Love Ice Cream? Iconic West Hartford Dairy Topic Of Special Historical Event

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Playhouse on Park will host a lecture and ice cream social on Sunday, May 31, exploring the history and legacy of A.C. Petersen Farms, the dairy company that once operated from the building now home to the theater.

The event, titled “Building a Dairy Empire: A.C. Petersen,” will begin at 4 p.m. at Playhouse on Park, 244 Park Road.

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The program is presented in partnership with the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society and West Hartford’s America 250 Celebration as part of Historic Preservation Month.

Organizers said the event highlights the adaptive reuse of the former A.C. Petersen Farms milk delivery truck garage, which was transformed into a community arts venue.

The lecture will focus on Andrew Christian Petersen, a Danish immigrant who arrived in New York in 1912 and later built one of the region’s best-known dairy brands.

After working on a relative’s Hartford milk route, Petersen purchased his own route in 1914 and expanded the business over the following decades.

By 1921, Petersen had acquired property along Park Road in West Hartford and began producing retail dairy products. The company later expanded by purchasing several local dairy farms.

The program will also examine the opening of the A.C. Petersen Farms Ice Cream Parlor on May 3, 1940, when more than 2,000 people reportedly visited on its first day.

Organizers said the parlor became a popular summertime destination for local families and promoted features such as air conditioning.

“The A.C. Petersen Ice Cream Parlor is a 1940 Art Moderne style masterpiece,” West Hartford Town Historian Mary Donohue said in a statement. “With only an elementary school education, Petersen’s strong business acumen led him to control all aspects of milk production, processing and sales.”

Donohue will present the lecture alongside Chuck Coursey, host of the “Trout Brook Tales” history podcast.

The presentation will feature historical photographs from the Petersen family archives, contemporary images, and a look inside portions of the original factory building not typically open to the public.

Following the lecture, attendees will receive ice cream provided by A.C. Petersen Farms.

Admission is $15, with proceeds benefiting Playhouse on Park. Additional information and tickets are available at PlayhouseOnPark.org.

For more information and to purchase tickets, click on this link.