Cuba through the eyes of time
A SMALL TOWN WITH A GREAT BIG HEART
Welcome to Cuba, a storied little village with a deep history and a big heart. We invite you to test your knowledge of Cuba’s history. Then join us for a delightful walk down memory lane.
What is the town of Cuba named after?
A. An island off the south coast of Florida
B. The Greek goddess Cuba, protector of the young
C. The Cuba Lake dam
D. A giant cube-a-cheese
What year was the Cuba block barn built?
A. In 1858, as the home for a Greek goddess
B. In 1909, to house the world-famous McKinney trotting horses
C. In 1995, to host the Budweiser Clydesdales
D. In 2005, to host the first Cuba Garlic Festival
Charles “Pa” Ingalls, a native of Cuba, was related to which two famous people:
A. Goldilocks
B. Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of Little House on the Prairie books
C. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
D. The Goddess of Cuba
What is the town of Cuba named after?
A. An island off the south coast of Florida
B. The Greek goddess Cuba, protector of the young
C. The Cuba Lake dam
D. A giant cube-a-cheese
What year was the Cuba block barn built?
A. In 1858, as the home for a Greek goddess
B. In 1909, to house the world-famous McKinney trotting horses
C. In 1995, to host the Budweiser Clydesdales
D. In 2005, to host the first Cuba Garlic Festival
Charles “Pa” Ingalls, a native of Cuba, was related to which two famous people:
A. Goldilocks
B. Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of Little House on the Prairie books
C. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
D. The Goddess of Cuba
Cuba’s Living Memorial is dedicated to all who fought: “Our veterans will never be forgotten.”
History of the Cuba Garlic Festival
The 2025 Garlic Queen and King, Jill Loree and Scott Wisler, welcomed 10,000 visitors to the 20th annual Cuba Garlic Festival.
The Cuba Garlic Festival was inspired by Cuba residents Jim and Laurie Buzzard, after attending a garlic festival held in Saugerties, NY. Upon returning home, they planted 10,000 garlic bulbs on the 100-acre grounds of Empire City Farms. Laurie spent the next five years researching how the same great climate, soil and water that makes such great cheese could also make wonderful garlic! And how the community could share this with others.
The Cuba Garlic Festival is the second largest event in Allegany County.
In 2025, the Cuba Chamber of Commerce and Empire City Farms are celebrating 20 years of hosting the Cuba Garlic Festival. It’s become an annual destination event for thousands. It’s also a favorite for our many vendors of all-things garlic who return year after year. It’s now the second largest event held in Allegany County.
Proceeds from this event go to help many people in our community.
Proceeds from this event go to help many people in our community.
- Four $1000 scholarships for graduates
- Two $1000 Student of the Year Awards
- Community projects
- Dairy Days activities, including car show prizes and entertainment
- Portion of Christmas decorations for Business and Historic Districts
- Matching grants for exterior improvements for local businesses
History of the “Block Barn”
In the late-1800s, William Simpson was an affluent business owner—he owned several pawn shops in New York City—who spent his leisure time in Western New York. Simpson loved trotting horses and developed a valuable breeding line called the McKinney line. It is said that the Shah of Persia and Czar Nicholas II sent mares to be bred at the McKinney Stables.
Simpson had farms in the New Hudson, NY area including two quarter-mile training tracks. But when lightning struck one of his barns, the great structure was leveled by a fire, killing several colts from the prized McKinney line. He vowed that such a fire would never happen again.
Simpson had farms in the New Hudson, NY area including two quarter-mile training tracks. But when lightning struck one of his barns, the great structure was leveled by a fire, killing several colts from the prized McKinney line. He vowed that such a fire would never happen again.
The “Block Barn” (as Cuba locals know it), is a massive, legendary concrete building.
In 1905, Simpson had purchased the Eldridge Farm on the south end of Cuba. So, the next year, Simpson broke ground there to build a fireproof building. Concrete was a relatively new building material at the time. And the inventor of a block-making machine wasn’t sure he could make enough blocks for a barn of this size, 50 by 347 feet.
It took three years to complete, with all the blocks being cast on-site. Concrete was poured for the foundation, floors, ceilings and arches. Terra cotta roof tiles were made locally in Alfred, NY. Wood was only used for doors, windows and stairs.
It took three years to complete, with all the blocks being cast on-site. Concrete was poured for the foundation, floors, ceilings and arches. Terra cotta roof tiles were made locally in Alfred, NY. Wood was only used for doors, windows and stairs.
This concrete barn was built in 1909 using innovative technology at the time.
