Discussion about “Springfield’s cheese caves” began circling social media earlier this year, with rumors about just how much cheese is stored underneath the city.
Springfield’s “cheese caves” aren’t natural caves like Fantastic Caverns or Crystal Cave. Rather, the “caves” are part of a 3.2-million-square-foot warehouse under part of Springfield. Dairy products, including cheese, make up only a portion of the leasable space known as Springfield Underground.
The underground warehouse, which opened in 1946 as a limestone quarry, is home to 50 different companies, employs 600 workers and sees 600 trucks per day, Erlen Group President and CEO John Griesmer said. Erlen Group is a collective of industrial companies that includes Springfield Underground.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Springfield News-Leader