So after we visited CSC, we had some time to kill before visiting the museum. We grabbed a quick lunch, and reviewed our excellent morning. After recharging our batteries, we still had a few minutes left, so drove by the old Imperial Schrade factory. It was so sad to see such a great cutlery icon in ruins, no more than a ghost town now.
I wanted to swipe this sign, it was on a little out-building.
So after being bummed out there, we headed over to the museum, which is housed in an old school house. It is officially known as the Wawarsing Historical Society & Knife Museum. The museum was started by a committee of knife lovers, who have worked tirelessly to make this happen. A couple of the notable names are Rich Langston and Dr. Richard Craft. Eric is also on the board!. Dr. Craft is a local Chiropractor who has a true love for cutlery. Rich Langston, for the who don't know, is a larger-than-life character, whose true passion for the cutlery industry is evident when you speak to him. He has worked for Schrade in the past, and is an avid collector of pretty much anything knife related that he can get his hands on. He is a switchblade collector, and even wrote a book on the subject. Rich worked for so many years, lobbying the legislature in New York State, to change the laws regarding switchblades. Due to his tireless work, he was able to get the laws changed so people are able to transport and display switchblades. Without his work, the museum would not have been a reality most likely.
The museum currently sits in a large room in the building. There are currently plans to expand, but these types of plans take money and time. Despite the size of the museum, it is packed with display cases, overing 175 years of cutlery history in the Hudson Valley. This area is so important to the story of knife manufacturers in the USA, as many of the firms in business in the Hudson Valley were start-ups from European cutlers that came to realize the American dream.
I apologize in advance for the quality of the pictures. All the items are in display cases, so it was hard to get good shots without glare on the glass. This is just brief overview, you have to see everything in person and up close to truly appreciate the scale of everything.
**Edited to add...I'd also like to mention that these pics were taken 9 years ago. I have no idea what the layout of the museum is now, from what I understand, there have been many changes and improvements. It's rare to have so much knife history in one place. I urge you to visit if you have the chance!**
I did not know that Schrade actually made cutlery in Providence, RI in the beginning.
This picture shows many of Schrade's scrimshaw designs. Rich was fortunate enough to be able to procure the design stamps for many of the scrims during the 2004 auction. The stamps are shown next to the knives.
You will see that the museum houses many displays of Imperial Schrade, most of these belong to Rich. I think he must have one of the best and most complete Schrade collections out there.
A nice display of Clasp knives