In Barns of the Genesee Country, 1790-1915, author Daniel Fink says, “The structure originally contained forty stalls, a foaling room, oak paneled office, a grand, open staircase, and dining room. There was also a center aisle long enough to allow winter exercise of the trotters and wide enough to allow the horse and sulky to turn around.”
The “Block Barn”, as it is known locally, is privately owned by Bonnie Blair, who learned to ride horses there as a child. She has revived the original name, McKinney Stables of Empire City Farms, along with the original logo and dark green color on signs and windows. To preserve the heritage of this local treasure, Blair was successful in getting it designated a National Historic Landmark in 1999.
In 1996, McKinney Stables had the privilege of hosting the Budweiser Clydesdales for a memorable exhibition during Cuba Dairy Week. We invite you to join us for a ground-floor tour of the barn at the Cuba Garlic Festival, led by owner Bonnie Blair.
The “Block Barn”, as it is known locally, is privately owned by Bonnie Blair, who learned to ride horses there as a child. She has revived the original name, McKinney Stables of Empire City Farms, along with the original logo and dark green color on signs and windows. To preserve the heritage of this local treasure, Blair was successful in getting it designated a National Historic Landmark in 1999.
In 1996, McKinney Stables had the privilege of hosting the Budweiser Clydesdales for a memorable exhibition during Cuba Dairy Week. We invite you to join us for a ground-floor tour of the barn at the Cuba Garlic Festival, led by owner Bonnie Blair.
History of Cuba
The village of Cuba was established in the early 1800s. It was most likely named Cuba by the New York surveyor general at the time, Simeon DeWitt, who was an avid student of ancient Roman mythology. Today, you can visit the statue of the Greek goddess of Cuba—who is the protector of the young and the town’s namesake—in downtown Cuba. Also note the nearby street sign for Pa Ingalls Lane.
Our charming village is named after the Greek goddess Cuba, protector of the young.
Charles “Pa” Ingalls was the father of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the widely popular book series, Little House on the Prairie, published between 1932 and 1943. The stories spawned a TV series on NBC, 1974-83, with the same name. Charles Ingalls grew up on a farm in North Cuba, the third of 10 children. His family moved to the Midwest when he was young.
The great-grandmother of Laura Ingalls Wilder is buried in North Cuba Cemetery, near
Cuba Lake.
You can visit the gravesite of Charles’ grandmother, Margaret Delano Ingalls, 1775-1837. She is buried in the old North Cuba Cemetery on Smith Road, near the Cuba Lake dam. As her name reveals, she was a distant cousin of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Included on her gravestone are the names of a son, Aaron, his first wife, Olive, and their daughter Mary. This burial ground also holds the remains of Civil War and Revolutionary War soldiers. Some of the graves were moved to this location from what is now the center of Cuba Lake.
Cuba Lake was created in 1858 as a reservoir for the Genesee Valley Canal.
Cuba became a hub of commerce in the 1800s thanks to the ingenuity of New York’s canal system. Cuba Lake was built to feed the Genessee Valley Canal, which passed through the center of town. It connected the Allegany River to the Erie Canal at Rochester. As such, the canal connected the Southern Tier to the Great Lakes, New York City, and the world beyond. It also connected Cuba to the entire Midwest via the Allegany, Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri river systems.
At the base of Cuba dam’s wall near the North Cemetery, you can still see the old sluiceway for carrying water from the lake to the canal. Recent improvements to the Cuba Lake dam and spillway assure safe use and enjoyment for many years to come.
At the time it was created, in 1858, Cuba Lake was the largest man-made lake ever built. Some decades later, the water level was lowered to protect the earthen dam. The resulting ring of land around the lake now holds about 300 cabins and homes.
At the base of Cuba dam’s wall near the North Cemetery, you can still see the old sluiceway for carrying water from the lake to the canal. Recent improvements to the Cuba Lake dam and spillway assure safe use and enjoyment for many years to come.
At the time it was created, in 1858, Cuba Lake was the largest man-made lake ever built. Some decades later, the water level was lowered to protect the earthen dam. The resulting ring of land around the lake now holds about 300 cabins and homes.
History of Cuba Cheese
By the mid-1800s, the countryside of Cuba was dotted with small farms, each milking fewer than 30 cows. These farms supported numerous small independent cheese makers, typically located at a nearby cross-roads. Every day, farmers would carry their milk by horse and cart to the nearest cheese maker. They would return home with whey—a by-product of cheese making—to feed their pigs.
