- Joined
- Aug 17, 2004
- Messages
- 465
What is left of Camillus Cutlery (machinery, knives, knife parts) is up for auction starting today. From the Syracuse Post-Standard:
FINAL CUT FOR CAMILLUS CUTLERY
Monday, September 17, 2007
By Matt Michael
Staff Writer
Starting today, the guts will be ripped from the old Camillus Cutlery.
And like a car wreck, some people will watch and others will turn away.
Everything in the cutlery from office furniture to second-hand knives to heavy machinery will be sold at an auction that starts at 10 a.m. today and runs through Wednesday at the 100,000-square-foot factory in downtown Camillus.
The knife-making plant closed Feb. 28, but for more than 100 years, it was the heart and soul of the village, with generations of residents working at the factory and living in homes built by the company.
There were only 35 people working at the cutlery when it closed, but in its heyday during World War II more than 700 employees filled three shifts to provide military knives for U.S. soldiers.
Many of the former workers still live in and around the village, and several of them are expected to show up at the auction for one last look or to bid on an item as a keepsake. But many of them will stay home, or won't try to sneak away from their current jobs, because they're in no mood for another goodbye.
Tom Williams and his mother, Angie Williams, are on both sides of the fence. Together, they worked at the cutlery for more than 80 years. Tom, who was the company's historian, said he will attend the auction. Angie, who retired in 2000 after 53 years, said she won't.
Tom Williams started working at the cutlery in 1973, and though he retired from the sales department in 2004, he was still doing part-time work at the plant when it shut down. He said there are some items, big and small, he wants to bid on for his personal use or for the Camillus Historical Society. (Williams is training to replace Ralph Sims as town historian.)
Williams said he has talked to many former employees who plan to attend the auction and bidding. He said some want to buy equipment so they can work on their knives at home, while others are looking for souvenirs.
"It's going to be a very sad day," Williams said. "I think it's one of those things where the company was around so long, you always expected it to be there."
Here is a link to the auction site:
http://www.bidspotter.com/forms/imagegallery.php?gallery=4630
FINAL CUT FOR CAMILLUS CUTLERY
Monday, September 17, 2007
By Matt Michael
Staff Writer
Starting today, the guts will be ripped from the old Camillus Cutlery.
And like a car wreck, some people will watch and others will turn away.
Everything in the cutlery from office furniture to second-hand knives to heavy machinery will be sold at an auction that starts at 10 a.m. today and runs through Wednesday at the 100,000-square-foot factory in downtown Camillus.
The knife-making plant closed Feb. 28, but for more than 100 years, it was the heart and soul of the village, with generations of residents working at the factory and living in homes built by the company.
There were only 35 people working at the cutlery when it closed, but in its heyday during World War II more than 700 employees filled three shifts to provide military knives for U.S. soldiers.
Many of the former workers still live in and around the village, and several of them are expected to show up at the auction for one last look or to bid on an item as a keepsake. But many of them will stay home, or won't try to sneak away from their current jobs, because they're in no mood for another goodbye.
Tom Williams and his mother, Angie Williams, are on both sides of the fence. Together, they worked at the cutlery for more than 80 years. Tom, who was the company's historian, said he will attend the auction. Angie, who retired in 2000 after 53 years, said she won't.
Tom Williams started working at the cutlery in 1973, and though he retired from the sales department in 2004, he was still doing part-time work at the plant when it shut down. He said there are some items, big and small, he wants to bid on for his personal use or for the Camillus Historical Society. (Williams is training to replace Ralph Sims as town historian.)
Williams said he has talked to many former employees who plan to attend the auction and bidding. He said some want to buy equipment so they can work on their knives at home, while others are looking for souvenirs.
"It's going to be a very sad day," Williams said. "I think it's one of those things where the company was around so long, you always expected it to be there."
Here is a link to the auction site:
http://www.bidspotter.com/forms/imagegallery.php?gallery=4630
