Antoinette the Cow

Antoinette, originally referred to only as "The Cow," stands at the intersection of S Milwaukee and W. Mill street. Erected in 1977, Antoinette represents the importance of the dairy industry in Plymouth. In 1992 Antoinette was refurbished with the help of Milwaukee artist Ernst-Albrecht Gramatzki. It was also in this year that Antoinette was officially named.

Located at the intersection of W. Mill Street and S. Milwaukee Street is a larger than life statue of a cow named “Antoinette.” Originally known as simply “The Cow,” this fiberglass statue was erected in 1977 during Plymouth’s centennial celebration as a way to pay homage to the important cheese industry that has shaped the city.

Over the years, “The Cow” weathered many storms including vandalism until 1992 when it made statewide and even national news that things had gotten “udderly ridiculous.” A community effort arose to raise money to refurbish the statue. In June of 1992, the cow received some plastic surgery to restore this bovine beauty to her glory. Volunteers stepped in to help with the spa treatment, including Milwaukee artist Ernst-Albrecht Gramatzki, (1937 - 2005) who specialized in museum taxidermy. While working for the Chicago Field Museum for many years, Gramatzki saw a TV report and stepped up to offer his services to repaint and giver her new life.

That same month, the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce announced a competition to name the famous landmark. Within a month, the Cow Committee had received over 250 name suggestions from every age. Some names submitted to the “Name the Cow'' contest included Bessie, Bertah, Bitsy, Bovine Betty, Millie, Moo-Moo Moozrella, Moreen Milkicious, Daisy Mae, Daisy Belle, Dairi Ann, Chedarella and Wiscowsin.

 On July 18, 1992, the cow was rededicated after her full spa treatment, and the winning name was announced. The cow that weighs 1,000 pounds and stands 13 feet tall (20 feet with her pedestal) and boasts a 12 foot waistline, would now and forever more be known as “Antoinette.” Lois Hodge, age 61, of Plymouth submitted the name in honor of Jack Anton, who had organized the original campaign to build the cow statue.

Antoinette is a Holstein, the premiere dairy cow, first imported from Holland in 1870. Cows were and still are very important to Plymouth because of their contributions to the cheese industry. The National Cheese Exchange was established in Plymouth in 1918, which quickly cemented the city as the Cheese Capital of the World. Wisconsin cheesemakers produce approximately 27% of the nation’s cheese, with an estimated 15% of that being processed and sold from facilities based right here in Plymouth. There are over 300,000 square feet of cold storage for cheese in the city. In fact, if Plymouth was a country, it would be the 4th largest cheese producing country in the world! Over 200 cheese factories have operated in Sheboygan County over the years, and Plymouth is still home to four of the largest cheese producers in the country - Sartori Cheese, Sargento Cheese, Master’s Gallery Foods, and Great Lakes Cheese.

Believe it or not, Wisconsin was not always known as the Dairy State. The state of New York was considered to have the best cheese that was trusted across the nation, while Wisconsin was considered “foreign.” Early Wisconsin cheesemakers learned the finer points from New York and brought the tips of the trade back with them. Cheese production quickly ramped up in Wisconsin and by 1871, so much cheese was being made, it needed to be exported to, ironically enough, New York, other states, and even countries. Wisconsin surpassed New York in cheese production in 1910 when it produced 148 million pounds of cheese.

Today, cheese is still king in Wisconsin. Cheese manufacturing uses 90% of the state’s total milk production to make over 500 different styles, varieties, and types of cheese each year. In 2017, 3.37 billion pounds of cheese came out of Wisconsin! 

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