History – Secretary’s Records

Some extra-diligent house cleaning turned up Winfield Crowley’s hand-written secretary’s book tucked down behind a Factory partition. The front page records the call to the first meeting of the new factory on May 17, 1882. These records contain the factories Constitution, followed by the Bylaws and Rules. The Bylaws and Rules are also printed below.

Notice

All persons interested in a Cheese Factory, near Alfred Crowley’s, are respectfully requested to meet at the School House in District No. 7, on Wednesday evening May 17 at 7 o’clock P.M. for the purpose of agreeing on a set of rules to govern said Factory, and also to elect the necessary officers for the year ensuing.

A. W. Crowley

  • A. W. Crowley Secretary's Records - 1882

The following were the By Laws and Rules adopted at that first meeting:

Art. I

The Factory will open June 1 and close Sept. 30 (unless otherwise agreed upon) and no milk will be received from anyone commencing at any other time, except by special contract with Proprietor and Directors.

Art. 2

No patron shall bring milk to the factory from any diseased cow, or from any cow that has calved at least four days before said milk bringing.

Art. 3

All milk shall be delivered at the Factory by 8 o’clock A.M. and 9 o’clock P.M.

Art. 4

All milk to be strained into the cans in good order, free from all taints or bad smell, and perfectly sweet or it will not be received at the Factory.

Art. 5

Any and all patrons who choose to keep their night’s milk at home over night and bring it with the mornings milk can do so. Provided it shall be well aerated and brought in good condition.

Art. 6

When milk is started for the Factory it shall not be driven rapidly over the road but care used in transporting and protecting it in case of a storm.

Art. 7

All persons furnishing milk for the Factory shall use none but tin pails for milking purposes; cans and pails must be kept perfectly clean by scalding with boiling water every day.

Art. 8

Each person will be allowed to take two thirds as much whey as he brings milk, and no more. The whey to be drawn but once a day and that in the morning.

Art. 9

Mornings milk or milk kept at home over night shall not be diluted with water or any other substance or any cream taken from it or any milk dipped from a can standing over night, under penalty of forfeiting all the milk delivered by the patron found guilty of so doing, and expelling said patron from the Factory and giving public exposure and prosecution as the Proprietor and Directors of said Factory may elect.

Art. 10

The milk may be tested daily with the Lactometer, and if at any time it is found sufficiently wanting in richness or purity, or in any other respect is not perfect milk the patron furnishing the same will be notified by the Proprietor or Directors, who will have the power to expel said patron from the Factory or of prosecution.

Art. 11

The Proprietor and Directors of said Factory shall have power to enforce, if need be, any and all of the above rules or by laws whenever there is noncompliance on the part of any other furnishing to said Factory.

Art. 12

The salesman shall be required to keep a detailed account of all the sales of cheese, and place the same in the hands of the treasurer for the inspection of the patrons.