The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1903-09-11
A HISTORIC CHEESE.
THE MONSTER THAT CHESHIRE SENT
TO PRESIDENT JEFFERSON.

Nearly Every One In Town Contrib
utcd Curd, and Elder John Leland
BOsscd the Job-rhe Formal Press |
entntiOn at the White House.
The story of the great cheese made at |
Cheshire in 1901 and sent the following |
winter to President Jefferson as q |
New Years present has been many |
times told In prose and verse, but i: |
worthy of repetition as an interesting |
bit of local history, showing, as ii does,
the patriotic spirit by which the good
people of Cheshire were moved and tie
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
well nigh universal adhesion of the
voting population to the Democratic
party and Elder John Leland, an ublc,
eccentric and witty Baptist divine,
whose fame is Il part of the history of
Cheshire. Elder Leland and most of
the other people of the town were ar
and when he was elected president OF
the United States their joy waa I'M
bounded. 1t was finally decided that
it would be proper to give to their eS-
TEEN tangible expression i'll the form
Of a mammoth cheese, which should
show to the president the quality of
their material resources and something
Of the extent of their admiration for
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 were to make their curd and
carry 1t to central place for pressing.
OF course there was no cheese press
large enough for the pressing OF siich q
cheese as was proposed, and Eli%h"
Browns cider press was consequently
selected for the work.
When the day came for making thu
cheese the people gathered from iii
parts of the town. Those who had c"rd
to contribute brought it with th2ln.
some in large quantities and some iii
small. but all extremely proud to cn,l-
tribute to the monster cheese that W::S
to be sent to the pre- iidcnt. BESIDES be-
ing a busy day it was also Il gala dry
for the inhabitants of Cheshire. The
farmers and their wives and families
turned out en- nla$.;e 10 witness tN' con-
struction Of what proved to be the
most famous cheese IN all his CRY. for,
though Il still larger choose WAS made
in the town at Il Later date, thii was
the presidents cheese. and tn :Er2at
Elder Leland who in the estimation of
the people of Cheshire VIZ; sHc"rd III
Importance only'to President Jefferson
himself. was leading and direc,n:e the
enterprise. Most of those present Wcr2
arraycd in their Sunday best, though
the women who superintendent the mix
ing of the cErd were obliged 10 wear
protecting aprons.
The hoop in which the cheese was
pressed was made for the occasion. It
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 sailed it was
placed in this hoop, Il 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
| Tel Browns cheese house to be cured
| Its weight one month from the time it
| was pressed was 1885 pounds. The
moving of the cheese from the cider
press to Captain Browns was made a
great occasion. The people turned out
again, and the cheese was followed by
| big procession. Moses Wolcott, who
kept the tavern" gave feast to all
present and thereby linked his name 10
| 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 Oh Il sid
to Hudson, \. V. and shipped 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 notablcs,
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
| gift had come.-Springiicld Republican.