As I said I am kind of tied up in a project so I just took some shots of stuff on the wall. Until 1903 NYK used a lithograph ( see pic from 1902 ad ) as the company picture. In 1903 when Bradley sold the business the new owners commissioned a genuine photograph. Now back then you just didn't snap a shot and have it enlarged. It was plate photography and there were very few really large photos. ( They did have a kind of moving plate camera for taking those elongated shots of companies of solders ect.) However large photographs were rare. So in order to take the NYK official factory picture a photographer ( probably from NYC since there were very few of these casket sized cameras around. ) was called and set up his camera on the far side of the KILL. ( local nickname for the Wallkill River and took the official NKY photograph.) This picture around 3 feet long and 18" wide was a real attraction for visitors to the factory in fact many people to photographs of the photograph since a picture that size was so rare. The photo was probably mailed to the factory when it was done because the frame is obviously home made and the backboards are pieces of crates in fact as you look at the pic you can see the brown lines and spots ( knothole) where 102 years have darkend those areas. The back was sealed around the back edge with NYK packing tape ( with the arm and hammer logo) . Most of the tape is still in tact the corner of the photo (in hand written white ink ) reads New York Knife Walden NY Oct 15 1903. The picture posted is the original, which hung in the factory and now hangs along with everything else on my wall. The group of small pics originally hung in the office of one of the executives of Schrade and is of all three factorys in Walden. NYK, Walden, Schrade. There is a pic of a post card of NYK. In fact a few years ago during July when the water was low we had a dig below this area and found some interesting items grinding stones webbing ( the part left when you punch out a blade from the steel ( like the dough left when you cut out cookies ). We used a metal detector. Also some original bricks which when I look at the pics I can see right where they came from ( since the ruins are still there. ). I also included a pic of a poster from a local hardware store which had a display of the knives made by all three companies in the window. ( How much would that be worth today?) The poster brags that it is over 1000 dollars worth of knives . ( That was then the one arm vets knive alone which you may be able to make out in the pic in original condition (like that)is 2 grand by itself ) Sorry I did not have time to dig out more junk I just took stuff laying around I hope you enjoy the pics. LT PS the Ulster building is there and aside from a few less trees ( thanks to a parking lot ) I suppose is still basicly the same. I know the window is still there that looks upon the rock in the bierkill ( the original name since the fast moving water looked brown certain times of the year and reminded the early setlers of bock beer ). where I used to fish as a kid a would wave to the workers as they watched me.
