Connecticut western news., 1872-10-04
The Jeffersonian Cheese of Berkshire.

The story of the big cheese made by the Jeffersonian Democrats of the farm ing town of Cheshire in Berkshire Coun- ty, nearly three-quarters of century ago, has just been retold in an English periodical, in connection with the his. tory of cheeses, and may be worthy of recalling to the present local generation. In the great contest between the Feder- alists and the Democrats at the Presi- dential election of 1900, Cheshire, under the lead of the Rev. John Leland, its parish minister, took sides almost unan- imously with Jefferson, and Jeffersonian Democracy became not only the politics, but the religion of the people of the town. Leland preached and prayed 1t from the pulpit on Sundays, and exhorted 1t atl the village bar-room on week day even ings. When the triumph came, Leland and Cheshire both had the idea that they had contributed immensely to it :; and under Leland's advice, the farmers of the town agreed to celebrate their success by making, for present to Jefferson, the biggest cheese that the world ever saw. He advised that, on 8 certain day, all the curd from one day s milk of all the COWS of Cheshire township should be brought as patriotic contri- button to the object in view. The in habitants entered joyously into the scheme. All-men and women, boys and girls-who had the ownership or keeping of COWS, brought their quota of milk or curd to particular spot. A large cider. press had been thoroughly cleansed out, new false bottom pro- vided, and a monster hoop laid down on it, corresponding in dimensions with the thickness and diameter of the intended cheese. When the accumulated gifts of curd were thrown in, skilled dairy matrons mixed, favored and tinted it. Then came the pressing-immense work, seeing that so thick cheese could not possibly be of good quality throughout unless the pressure on the curd were much beyond the ususal degree. Sturdy men, with arms bare and muscles well braced, turned the screw-press until 1t would not yield another fraction of an inch. Then, Leland, standing in the center, and the people being grouped around him, all sang hymn, and dedi- cated the cheese to Thomas Jefferson, the new President of the great Republic. After due period for settling and dry ing, arrangements were made for carry ing the mighty cheese to Washington, the Federal Capital and, as the distance was not less than 500 miles, the enter prise was certainly formidable one. The weight-some say 1,450 pounds, a full-sized English Cheshire cheese)- could not safely be trusted upon wheels, with such roads as America then pos sessed. A snowy season was selected, a sledge was provided, the cheese was launched, and Master John Leland piloted it all the way to Washington. He was three weeks on the journey, and wherever he rested at night, received quite an ovation, for the nature of his errand had become rumored about. Ar rived at Washington, he went to the White House, where, on an appointed day, he was received by President Jeffer- son and all the officials, with goodly number of ambassadors and other folk. Leland presented the cheese to Jefferson in the naae of the whole of the inhabi- tants of Cheshire; every family and COW had contributed toward it. The President, of course, said what was proper on so remarkable an occasion. He caused a great wedge to be cut from the cheese and conveyed back to Cheshire, that the townsmen might have the pleasure of tasting the result of their labors while all the guests at the White House, there and then, partook of the gift. The in- terior of the cheese was found of a beau tiful color, richly tinted with anatto it was little variegated in appearance, owing to so many dairies having contri- buted the milk or curd, but the flavor was pronounced toSbe the best ever tasted at Washington.