Today The Historians Podcast Includes the Story of James Kindon and a rough crossing of The Atlantic
Podcast is Six Minutes
Tuesday, April 23, 2019-From the Archives of Focus on History from the Daily Gazette-Luxuray in Fort Plain
"In Print"
Five More Focus on History Stories can be found on The Daily Gazette https://dailygazette.com/life/history
A textile mill on Willett Street in Fort Plain produced women's underwear, mainly panties, and was a major employer for most of the twentieth century.
The multi-storied factory, which still stands on Willett Street, was occupied in 1874 by the Shipman Spring and Axle Works, previously located in nearby Springfield and Van Hornsville.
Minden town historian Rob Carter wrote, In the course of a business combination, the factory was removed to Chicago Heights, Illinois, in 1894. The loss of this industry to Fort Plain was keenly felt.?
In about 1900, the Bailey brothers bought the Willett Street complex for their silk mill. That ran until 1931 when a company with the poetic sounding name of Luxuray bought the facility and embarked on an expansion.
When this work is finished, wrote the Otsego Farmer newspaper in 1933, Luxuray Inc. will be one of the most complete and modern underwear plants in the United States, with a force of employees totaling from 250 to 300.
The Gloversville Morning Herald that year reported Luxuray was implementing two shifts at its Fort Plain factory making rayon underwear.
The predominantly female Luxuray employees, most of them operating sewing machines, were regularly noticed in local newspapers for sporting events, employee parties and good deeds. In 1945 many of the women from Luxuray used their own funds to help pay for a bingo party for soldiers recovering from war wounds at a Utica hospital.
Some 250 employees and friends gathered for Luxuray's annual clambake and dance in 1948. There was also a softball game and tug-of-war.
Luxuray sold its own line of panties and also supplied lingerie to stores like Macy's and J.C. Penney's. Luxuray had a factory store in Fort Plain.
Luxuray had several corporate owners. In the 1950s it became part of the Beaunit Corporation. The Fort Plain plant was sold to a group of Mohawk Valley investors in 1974.
They may not know it, wrote reporter Charles Tobey in a feature story in the Courier Standard Enterprise in 1984, But right now, thousands of women are wearing panties made in Fort Plain.
Harry Reeder, manager of the plant in the 1970s and 1980s, told the newspaper the number of employees had shrunk from several hundred to about 70 people.
"We have people here who have worked 40 or more years in this factory," Reeder said.
Ladies' panties always have been the dominant product at Luxuray, although some other items have been manufactured from time to time, Reeder said, We make everything from a skimpy string bikini up to a size 68-inch hip."
Reeder added, We like to think of ourselves as a good place to work.
Rolls of cotton, nylon, acetate and other materials were trucked to Fort Plain, and Luxuray's cutting room staff was responsible for minimizing fabric waste.
From there, the material went to the sewing machine operators, women who comprised the majority of the employees.
Lightning apparently started a fire that damaged the roof of the Fort Plain factory in 1986. The company kept going.
Foreign competition led to Luxuray's demise. The company merged with Johnstown Knit in the closing years of the 20th century,
By 1999 underwear production ceased. People still work in the former Luxuray building, however.
In 2000 the factory on Willett Street was purchased by entrepreneur Robert Hancock who established Glimmerglass Swim Spas and Pools in the building, manufacturers of fiberglass swimming pools.
Hancock also rents to several tenants including Chris and Julie Tackacs who operate Fort Plain Antiques and Salvage. And the building houses a distillery, a high end machine shop and an office outfitting company.
Mohawk Valley Weather, Tuesday, April 23, 2019-Areas of fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 75.
April 23, 2019 in Mohawk Valley History
1900 Amsterdam Died: Mrs. Hannah Quant
1861 Albany Firemen engaging in military duty granted full pay during absence. Mohawk Valley Web
This Friday, April 26, 2019 Episode 263-Victoria Riskin, a psychologist and movie and TV producer, is the author of “Fay Wray and Robert Riskin: A Hollywood Memoir” about her parents.
The Friends of Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is set to welcome NYS Canal Corporation Section Supervisor David Lamphere on Tuesday, April 23, 2019. Lamphere will cover how Canal Corp regulates water levels by use of moveable dams, as well as other topics of hydrology and pertaining to operations of the over 100 year old Barge Canal. NYHB https://newyorkhistoryblog.org/2019/04/canal-presentation-at-schoharie-crossing/
Thanks to a donation from Rich Ratajak, the 2019 Historians Podcast fund drive now stands at $1,965, 49% of our $4,000 goal! Please make a donation this week as we close in on the halfway mark in the drive. www.gofundme.com/2019-the-historians If you would rather donate by mail, please make out a check to Bob Cudmore and send to 125 Horstman Drive, Scotia, N.Y. 12302
To invite Bob to speak to your organization, please email bobcudmore@yahoo.com
This Week on The Historians
Wednesday, April 24, 2019- From the Archives-Episode 58, April 26, David Fiske, Ballston Spa historian, on the chocolate factory in that village and the latest on Solomon Northrup, 12 years a slave.
Thursday, April 25, 2019-From the Archives of Focus on History from the Daily Gazette-Annie Trapnell, founder of Amsterdam’s Century Club
Episode 263
Victoria Riskin Photograph by David Welch
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0728308/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
Friday, April 26, 2019-Episode 263-Victoria Riskin, a psychologist and movie and TV producer, is the author of “Fay Wray and Robert Riskin: A Hollywood Memoir” about her parents.
The Jason Subik Show
Live Facebook Feed https://www.facebook.com/jason.subik
Monday, April 22, 2019
The Mid-Morning Show with Jason Subik on WCSS 1490 AM 106.9 FM. Phone #518-843-2500. Special thanks to City of Amsterdam Tourism, Marketing and Recreation Department Director Robert Spagnola who called in to give us the results of the winners of Amsterdam’s first inaugural WingFest: The Rockton House was voted best in the city. Listen to my Facebook live for the other category winners.
Monday thru Thursday at 9am Amsterdam Talk and Information on WCSS 106.9FM and 1490AM Posted as a Video Podcast on The Historians
The Annual Schoharie County Historical Society Spring Program Meeting has been set for Sunday, April 28, 2019 at 2 pm at the Old Stone Fort Museum, located at 145 Fort Road in Schoharie. The public is invited and encouraged to attend. NYHB https://newyorkhistoryblog.org/2019/04/schoharie-co-historical-spring-meeting-at-old-stone-fort/
An Amsterdam-based not-for-profit organization formed two years ago to foster and support the arts has planned a host of activities and events for this year. The Foothills Arts Council has announced programs stretching through October for poetry and spoken word, acting classes and theater production, and finding artistic inspiration through collage. A fundraiser dinner to help support the Foothills Arts Council’s operations and programs will be held Monday, May 20, 2019 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Parillo’s Armory Grill, 67 Bridge St., in Amsterdam by John Purcell RecorderNews https://www.recordernews.com/news/local-news/151530
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