Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1903-09-03
A HISTORIC CHEESE.
THE MONSTER THAT CHESHIRE SENT
TO PRESIDENT JEFFERSON.

TO PRESIDENT JEFFERSON.
Nearly Every One In Town Contrib
Bossed the JOb--The Formal Pres
entation at the White House.
The story of the great cheese made at
Cheshire in 1901 and sent the following
winter to President Jefferson as a
New Years present has been many
times told i'll prose and verse, but is
worthy of repetition as an interesting
bit of local history, showing, as it does,
the patriotic spirit by which the good
people of Cheshire were moved and the
novel manner they chose for Its ex-
preston.
In those days Cheshire was famous
for three things-its exceptionally fine
dairying interests and products, the
we'll nigh universal adhesion of the
voting population to the Democratic
party and Elder John Leland, an able,
eccentric and witty Baptist divine,
whose fame is a part of the history of
Cheshire. Elder Leland and most of
the other people Of the town were ar
dent admirers of Thomas Jefferson,
and when he was elected president of
the United States their joy was un
bounded. 1t was finally decided that
it would be proper to give to their es-
teen tangible expression in the form
of mammoth cheese, which should
show to the president the quality of
their material resources and something
of the extent of their admiration for,I
him.
The announcement of this plan was
made by Elder Leland from his pulpit
one Sunday morning and was received
with pleasure by the people. July 20, !
1901, was the date set for the making
of the cheese, and the plan was to have
all the owners of cows in the town,
with the exception of the few federal |
lists there We're, to make their curd and
carry it to a central place for pressing.
OF course there was no cheese press
large enough for the pressing of such
cheese as was proposed, and Elisha |
Browns cider press was consequently |
selected for the work.
When the day came for making the
cheese the people gathered from all |
parts of the town. Those who had curd |
to contribute brought it with them, |
some In large quantities and some III
small, but all extremely proud to con-
tribute to the monster cheese that was |
to be sent to the president. Besides be- |
ing a busy day it was also gala day |
for the inhabitants of Cheshire. The |
farmers and their wives and families |
turned out en- masse to witness the con-
struction of what proved to be the |
most famous cheese In all history, for, |
though a still larger cheese was made
in the town at later date, this was
the presidents cheese, and the great
Elder Leland, who in the estimation Of |
the people of Cheshire was second in
importance only to President Jefferson
himself, was leading and directing the |
enterprise. Most of those present were
arrayed in their Sunday best, though |
the women who superintended the mix
ing of the cura were obliged to wsa,r /
protecting aprons.
The hoop in which the cheese was
pressed was made for the occasion. 1t
was four feet in diameter and eighteen
Inches deep and was secured with
strong bands of iron to enable it to |
stand the pressure When all of the
curd had been mixed and salted it was
placed in this hoop, follower which
had also been made especially for the
purpose was placed upon it, and the
ponderous wooden screws of the old |
cider mill were turned down on the
most precious body they had ever COM
pressed. After all was done a hymn
lined off by Elder Leland was sung by
the assemblage, and the people sepa-
rated for their homes, highly satisfied
with and very proud of their days |,
work Some days after it was made
the cheese was taken to Captain Dan
lei Browns cheese house to be cured
Its weight one month from the time it
was pressed was 1926 pounds. The
moving of the cheese from the cider
press to Captain Browns was made d
great occasion. The people turned out
again, and the cheese was followed by
big procession. Moses Wolcott, who
kept the tavern" gave a feast to all
present and thereby linked his name to
this part of the towns history
The following December the great
cheese was sent to Washington in
charge of Elder Leland and Darius
Brown. There were no railroads i'll
those days, and it was drawn on a sled
to Hudson N " and ShiDned from
there by water. The presentation of
the cheese to the president was an
event of moment in Washington. The
presentation was made at the White
House in the presence of the cabinet,
foreign diplomats and other notables
Elder Leland serving as spokesman
and assuring the president in suitable
terms Of the great esteem In which he
was held by the people from whom the