What makes the cheese from this area so special? Many believe it’s the limestone! The natural limestone in the soil here in Western New York gives a certain character to the water and grass, and therefore to the milk and cheese. We also believe it’s the secret for growing fantastic garlic!
What makes the cheese from this area so special? Many believe it’s the limestone! The natural limestone in the soil here in Western New York gives a certain character to the water and grass, and therefore to the milk and cheese. We also believe it’s the secret for growing fantastic garlic!
The village of Cuba features numerous murals that capture its pleasant spirit.
Starting in the late-1800s, businesses in the village of Cuba began to centralize their production, aging, storage and distribution of cheese. At first, aging was often done in cellars rented from local businesses. Later, they built specialized cheese-aging buildings. To keep the cheese cool, they cut ice blocks from Cuba Lake in February and packed them in saw dust. These would slowly melt over the summer, with chunks of ice sometimes remaining in October.
You can still see many of these original buildings in town today. Cuba could make, and efficiently export, so much cheese via the canal—and later by rail to New York City—that over time, a co-op system arose supporting the farmers and cheese makers. That’s how Cuba cheese producers became a “cheese exchange.” The co-op leaders met weekly to set wholesale prices throughout New York state and beyond, into much of the world.
You can still see many of these original buildings in town today. Cuba could make, and efficiently export, so much cheese via the canal—and later by rail to New York City—that over time, a co-op system arose supporting the farmers and cheese makers. That’s how Cuba cheese producers became a “cheese exchange.” The co-op leaders met weekly to set wholesale prices throughout New York state and beyond, into much of the world.
Cuba was a hub of commerce that had vital shipping access.
Around the time of World War II, a dutchman named Isadore van Zwanenberg came over from the Netherlands. He and his family escaped Nazi rule, first fleeing to Portugal and then to America. He purchased one of the biggest cheese companies in Cuba and continued growing it. Shortly after, the government required that 75% of all cheese making production go to support the war effort. Suppliers to the government also had to be able to deliver a certain volume of cheese year-round.
Because of seasonal swings in milk production, none of the individual competitors in Cuba could meet the threshold by themselves. This is why the largest firms merged and eventually became Cuba Cheese & Trading Company, Inc. Starting out, the company operated 22 cheese factories in the area. As transportation improved, these were centralized, more and more.
Because of seasonal swings in milk production, none of the individual competitors in Cuba could meet the threshold by themselves. This is why the largest firms merged and eventually became Cuba Cheese & Trading Company, Inc. Starting out, the company operated 22 cheese factories in the area. As transportation improved, these were centralized, more and more.
In the 1950s, every storefront on Cuba’s Main Street was busy.
And it wasn’t just cheese in Cuba. Back then, ACME Electric was a large employer in Cuba, manufacturing chargers for car batteries called “battery boosters”, sold through Sears. From the 1930s to ‘50s, every storefront on Cuba’s Main Street was busy. By 1950 there were two hotels, five grocers, four hardware stores, two shoe stores and five barber shops!
Our docent for the Nico van Zwanenberg Cuba Cheese Museum is his daughter.
In 1953, the son, Nico van Zwanenberg, took over the business from this father. In 2020, Nico passed away and the Cuba Cheese Museum, located in the ground floor of the Palmer Opera House, was renamed in his honor. Nico’s daughter, Michele Conklin, currently greets visitors to the museum, Monday through Saturday, 10am–3pm.
The Cuba Cheese Shoppe is central to Cuba, where cheese has been a principal product since the late 1800s.
The Cuba Cheese Shoppe, on Genesee Street, evolved from the co-op business office. All day long, people came and went from the business office. Near the entrance, Cuba Cheese had a cooler with blocks of cheese where employees as well as locals could buy a block for their family. Eventually it grew into a retail cheese business. Today, Cuba Cheese Shoppe draws thousands of visitors from far and near.
The Palmer Opera House
In 1867, Joseph Palmer built an opera house on Main Street in the heart of Cuba. The original structure was destroyed by fire. But Palmer soon rebuilt it to become “one of the largest and best opera houses and halls in Western New York.”
The fully renovated Palmer Opera House is a center of pride for the Cuba community.
The building was severely damaged in the winter of 2001 when one of its roof beams collapsed. Exposure to the elements over the next years further damaged the interior structure. In 2006, the community rallied to restore the opera house through millions of dollars in grants and donations of labor, materials and expertise. Today, this treasured landmark is again a center point for community entertainment and involvement.
Quiz answers: 1=B; 2=B; 3=B & C