The Tunnel That Became a Cheese Cave: Story and Facts

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The Tunnel That Became a Cheese Cave is a story from Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel, near Walhalla, Oconee County. True, with date differences between sources.

WhereStumphouse Mountain Tunnel, near WalhallaOconee County, Upstate
KindHistorynot a ranking
Sources3named, linked below
CheckedOct 262026

Collected 0 of 21All legends

A story with a documented core.

No. 2 of 21

The Tunnel That Became a Cheese Cave

The story is that a railroad tunnel dug into a mountain and then abandoned later became a place where Clemson aged its blue cheese.

What The Record Shows

True, with date differences between sources. The South Carolina Encyclopedia says the 1850s tunnel project cost the state $1 million, ten workers died, and funds ran out in 1859 with the tunnel about 1,000 feet short of completion. Clemson bought the tunnel in 1951. Clemson's own history page says curing in the tunnel ran 1953 to 1956 and cheese moved to campus in 1958, while the Encyclopedia says cheese making moved to Newman Hall in 1958. The tunnel closed after a rock slide in the mid-1990s and reopened as a public park in 2000.

Sources: South Carolina Encyclopedia – Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel; South Carolina Encyclopedia – Clemson Blue Cheese; Clemson University – History of Clemson Blue Cheese.

A note: Sources differ: Clemson says the 1940s experiment began in 1941, the Encyclopedia says 1940 and production resumed in 1953; say 'in the 1940s and 1950s'. The Encyclopedia also repeats a Cherokee-woman origin of the name 'Stump House'; skip it. Park's official page not read.

FAQ

Is the story of The Tunnel That Became a Cheese Cave true?

True, with date differences between sources.

Is this a legend?

It is a story with a documented core. The facts are listed on this page with their sources.

Where do these facts come from?

From the named sources listed on this page: South Carolina Encyclopedia – Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel; South Carolina Encyclopedia – Clemson Blue Cheese; Clemson University – History of Clemson Blue Cheese.

Sources

Read on October 26, 2026. Stories are for fun; the facts come from these sources. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? Tell us.

Cite this page: It's South Carolina, “The Tunnel That Became a Cheese Cave”, itssouthcarolina.com/things-to-do/south-carolina-legends/stumphouse-tunnel-blue-cheese/ (updated 2026-10-26). By the It's South Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.