Clemson University’s famous cheese got its start in Stumphouse Tunnel.
Clemson University has a lot to offer—a quaint college town, a strong football scene—but perhaps its most overlooked endeavor is the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Science’s blue cheese. The college has been making blue cheese since 1941, originally cured in the unfinished railroad Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel in Oconee County.
After a few roadblocks, including World War II and a dispute over ownership of the tunnel, the university successfully purchased Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel in 1951 and was able to continue making blue mold cheese. The popular cheese was cured in Stumphouse from 1953 to 1956 until Clemson was able to recreate the environmental conditions of the tunnel and began manufacturing the cheese on campus at the Agricultural Center.
Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel is now a landmark site and Clemson University is still making more than 25,000 pounds of its sought-after Clemson Blue Cheese each year. Order artisanal wedges, wheels, or crumbles, or jars of cheese-packed dressing, online at clemsonbluecheese.com or get it in person at one of the three retail locations in the Hendrix Student Center on Clemson’s campus.
Hendrix Student Center, 720 McMillan Rd., Clemson, SC, clemson.edu
