A Tale of Several Cheese Factories in County

Picturing the Past has featured several Transylvania dairies during National Dairy Month but did you know that Transylvania County had two cheese factories in the early 1900s?

In late 1917 assistant dairy manufacturing specialist, Reeves Noland met with local farmers to promote establishing a cheese factory in the county.  According to Noland if the daily output of milk within a three mile radius of the factory was at least 100 gallons, cheese making was a viable and profitable option for farmers.  He recommended organizing a cooperative with five or more stockholders.

By March 1918 County Agent R.E. Lawrence had organized a group to form a cooperative cheese factory.  Mr. Lawrence stated, “It takes three gallons of milk for one pound of butter and only one gallon for a pound of cheese.  The butter sells at 40 cents a pound and the cheese at 29 cents.  Out of three gallons of milk made into butter one gets 40 cents; out of the same number of gallons made into cheese he gets 84 cents—a little more than double.”

The Penrose Cooperative Cheese Factory was located
 on the farm of W.L. Talley.  The Talley home still stands on
Old Hendersonville Highway at Penrose.

The Penrose Cooperative Cheese Factory, which opened on July 15, 1918, was located on the farm of W.L. “Luther” Talley.  The one-and-one-half story structure with a 14 by 20 front room and a smaller back room was constructed for about $850.  The operation had a capacity to produce 300 pounds of cheese per day and provided a cash market to local farmers for both milk and eggs. They won best cheese at the State Livestock Show in the Fall 1918.  Everette Talley was the first manager and cheese maker at the factory.

In 1921 the group re-organized as the French Broad Cooperative Cheese Company.  Stockholders included C.F. Woodfin, C.V. Shufford, J.M. Talley, R.S. Boyd, Cheesemaker and W.L. Talley, President.  The last mention of the company was in the 1924 Report to the Commissioner of Revenue, State of North Carolina.

Another group of Transylvania farmers organized the Selica Cooperative Cheese Factory in 1919.  Officers for the group were H.N. Blake, President; C.C. Duckworth, Vice President; Charles Orr, Secretary and Treasurer; W.C. McCall and E.O. Bryson, Directors.  The Selica factory was located near the County Farm on the south side of the railroad at Selica Station on property deeded to the cooperative by C.C. Duckworth.  They began operation on August 1, 1919 and were able to purchase up to 200 gallons of milk per day. 

No mention of how long the business operated was found.  However, they are listed on the Delinquent Tax List in May 1926 and May 1928.  In June 1928 the property was listed for sale to highest bidder on July 2, 1928 at the courthouse door.

Unfortunately there are no known photographs of either of Transylvania’s cheese factories.  If anyone does have pictures of these businesses or the structures after the cheese factories closed please contact the Local History Room at the Transylvania County Library.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. Visit the NC Room during regular library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional photographs. For more information, comments, or suggestions contact Marcy at marcy.thompson@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.

Young Students Excellent in Dairy Competition

This group of young 4-H members from clubs in Little River, Pisgah Forest
and Cherryfield won several ribbons for their Ayrshire and Jersey calves
and cows in 1967.  On the left are Dawn and Debbie Woody of Little River.

In the mid-1900s the dairy industry in Transylvania County was thriving.  There were farms that milked varying sizes of herds and dairies that purchased milk for pasteurization.  During Dairy Month in June the Transylvania Dairy Association and their distributors held events including an ice cream party for dairy farmers and their families, public presentations and movies highlighting the value of the dairy industry. 

Programs were being established to encourage youth to learn about feeding, breeding and maintaining dairy cattle.  North Carolina began district and state Junior Dairy Cattle shows in the 1940s.  4-H and F.F.A. (Future Farmers of America) clubs assisted boys and girls through education and provided opportunities for them to attend and participate in these shows.

1973 Junior Dairy Show members from the Cathey's Creek area.

In 1952 Morgan Hunter's Jersey cow won three ribbons and a cash prize in the WNC Junior Dairy Show in Enka.  There was also an annual Dairy Princess contest held.  In 1957 Miss Barbara Cantrell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Cantrell of the Dunn’s Rock community represented Transylvania County. 

The Brevard Merchants Association sponsored the establishment of the Junior Dairy Foundation in 1946.  Businessmen purchased a calf for 4-H youth to raise and breed.  The purpose was to provide youth with an opportunity to raise their own dairy calf and to promote a closer relationship between local businesses and farmers.

Ruth Jones of Cedar Mountain shows her Jersey calf acquired
through the 4-H Club Dairy Chain in 1966.

In the 1960s merchants sponsors a 4-H Club Dairy Chain.  Young people received heifer calves to raise, show and breed through the program.  When that heifer had her first female calf it was passed on to another deserving 4-H Club member thus continuing the chain.

If you can identify any of the youth in the two group photographs included with this week’s story please let us know in the Local History Room at the Library.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. Visit the NC Room during regular library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional photographs. For more information, comments, or suggestions contact Marcy at marcy.thompson@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.

Era's Over For Large Dairy Farms in Transylvania County

In the early 1940s Transylvania County’s two commercial dairies, Eastview and Sunnyside, both sold to larger dairies that operated in southwestern North Carolina.

