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6 Friday, April 19, 2024 brooklintowncrier.com By Jennifer Hudgins In the early 1800s, local homemakers maintained a cheese -mak ing tradition in their homes using milk purchased from local dairy farms, even though it was a time-consuming task. However, this all changed in 1896 when Marly Valleau bought and repurposed the two-storey brick store at 90 Baldwin Street, where he produced and sold cheese on a larger scale. So began Brooklin's cheese factory, The store was originally constructed by the prominent builder Stephen Mead Thomas in 1859 and thrived as a mercantile business until he sold the property to Robert Campbell Warren in the late 1870s. Warren assumed ownership and maintained its operations as a general store. In the fall of 1888, a fire on Baldwin Street destroyed an entire block of businesses and, although the general store sustained damage, the building was not ruined. After some necessary renovations, it was business as usual for Warren until he retired and sold the building to Valleau. Valleau's efforts to prepare the factory for its grand opening on May 1, 1896, were documented in the April publication of The Chronicle newspaper. Not enough milk Despite a promising start, the venture encountered a major obstacle and so, by June 26, insufficient milk supply forced the factory to halt cheese production. Operating costs outweighed revenue prompting Valleau to make the difficult decision to close the shop. Concerns about the decline of the Brooklin cheese industry were voiced by local women who had hoped for its revival. By October, it became evident this was no longer an option, leading Valleau to relocate his family to Toronto. Then, in 1901, after a dormant cheeseless period, cheese production in Brooklin experienced a resurgence, spearheaded by John Sprung, a cheesemaker from Oshawa. Injecting new life into the factory, Sprung implemented crucial machinery upgrades. The Ontario Reformer newspaper issue of May 17, 1901, expressed optimism for this revival, extending wishes for success to Sprung and his undertaking. By the end of the year, reports from the factory's annual general meeting showed promising early results, with 36,913 pounds of cheese produced from 397,197 pounds of milk. At this point Sprung encouraged his customers from all across Ontario County to promote the business in order to ensure its future success. Back to roots However, despite these efforts, homemakers' preferences gradually shifted back to making their own cheese using milk purchased from the newly established Pattersons Creamery located on Winchester Road. This shift contrasted with buying factory-produced cheese, leading to another decline in the cheese factory business. Finally, in 1909, the Whitby Gazette announced the conversion of the factory into an apple storage facility. By 1917, the building underwent further changes, serving first as a gas station and then a repair shop. In 1936, the last owner, Charles Jones, demolished the Baldwin Street building, bringing an end to Brooklin's cheese factory. The Brooklin Cheese Factory In front of the cheese factory. The Brooklin cheese factory. Brooklin, we need your help to clean-up our parks! The Brooklin Ashburn Myrtle (BAM) Lions Club is organizing the 21st annual Pitch-in Brooklin cleanup event the first Saturday after Earth Day, April 27, 9 - 11 am at all Brooklin parks (rain or shine), excluding Grass Park (being renovated). Please arrive at 9 am, to sign in, obtain gloves and trash bags. Thank you for your interest in helping clean up our parks as part of the Earth Day celebrations that week. Tim Hortons beverages and treats to be available for participants. If you are interested in being park captain or event sponsor, please contact Steve at BAMLions@gmail.com Pitch-In Brooklin Looms