Wellington in Lorain County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Cheese Industry in Wellington

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 20, 2021

1. The Cheese Industry in Wellington Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Wellington was the hub of the Nation’s cheese-processing industry in the last half of the 19th century. The rich pasture lands of southern Lorain County, enterprising farmers, selective cattle breeding and astute businessmen contributed to the success and prosperity of the “Cheese Empire.” The industry had an economic, social and political impact on all of northern Ohio.

As many as sixty cheese factories were managed from the Wellington area. The largest was the Horr-Warner Co. which shipped a record seven million pounds of cheese in 1878 to American and foreign markets. This building was the headquarters of the Horr-Warner Co. and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a part of Wellington’s Central Historic District.

Building restored: 1975
Plaque dedicated: 8-22-1976

Erected 1976.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1878.

Location. 41° 10.124′ N, 82° 13.124′ W. Marker is in Wellington, Ohio, in

Horr-Warner Cheese Company Building (<i>west elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 20, 2021

2. Horr-Warner Cheese Company Building (west elevation)

(marker is located between window and door)

Click or scan to see
this page online

Lorain County. Marker is at the intersection of West Herrick Avenue (Ohio Route 18) and Depot Street, on the right when traveling west on West Herrick Avenue. Marker is mounted at eye-level, directly on the southwest corner of the subject building, facing Depot Street (west). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 134 West Herrick Avenue, Wellington OH 44090, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Wellington, Ohio Established 1818 (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Archibald M. Willard (about 500 feet away); Herrick Memorial Library (about 500 feet away); Wells Building (about 500 feet away); Spirit of ’76 (about 500 feet away); Wellington Town Hall (about 600 feet away); First United Methodist Church (about 700 feet away); Vietnam Veterans Monument (about 800 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wellington.

Regarding The Cheese Industry in Wellington. Contributing property, Wellington Center Historic District, National Register of Historic Places #74001556.

Also see . . . Say Cheese! Wellington, Ohio Wins National Main Street Title.

Formerly known as the “Cheese Capital of the World,” Wellington has a proud history in the cheese trade dating back to the 1800s when the village was home to more than 40 cheesemaking or storing facilities and shipped cheese all over the world.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 20, 2021

3. Horr-Warner Cheese Company Building
(marker is visible just left of front corner entrance)
There are still recognizable signs of Wellington’s cheesemaking heyday at the west end of Herrick Avenue on the Horr-Warner Cheese Company building. The “CHEESE” sign on the building will be restored with the “America’s Main Streets” cash prize.

(Submitted on January 30, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2022. It was originally submitted on January 30, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 219 times since then and 70 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 30, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.