Over 80 years ago, a blacksmith at Lowell’s Boott Mills wanted a career change. He saved his money, bought a dairy farm on Stevens Street, and a plot of swampy land no one wanted not too far away in Chelmsford. He started his dairy farm, and used his revenues to cart in tons of dirt from Drum Hill. Eventually, he silenced his naysayers and started construction on that lonely plot of land. And he built a roadside stand where he sold ice cream made from the milk his dairy cows produced.
It was a wild success.
He knew a little bit about marketing too. He had a giant milk bottle made, in two pieces, and hired a team of men to hoist it atop his ice cream stand. It became an attraction on Chelmsford’s road into Lowell, and he put the letters of his last name on it. People came just to see the giant milk bottle, and, before long, he was selling 30 flavors of ice cream, at a dime a cone.
He kept that ice cream stand for 27 years.
At some point a few years in, he added a back window and started serving sandwiches, hot dogs, and hamburgers. Soon, the line to buy hot foods at his stand was just as long as the lines to buy his ice cream. He built a diner next door, and put his name on that too.
During the 1930s, and into the war years, and even for a bit after, he ran Kydd’s Ice Cream and Kydd’s Diner on Chelmsford Street. But, ice cream was his true passion, and he sold the diner to the Gefteas and Burliss families in 1947.
He kept selling ice cream.
John Kydd sold ice cream from his ice cream stand right up into the 1960s, when he finally sold it, in 1961, to the same families that bought his diner.
And that ice cream stand, with its iconic bottle, and the neighboring diner, with its iconic neon sign, stayed there, on Chelmsford Street, through the construction of 495, and the Chelmsford Mall down the way, and watched their neighbors come and go, until finally, the ice cream stand was closed, and demolished in 1998.
Rumor has it that that giant milk bottle survives to this day in an undisclosed location in town.
And the restaurant held on even longer, into the Yelp era, where you can still read reviews for it even today. But, the restaurant is gone too, since 2008, when it closed after its 70-year run. It’s still remembered today, though not as Kydd’s, which was its first name.
Chelmsford fondly remembers that little ice cream stand and restaurant, that no one thought would ever get built, on that swampy lot no one wanted, as — none other than Skip’s.
It’s now part of Chelmsford’s lore.
They did have the best banana fritters going.
Forgotten New England 
Thank you for this wonderful article about Kydd’s and Skip’s. My brother-in-law was Malcolm Kydd, grandson to John. Kydd’s and Skip’s were the’ to go’ places in the 50’s and 60’s. Every game or event that took place in Chelmsford always ended with everyone meeting there. My husband worked at Kydd’s during his high school years. I printed out the article for my nieces and my sister.
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Hi Joan, I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
Hi Joan,
This is Dave and Jeanne’s daughter Lorri (and Burt and Flo’s granddaughter). I also loved this article. It’s where my parents met. I have lost touch with Aunt Marlene unfortunately.
Absolutely fantastic. That story iswxactly how it happened! Former co owner of Skip’s Fred Gefteas
Hi Fred, I’m happy I got it right. It’s such a great story. I’m glad I was able to share it.
This is John Kydd’s great-granddaughter Burt Kydd’s granddaughter Lorri Kydd Alden.
Does anyone know where the milk bottle is hidden???
Hi Mr. Gefteas,
I am Burt Kydd’s grand daughter (Dave was my father). Do you have any memorabilia of Kydd’s ice cream stand? Do you know where the milk bottle is?
This is an amazing story. It is so accurate. I used to ride my horse from Carlisle to get ice cream at Kydd’s Ice Cream Stand. Then, lo and behold, I ended up marrying one of the scoopers, Bob Kydd. He would be thrilled with this article. We met at the Ice Cream Stand in 1950 and got married in 1955 when he returned from Korea. We had 61 wonderful years together. He enjoyed sharing his stories of working at his Grandfather Kydd’s dairy on Stevens Street when the milk wagon was horse drawn. He would tell how the horses knew the routes with no guidance from the drivers. Thank you so much for resurrecting this treasured story from the past.
Hello Jean, Thank you for your comment! I’m happy that I captured the story accurately, and was able to bring back some memories of Kydd’s and Skip’s to Greater Lowell today.
Hi Aunt Jean,
This is the “other Jeanne’s” daughter Lorri (David was my father). I am sorry we lost touch. I will always remember the snowmobiling trip we took as a mini-family reunion up to Warren and Freida’s farm. Do you have any Kydd family memorabilia you would be willing to share?
Hi Aunt Jean,
This is the “other Jeanne’s” daughter Lorri. Dave was my father. Some of my fondest memories was going out on deliveries with Dad on Saturday mornings – Jack’s Diner, Santoro’s Restaurant, the Billerica House of Correction….lol. Do you have any memorabilia of Kydd’s Dairy you would be willing to share?
Great article, I Have nice memories of Doug Kyd setting up breakfast for us in the 60’s .Thanks for keeping the history alive.
George M. Burliss
Former Co Owner of Skip’s Restaurant.
Thank you! I’m happy I got to write the article. It’s clear that Skip’s still has a place in Chelmsford.
Hi Ryan,
The other place that is not mentioned in the article, that is related to Kydd’s Dairy and Kydd’s Ice Cream stand, is Jack’s Diner in Chelmsford center. Jack Kydd was Papa’s cousin.
HI Mr. Burliss,
This is Burt Kydd’s granddaughter Lorri (David’s daughter). We went to Skip’s Restaurant every Friday night and I always had the club sandwich. For special occasions we went to the Embers Room !!
Do you have any Kydd’s Ice Cream Stand memorabilia you would be willing to share?
I have a picture of me with the milk jug, taken in 2006. It was around the back of Skip’s at the time.
I found the milk jug around the back of Skip’s in 2006. Had to have my picture taken with it!
Wow, midway through your post I started wondering how I never I heard of this “Kydd’s.” I moved to town in 1980, and my memories are of Skip’s. Thanks for sharing the backstory.
I Loved reading this story. Doug Kydd was my grandfather and I remember playing around the old dairy on Stevens St. thanks for posting.
HI Nancy,
I am Burt’s granddaughter Lorri (David was my father). I remember Uncle Doug and Aunt Marion’s house across the street from the dairy. When Uncle Doug moved in with Nana and Papa, he always took my sister and I to Kentucky Fried Chicken when we visited.
Another relative here. My twin Sue and I used to love watching the milk plant machinery and visiting the room where Rudy made the ice cream; he’d let us sample the unfrozen custard! Sometimes we rode with Grandpa in his pickup to nearby farms to pick up the milk in those large metal canisters.
Hi Carol,
This is Burt’ and Florence’s granddaughter Lorri. My father was David Kydd Jr. Papa would let us go in and get ice cream from Rudy also. It was so creamy be a use it hadn’t been frozen yet. Aunt Marion would let us help serve ice cream through the little ice cream window on Steven’s Street. Uncle Doug and Aunt Marion lived across the street from the dairy.
I went there with my parents back in the 1940s, and I thought I remember cows grazing in a pasture in back of Kydds. Am I correct in this, or maybe it was another ice cream stand?
I can’t help with the 1940s, but I remember cows grazing behind Tewksbury’s Meadowlands in the early 1980s. There are houses back there now.
Hi Carol,
This is Burt’ and Florence’s granddaughter Lorri. My father was David Kydd Jr. Papa would let us go in and get ice cream from Rudy also. It was so creamy be a use it hadn’t been frozen yet. Aunt Marion would let us help serve ice cream through the little ice cream window on Steven’s Street. Uncle Doug and Aunt Marion lived across the street from the dairy.