The Quonquont Milk Bottle, at the corner of Christian Lane and Chestnut Plain Road, is one of Whately’s most beloved monuments. In 1932 Frederick Utley Wells (1873-1944), the owner of the Quonquont Stock and Dairy Farm famous for its “certified” raw milk, asked Lincoln Bond (1891-1974) of Whately to construct a dairy bar in the shape of one of his milk bottles. The 19-foot-high Milk Bottle (designed at a 14x scale), which consists of an interior metal mesh and wood structure filled with cement and covered in stucco, was installed at the southwest corner of State Road (Routes 5 & 10) and Swamp Road, where it was in use as a dairy bar, from which milk, ice cream and other dairy products were dispensed, until Mr. Wells’ death.
In 1951 the Milk Bottle was moved across the street to the parking lot of the Pall Mel Farms Restaurant (later the Lamplighter) at 268 State Road, where it fell into sad disrepair.
The Milk Bottle is listed in the Smithsonian Art Inventory of American Outdoor Sculpture.
Fortunately, owner Charles Selicious (1925-97) donated the massive sculpture to the Whately Historical Society in 1990, which has taken responsibility for its restoration and maintenance ever since. In 1995 it was moved to its current site on Chestnut Plain Road, adjacent to the Whately Center School, on large transport vehicles provided by the 104th Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard. The Whately Board of Selectmen pledged to provide a permanent home for the Milk Bottle at that time, a commitment that was reconfirmed by the Selectboard in 2024, and Whately resident Michael Denehy designed a sturdy concrete foundation for the structure. Ice cream was served from its interior at Whately Historical Society outdoor events until 2018. It is used today for storage of outdoor benches and tables.
