Polly Powers Stramm Posted: June 1, 2006 - 11:19pm In the early 1920s, long before he opened his own creamery, the late Henry Gernatt delivered milk by bicycle. The milk came from John Harms Oakhurst Farms, which, back then, was one of a handful of local dairies, such as Annettes and Starland. Gernatts daughter, Adele Gernatt Nielubowicz, who was born in 1922 at the old Telfair Hospital, remembers hearing the story of how her Daddy rode his bicycle to the Telfair to see his new baby and his wife and he cried and cried when the bike was stolen. But times got better for Gernatt who later opened Gernatts Creamery at 41st and Montgomery streets. Adele isnt sure exactly when the business opened but, in 1931, a picture of her younger brother, Paul William Gernatt, was featured in an ad that said, If you want to feel as fine as silk, drink more and more of Gernatts milk. Adeles son and Henrys grandson, Chester Ski Nielubowicz Jr., who lives in California, remembers details, such as the five-foot-tall neon light in the shape of an ice cream cone that hung over the entrance to Gernatts. My father, who was a machinist by trade, made Grandpas popsicle and ice cream sandwich molds out of stainless steel, said Ski, who still has one of each mold. The popsicles looked as if they had been molded in a small Dixie cup, he said. Blockbusters were like a Dixie Doodle and were one-inch-thick vanilla treats dipped in chocolate. My brothers, sisters and cousins, as we came of age, were asked to work in the family business, he said. We learned to make change, wait on customers, dip ice cream and make hamburgers and hot dogs ... I remember earning 50 cents an hour, but he added, we learned important people skills for later in life. Ski also recalls his grandfather always wearing a bow tie, even when he was making the ice cream. Adele said her father came to Savannah via New York from the old country in eastern Europe. He worked for the railroad in Ohio and Pennsylvania and made his way down South. Ski recalls his grandfathers establishment as being a mom-and-pop business similar to the modern-day convenience store. Adele said her father wasnt an educated man, but he read a lot, and True Detective magazine, which he sold in the store, was one of his favorites. He played checkers with everyone who came into the store and often gave away ice cream. Nearby businesses included Rays Meat Market, Ubeles and Gilmores Dry Cleaning. In later years Gernatt expanded his business and opened the Igloo at York Lane and Bull Street. During the 1940s and 50s Gernatt would load up a van with Blockbusters and Popsicles, and drive over to Savannah High School when classes were letting out. He sold Popsicles for a nickel and ice cream sandwiches and Blockbusters for a dime. Last February, while visiting Savannah, Ski went to a meeting of a Benedictine Military School alumni group (the BC Survivors) at Johnny Harris Restaurant. I stood up and introduced myself, he said. I mentioned Gernatts Creamery and the (mens) eyes perked up and twinkled. Afterward, several of those in the audience came up to him and said they appreciated the walk down memory lane. Henry died in 1967, a year and a half after the creamery closed. Polly Powers Stramm is a Savannahian who writes about people and places in the area. She can be reached at 352-8670 or [email protected].
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 20:14:30 +0000
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