No. 18 The Crowley Factory
Cheese Factory
This post and beam timber frame building is in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation describes the building as follows;
“This is a handsome early factory “building still operating in its original function.” It is built 2-½ large stories with a gable end derrick and hoist, 6 over 6 windows and a line of doors for lifting goods out to the vehicles below …This is an important example of industrial architecture.
Built as a cheese factory, it is the oldest continuously operated cheese factory in Vermont and possibly the oldest in the country. Architecture is plain but soundly constructed with a 3-story massing; handsome in its proportions and relatively unaltered from the day it was built.”
The Crowley’s, among the first settlers in town in 1795, began making cheese in the farmhouse in 1824. The factory was opened in 1882 by Alfred W. Crowley, who previous to his occupation in the cheese business had engaged in farming and as the superintendent of the town schools, in which he taught. Today the cheese business is thriving. Much of its business is in mail order and they are known for their quality Colby-type cheese that is based on over 100 years of tradition, completely hand made using the original methods.
The Crowley’s, among the first settlers in town in 1795, began making cheese in the farmhouse in 1824. The factory was opened in 1882 by Alfred W. Crowley, who previous to his occupation in the cheese business had engaged in farming and as the superintendent of the town schools, in which he taught. Today the cheese business is thriving. Much of its business is in mail order and they are known for their quality Colby-type cheese that is based on over 100 years of tradition, completely hand made using the original methods.
