Page 30 - DairyOnThePrairie

28 Dairy on the Prairie in Amber, Anamosa, Langworthy, and two
in Scotch Grove. The latter include a circa
1893 Map of Creameries in Jones County, Iowa 1890s frame building as well as a later ma-
sonry building. In addition, the 1931 cheese
factory and the 1929 dairy barn associated
with the Iowa State Penitentiary are still
standing in Anamosa, with the cheese fac-
tory building recently restored into a muse-
um interpreting the prison's history. This
stone building was actually constructed in
1916 as a barn but was remodeled into a
cheese factory in 1931.103

In looking back, the significance of Jones
County's role in the dairy industry is best
summed up in the influence that two pio-
neer dairymen had on the industry. These
men, Henry D. Sherman and John Stewart,
led the way in the establishment and direc-
tion of the creamery industry in Jones Coun-
ty, which in turn, served as a model for
others to follow as the industry developed
statewide. They led not only in the early
creameries that they founded and their ag-
gressive marketing of Iowa butter to the
world, but also in their personal involve-
ment in the dairy associations that set stan-
dards for the industry as a whole. While
there are no standing creamery buildings di-
rectly associated with either Sherman or
Stewart, their influence is reflected in the
surviving dairy barns, creameries, and
cheese factories that represent the evolution
of this industry in the county and through-
out northeastern Iowa from the late nine-
teenth century to the present day.