Guy Hilton bought a 160-acre tract next to his father’s farm in Section 11 of Dry Grove Township, and established a dairy herd in 1917. Five hired men milked 100 cows by hand during the Depression and early World War II years. When Hilton wanted to disperse his herd, he sold to his daughter and son-in-law Robert and Evelyn Schwoerer in 1956, a time when innovations in cattle and farming were being introduced. Their son Steve Schwoerer continued with a smaller herd. Eventually his son Ken Schwoerer worked part-time on the farm. In 2005, Steve Schwoerer said, “Farming is truly a way of life. … It’s what keeps us together.”
The Hilton and Schwoerer Farms Collection spans 1911 to 2005. The collection contains certificates of Holstein records, correspondence, advertisements, photographs, newspaper articles, meeting minutes and correspondence pertaining to the Dairy Herd Improvement Association.