GALWAY — Waterwheel Village, a country store specializing in aged cheddar cheese, is celebrating its 100th anniversary.
Part of the current store was first built in 1839 as a foundry to make horse-drawn plows, said Waterwheels manager Laurie Crump. Mr. Crump worked at the store for more than 40 years and became its unofficial historian.
Members of the Fonda family (for whom Fonda Village is named) began aging cheddar cheese here a century ago. “And we’ve been doing it the same way ever since,” Crump said.
In 1923 the property became a store. The Fonda family owned it until 1971. After a series of short-term acquisitions, the Marvin family purchased Waterwheel and have owned it for the past 51 years.
The shop sells craft sodas, beer, candy, baked goods, and more. But the most popular is aged cheddar cheese. “We actually have people who come in once a week and buy a pound of macaroni to make their own homemade macaroni and cheese,” Crump said. “it’s delicious.”
Waterwheel is located at 2259 Route 29 in Galway. The store is currently accepting phone orders and plans to start selling online soon. For more information, visit waterwheelvillage.com.