Cheese Factory Museum/Sports Museum

Oxford County cheese has achieved international acclaim both in the past and present. Ingersoll had the distinction of being Oxford's cheese capital in the mid 1800's to early 1900's, producing and packaging a good deal of the County's renouned cheddar. It was near Ingersoll about 1840 that the first cheese factory in Canada was built. Further afield in Norwich the first Canadian co-operative cheese factory was erected by Harvey Farrington in 1864. The cheese making practice was introduced to Canada by English and Scottish immigrants. In early times, cheese was produced right in the farmhouse kitchen with the use of surplus milk. As cheese became more popular in Canada, it became necessary to move into, "cheese factories", of which this museum is a replica.