Utica Cheese MarketWednesday, September 8, at 6:30 PM

Utica, N.Y. - The Mohawk Valley and Central New York were once the premier cheesemaking region of the United States. It was here that Jesse Williams set up the first cheese factory in the United States just north of Rome. Here too professor Xerxes A. Willard, a graduate of Hamilton College, championed the cause of higher standards in cheesemaking and promotion of the industry. Join Dr. Milton Sernett to discuss the origins of cheese making in New York and his book “Say Cheese.”

As William’s ideas of cooperative dairying spread across the region, Utica and Little Falls became the epicenter of Americas cheese market.  Cheese traveled by canal and railroad to distant cities and overseas.  The market thrived for decades until the industry moved to the Midwest.

Dr. Milton Sernett taught history at Syracuse University for three decades, retiring in 2005. He is the author of fourteen books and dozens of articles. This book is an outgrowth of his long interest in agriculture and local history. Sernett has also authored "Cradle of the Breed: Gerrit Smith Miller & the Kriemhild herd.”

This program takes place on Wednesday, September 8, 2021 starting at 6:30 pm in the OCHC gallery. The event is free and open to all. In accordance with local, federal, & CDC guidelines, masks are required for all visitors regardless of vaccination status during public events and programs.  This program will be recorded and available on the OCHC Youtube channel.

The Oneida County History Center is a private 501(c) (3) not-for-profit educational institution dedicated to preserving the history, heritage, and culture of the Greater Mohawk Valley for present and future generations. Admission to this program is free for the general public; donations are encouraged. Please contact the History Center at 315-735-3642 or visit the OCHC website (http://www.oneidacountyhistory.org) for additional information.

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Contact:

Patrick Reynolds at preynolds@oneidacountyhistory.org