×

Hometown History: Storing Cheese Without A Refrigerator

The question of how to store perishable foodstuffs for as long as possible was one of central importance to people from centuries past. In the late 1800s, the idea of using buildings dedicated solely to food preservation began to gain traction. By 1900, many cities had cold storage buildings for the long-term storage of butter, eggs, cheese, produce and other farm products. Experimentation helped find the ideal temperatures for each of these various products, with many cold storage plants using ammonia to help lower temperatures.

In 1902, William F. Endress constructed a cold storage business in Jamestown using the ammonia technology. The Endress Company also included a coal and ice business. By utilizing these new refrigeration and freezing technologies, the ice portion of the business changed from harvesting ice from Lake Chautauqua to manufacturing ice using other means, including electricity.

Another such venture, the Jamestown Cold Storage Company, was started by Harry Wilson. Before coming to Jamestown in 1895, Wilson had lived in Chandlers Valley, where he had run a general store with a cold storage plant. He purchased the old gristmill on Taylor Street after moving to this area. The gristmill burned in 1897, and a cold storage plant was built there in its place. This building was then enlarged in 1902, and provided office space in addition to cold storage. His son-in-law, I. Leroy MacPherran, joined him in the business. The business grew as eventually others became involved, and, in 1928, Harry Wilson retired from the Jamestown Cold Storage Company.

As an extension of their business, cold storage plant owners would also became dealers in butter, eggs and cheese as they purchased surplus commodities from local farmers and held them. Once the supply lessened and the demand thus raised, the price the dealer could get for the product increased. Some cold storage plants also rented space to farmers so they could store their own product until the price went up. After a while, even families rented space to keep their surplus farm products through the winter for their own use. This was before household freezers or electric refrigerators became available. Endress even advertised cold storage space to store fur coats in the summer.

The Jamestown Cold Storage Company continued at 5 Taylor St. in Jamestown until 1972 when it moved to 20 Carroll St. In the 1978 and 1979 city directories, it is listed as a division of Arthur R. Gren Inc., but by 1980 the location of 20 Carroll St. is listed as vacant.

A recent donation to the Fenton History Center prompted this research. A wooden cheese box about 16 inches in diameter and 7 inches deep arrived at the Center. The top was stenciled or stamped “Jamestown Cold Stor[age], …Street, Jamestown, N.Y.” The street name is not readable. The age is probably from the mid to later years of the company. The top and bottom are constructed from about 1/2 inch thick wood with the sides made of veneer. According to a stamped label on the side it had contained white cheddar cheese. Researching this has made me glad it’s almost lunch time — I’m thinking of Mac and Cheese, or maybe a cheeseburger!

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today