Monument to Jefferson's Mammoth Cheese - Cheshire, MA
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 42° 33.736 W 073° 09.469
18T E 651217 N 4713851
A concrete sculpture of a cheese press and a plaque honors John Leland and a 1255 pound Cheshire cheese is located in Cheshire MA.
Waymark Code: WMEV1B
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 07/08/2012
Views: 6
John Leland was born on May 14, 1754 in Grafton, MA. As Baptist preacher in Virginia and Massachusetts, he was a staunch abolitionist and advocate for religious freedom. A plaque listing his accomplishments is located on a sculpture of a cheese press on the corner of Church and School Streets in the center of Chester.
The cheese press commemorates a 1255 pound cheese that was produced in Cheshire and presented to the newly elected President Thomas Jefferson. A plaque on the front of the sculpture is inscribed:
1754 {IMAGE OF JOHN LELAND} 1841
ELDER JOHN LELAND
ELOQUENT PREACHER BELOVED PASTOR
INFLUENTIAL PATRIOT
FATHER OF RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
WITH JAMES MADISON CARRIED VIRGINIA
IN THE ADOPTION OF THE CONSTITUTION
OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE FIRST
AMENDMENT, DESPITE OPPOSITION OF EVERY
OTHER PULPIT IN MASSACHUSETTS
CARRIED EVERY VOTE IN CHESHIRE FOR THE
ELECTION OF
PRESIDENT THOMAS JEFFERSON
AND PRESENTED TO HIM ON JAN. 1, 1802 IN THE EAST ROOM
OF THE WHITE HOUSE IN THE PRESENCE OF FOREIGN
DIPLOMATS, SUPREME COURT JUDGES
AND THE CONGRESS
THE BIG CHESHIRE CHEESE
WEIGHING 1255 LBS.
DEDICATED BY
THE SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
1940