GreenCountyVG-Final

tirring up a legacy. S Step back in time and learn the story NationalHistoricCheesemakingCenter.org S 38

39

the Imobersteg Farm nearby in Illinois. Once a year, area cheesemakers (including Steve Stettler of Decatur Dairy, shown here) create a wheel of cheese in the factory's old copper kettle. Visitors are invited to take turns stirring with the “Swiss harp” as the milk is heated. Celebrities (like Cheese Days royalty or mascot "Wedgie") often make

No visit to Green County is complete without understanding how the area became recognized as Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA. The first cheese factory opened here in 1868 and fifty years later Green County was producing 31% of the cheese in the entire country. Discover these roots at the NATIONAL HISTORIC CHEESEMAKING CENTER where you will find cheese and dairy farming equipment, artifacts, photos, and a video archive showcasing locals who shaped the dairy industry. Volunteer tour guides share stories and explain the cheesemaking process. Just outside, travel back in time to the late 1800’s at an authentic IMOBERSTEG FARMSTEAD CHEESE FACTORY (moved here in 2010) can be viewed in a building where Brick, Swiss, and Limburger cheese were made using the milk from the herd at farmstead cheese factory. All the original equipment at the

of howmilk was turned into gold.

CHEESY SWISS ROOTS

appearances, and visitors enjoy gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and alphorn entertainment. About four hours after the milk is delivered, a finished wheel of Emmentaler (Swiss) is whisked off for aging to a nearby factory cellar.

GREEN COUNTY WELCOME CENTER maps - area guides - visitor info

GUIDED TOURS OFFERED DAILY gallery - artifacts - archives

Open May thru October Tuesday - Saturday 9 am-4 pm Sunday 11 am-4pm

June 9, 2018

OLD TIME CHEESEMAKING DAY watch cheesemakers create a giant wheel of Swiss cheese using the original kettle in the HISTORIC FARMSTEAD FACTORY

2108 6th Avenue, Monroe Intersection of Hwy. 69 S & 21st St. 608.325.4636

N atioNal H istoric c HeesemakiNg c eNter

& Historic Imobersteg Farmstead Cheese Factory