FARMING IN THE TOWN OF ALEXANDRIA,
PAST TENSE
CHEESE FACTORIES
Before the railroad or refrigeration reached the town of Alexandria, farmers still had to find a market for their fluid milk. Cheese factories, making cheddar cheese for the most part, sprang up to fill this need. Each farmer drew his milk to the cheese factory daily by horse drawn wagons. Since the horses traveled slowly over the poor roads, the factories had to be located within a couple of miles of the source of the milk. Thus, each neighborhood with dairy farms had its own cheese factory. With the coming of the railroad, first, and later with refrigeration, the cheese factories fell into disuse, though the remains of one or two can be seen, if one knows where to look. Huge automated milk plants supplanted the old family operated cheese factory. The milk tanker truck became a daily sight on rural roads, making the rounds of the dairy farms, and the farmer's morning schedule was set by the milk pick-up time Below is an 1890 list of the cheese factories in the Town of Alexandria. This is not a comprehensive list but merely those found by Child's representatives in 1888. After Hamilton Child: Geographical Gazetteer of Jefferson County, NY., 1890 Explanation of arrangement: under the township name; Factory or Cheesemaker's name; road number (on Child's map ); and post office. address unless it is the same as the township name. Alexandria Bay American Cheese Factory Bickelhaupt, Leonard (Limburger) r 16, Redwood. Center American Cheese Factory, Mary Fall, prop., Plessis Cold Brook American Cheese Factory, L.E. Walts, prop., r 73, Omar. Cold Spring American Cheese Factory, John Northrop, prop. , r 13, Redwood Flat Rock American Cheese Factory, Clark. S. Walts, prop., Plessis Hagan Limburger Cheese Factory, Redwood Hartman, John, Sr., (Limburger) r 38, Alexandria Bay. Roof's Limburger Cheese Factory, C.J.Hardy, sec'y, r 71, Plessis Schultz Limburger Cheese Factory, r 51, Redwood Springer American Cheese Factory, r 5 1/2, Redwood Zimmer Limburger Cheese Facory, r 58, Plessis.
Nan Dixon
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