214 W Henni St

Summary

Widmer’s Cheese Cellars
214 West Henni Street, Theresa, Dodge County
Dates of Construction: circa 1885, circa 1907, circa 1923, circa 1950, circa 1964, 2004, 2016

The Widmer’s Cheese Cellars is in the Village of Theresa in the rolling hills of northeastern Dodge County in central Wisconsin. The community was originally platted by French Canadian fur trader, Solomon Juneau, in 1848, south of a bend in the meandering east branch of the Rock River. The factory was constructed at the northeast corner of the intersection of West Henni and Wisconsin Streets at the west edge of the original plat. The factory is two blocks west of the main commercial corridor through Theresa and is across the street from the banks of the Rock River.

Widmer’s Cheese Cellars was established in 1922 and has been continuously owned and operated by four generations of family cheesemakers to the present day. The family-owned business has produced its flagship Brick cheese, which originated in Dodge County, using the same bricks in the same location since its establishment. John O. Widmer purchased the existing factory in 1922 and founded Widmer’s Cheese Cellars. Four generations of Widmer cheesemakers have carried the traditional cheesemaking recipes and methods forward while adapting the factory and the business to meet the needs and standards of ever evolving markets. The Widmer’s Cheese Cellars factory was constructed in three predominant periods: 1885–1922 (circa), 1947–1964 (circa), and 2004–2016. The original cheese factory developed between circa 1885 and 1922. It was expanded between 1947 and 1964 to accommodate evolving industry standards and new manufacturing and environmental regulations in the post-World War II era. Finally, additions were constructed between 2004 and 2016 to support the increased packaging for regional and national distribution.

The Widmer’s Cheese Cellars factory is significant in the area of Industry for its association with the history of cheesemaking in Theresa and Dodge County. Widmer’s Cheese Cellars is a rare representative resource of the cheesemaking industry and is notable as a small, family owned and operated cheese factory since 1922. In the late nineteenth century, cheesemaking became an important industry in Wisconsin and continues to be a part of the state’s characteristic identity as “America’s Dairyland,” and after 1900, Dodge County was a center of the industry in the state. Widmer’s Cheese Cellars is one of, if not, the last functioning example of a small, family owned and operated cheese factory in Dodge County. As other small cheese factories were consolidated or closed, Widmer’s Cheese Cellars expanded its original facility to adapt to changes in the industry and market demand and continues to the present day. The alterations and expansion of the building is a testament to the Widmer’s commitment to preserving traditional cheesemaking and the time-honored craft and recipes that have been handed down from each generation.

Widmer’s Cheese

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