Pet Dairy Products Company, which was one of the largest dairy companies in the world, had purchased and expanded Western Carolina Creamery in Waynesville in 1936.  In March 1941 Pet Dairy bought the Eastview Dairy including their equipment and business interests from Frank and Lewis Osborne.  They bought milk from local farmers, storing it at the Brevard facility, then trucked it to the Waynesville plant for pasteurization.   Pet Dairy products, including their popular ice cream, were sold throughout the region.  Frank Osborne continue to serve as the dairy’s manager.

Also in 1941 A.B. Slagle, owner of the Nantahala Creamery in Franklin, purchased the Sunnyside Dairy from W. Davis Glazener and sons.  A few months later, Slagle announced that he would construct a pasteurizing plant on the north side of Brevard across from Brevard College.  The new facility, named Transylvania Dairies, opened in the Spring of 1942. 

Transylvania Dairies purchased Grade “A” raw milk from local dairy farmers for pasteurized milk and a variety of other dairy products, including butter, buttermilk and cream.  Their products were sold at dozens of grocery stores and used in restaurants and soda shops throughout the county. 

In September 1942, Pet Dairy announced that the cost of gasoline and tires was making it unprofitable to transport milk to their Waynesville plant and therefore they had sold their milk business in Transylvania County to Transylvania Dairies.  Transylvania Dairies continued to distribute the popular Pet Ice Cream.

The Southern Dairies facility located across from Brevard College,
near the intersection of Caldwell & Broad streets, 1947.

In December 1945 Slagle sold the facility to Southern Dairies who introduced paper containers for milk, cream and buttermilk to the Brevard market.  This eliminated the need to pay a deposit for bottles or to wash and return bottles.  Southern Dairies continued to purchase milk from local farmers to be processed at their Brevard facility. 

A Southern Dairies Sealtest truck
collects milk from a Little River farm in 1957.

A June 1962 list of dairymen who sold their milk to Southern Dairies included Howard Gosnell, J.W. McGuire, Frank Merrill, Charles and Lewis Osborne, Heyward Ramsey, W.T. Whitmire, Shipman Whitmire, J.C. and N.B. Wood and Freeman Nicholson.

Southern Dairies operated the Brevard business through the late 1960s.  Ralph Parrish served as the manager of Transylvania Dairies and Southern Dairies for about 30 years.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. Visit the NC Room during regular library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional photographs. For more information, comments, or suggestions contact Marcy at marcy.thompson@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.

Dairy Farming Was Important in Transylvania County

June is National Dairy Month and while Transylvania County is not known for dairy products today throughout much of the 20^th century there were local farms with dairy operations.  That typically had a small dairy barn for milking and storage.

Frreman Nicholson's dairy herd in front of the concrete block dairy, brick silo
and large timber-frame barn on his Little River farm in 1954.

When Transylvania’s architectural survey was undertaken in 1990 there were are least seven farms identified that had a separate dairy barn.  These ranged from small cinderblock structures with attached sheds to large two-story barn with gambrel roofs like those built by W.T. Whitmire and C.K. Osborne. 

In the late 1930s Whitmire built a two-story dairy barn on his farm located along the Old Hendersonville Highway between Enon and Penrose.  The fieldstone first story is finished with a dry-mortar appearance, and the loft has German siding in the ends.  The rounded roof has flared, boxed eaves and two circular metal vents in the roof.  Whitmire milked 12-15 dairy cows.

C.K. Osborne’s Eastview Dairy was located just south of Pisgah Forest, at the intersection of present day Old Hendersonville Highway and Osborne Rd.  Claude Osborne established Eastview Dairy on the farm he had owned for nearly 30 years and built a large dairy barn in 1928.  The molded concrete block barn had a bank of fourteen four-paned windows with a central axis which tilted open horizontally down the long sides.  A large wood frame loft with a metal roof ran the length of the barn. The Osbornes milked about 80 head of dairy cows. 

Eastview bottled their own milk and sold to homes and businesses.  Local restaurants used Eastview milk, cream, butter, butter milk, and cottage cheese.  In 1941 Eastview Dairy was sold to the Pet Dairy Products Company.  They took the milk to their Waynesville facility for pasteurization for retail and wholesale markets through southwestern North Carolina.  Frank Osborne managed the Brevard business.

Sunnyside Dairy, located on Country Club Road outside of Brevard, was owned by W. Davis Glazener and Sons.  Walter and Paul Glazener operated the business from the late 1920s until 1940 or 1941.  In 1931 they introduced chocolate milk to the Brevard market.  Miss Beatrice Green of Penrose won $5.00 for providing the name “Choc-O-Pep” for their product. 

A 1934 advertisement for Eastview  and Sunnyside Dairies announced new prices of twelve-and-one-half cents for a quart of milk, seven cents for a pint and four cents for a half pint.  Buttermilk was six cents a quart. 

Notices in the newspaper also reminder folks that, “It is a violation of State Law, and punishable by a fine of $50.00 to use milk bottles that belong to either of the dairies.”  A $5.00 reward was offered for providing evidence to convict any person using the bottles for any purpose other than that intended by the dairies.  People were strongly advised to return the milk bottles immediately after use.

Both dairies had a Grade A rating from the state and federal Board of Health and an A-1 rating from the U.S. Army.  They provided milk for the three CCC camps located in Transylvania County. 

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. Visit the NC Room during regular library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional photographs. For more information, comments, or suggestions contact Marcy at marcy.thompson@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.