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Barns
Dairy Barn
Since the 1850's, Norwich and the surrounding area has been
well-known for our involvement in the dairy industry, namely that of cheese
production. In those days every small community had a cheese factory, including
Norwich with three factories, Burgessville, Holbrook, and Otterville. As a
matter of fact, in the 1851 census, it was noted that cheese production in
Norwich stood at 112,543 lbs. of cheese per year. By 1864, Oxford County was
producing half a million lbs. of cheese a year which was about three times the
production of any other country at that time. While the dairy industry has
changed significantly since the 1850's, it still continues to play an important
role in our community.
Agricultural Barn
Norwich's involvement in the agricultural industry began with the
arrival of the early pioneers in 1810. In the beginning, farming was difficult
and involved plowing around a maze of stumps, the remnants of a newly felled
forest. Some of the early crops grown included wheat, corn, oats, peas, and
barley. In addition to milch cows, sheep, hogs and horses were also raised.
Apples became a popular staple of the Norwich agricultural industry, and in fact
Allen's apple juice was once located here. The agricultural industry continues
to thrive in this area with many of the crops first planted in Norwich still
being produced today, such as corn and wheat.
Last Updated: 08 Mar 2011
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