Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

[Chase]

Just got back from NY late last night and I made it a point to swing by the museum! Absolutely worth the visit, met up with LT (Rich Langston), Doc Cfat and Eric Albers. Had a fantastic visit with them, also learned a ton of information. I got to see a lot of items that I would not have been able to view, unless it was through photographs, so this was a great experience. I will make the museum one of my regular stops anytime I am within driving distance. This is a must see for all.

I also wanted to Thank LT publicly, as he was able to fill in some of my shortages of Schrade Shortline pages....Thank you so Much LT!

Folks, you all have to get out there for a visit...they have some extremely RARE items and a great display room that will make you drool....don't forget the bib/towel so that you don't get anything on the many displays.

This organization is in desperate need of support! Failure to assist in this endeavor may result in the loss of this fantastic gathering of artifacts!

I am a paid member myself and still did not pass up the donations jar when I left and I will continue to make donations as long as as often as I visit! Let's all help to keep this piece of Cutlery History alive in on public display!!!!!!

Tom

[lt632ret]

Thankyou for the nice words I also enjoyed the visit. We had a couple of custom makers come in that day as well as collectors and familys, with young new future collectors. the result was that there were some spirited discussions and it is always great when these folks get together and start showing and telling. It is a battle to get the word out to promote more of this interaction. It is an old story we will not miss our history until it is forgotten and gone. It seems that funding is easy if you are promoting some kind of liberal in vogue topic. Oh well we are still functioning and still viable and alive so it is better than the 15 years it took to get to this point. it is quite rewarding when you see people come in with an interest the young when they realize there heritage. The adults when they begin to understand but mainly the elderly who worked for these companies whos familys made this history for them it is there memorys and seeing them reliving there past often just handing them a knife and listening to the stories other wise lost. Our funding situation is kind of like the fellow who jumps out of a 20 story building around the 10th floor someone yells out to the guy falling. How is it going? the falling guy responds Not bad so far. One day at a time I guess that is really all any of us have. I hope some of you folks get to stop by because nothing lasts forever. If we had the backing we have the artifacts to have 4 times the amount of displays that we have now. Perhapes China will offer some space they could call the display the Rise and fall of the knife industry in the United States. In the mean time we look forward to seeing as many of you as we can. Just one typo I have to correct our presidents name is Craft it was a typo that had it as Cfat . I had to correct that since he is 83 and I do not like getting him angry especially since he is also my chiropractor. Again thanks for the nice words it was great seeing you again. LT

[Chase]

Sorry about the miss typing, I knew it was Craft.....just fat fingered it and didn't realize it!

Thank you again LT

Tom

[pcrcrepaira]

This knife has 3 pyramids engraved on it along with a horse running along a river. It is made of brass and mended together by silver and lead. Can anyone help?

[lt632ret]

I believe you may have posted in the wrong area. However with no picture, or tang mark, or further description I have no idea. Sorry ?????

[CheckSix]

orvet (Dale) pointed me to this thread in a phone conversation we had yesterday. Between last night and spare time today, I got through all 16 pages and all I can say is WOW!!!!! I would love to visit the museum. In lieu of that, I made a donation today. I want to send my thanks to all of the people that made this happen.

[lt632ret]

Thankyou very much for your interest and help. Frankly we are fighting a battle I fear we are destined to lose. There are only a few of us who are active. We have had no assistance from grants and through what we could raise have barely managed to survive these last 3 years. I am the vice president and curator I am 70 our President is 85. Of the handful of people who actually assist in the operation or are on the board the average age is close to 70. If you have read through the thread you know the effort it has taken to get this far. In fact it is amazing. The preservation of American history is not a priority in this day and age. The American people feel the latest electronic doo dad or game is much more important. In Ellenville there is a public library which also houses artifacts which every so often some of which are put on display very rarely. Usually these sit in the basement gathering dust. This organization is fully funded by the state Government. We have no lawyers, no lobbyists and are ill equipted to access these means of funding. We are presently seeking our permanent state charter. it is a labyrinth of beauacratic nonsense the state offers no help and we are under the same requirements as the Museum of natural history in NYC . They have doners , sponsers, govermental support , and millions. Yet we are required to have the same procedures as them. It is insane. With some of the procedures if we accept there plan and follow there criteria the will accept us, However there is a fee for that. Otherwise what ever is submitted is picked apart. It is a with most things to day a set up. If we were a chinese manufactorer with money we could do what ever we wanted. Frankly after decades of arguing with idiot laws, politicans who aside from having no idea of what we are trying to do are often corrupt. It took years to get the knife bill I wrote into law. I was once taken aside and told ( off the record ) why don't you speak to Sheldon Silver. You may have heard of him he is now doing time in jail, of course it took decades for that to happen and he was just the tiny tip of the iceberg. We are going to keep going as long as we can but frankly do not be surprised if one day when you hear of my passing that the obit dosen't say that I was cremated and my funeral pyre consisted of a giant pile of irreplacable antique knives and artifacts. At this stage of the game I feel that if no one else gives a damn about the heritage of there countrys history and the people responsible for it why the hell should I. In the mean time we will do the best we can. We have after 15 years of effort have been open 3 seasons ( Memorial day to Labor day ). We have had some help I especially want to thank the Taylor family who have owned Schrade for the last ten years ( they recently sold to S&W ). Even though there knives were made in China they always helped us keep this American history alive ). We have raffles and do what we can, we keep the museum at 57 degrees in the winter and so far are still planning to open again this year. Assuming we still have our building and overcome all the other problems. Other than that it is all a crap shoot.

OK so all that being said I guess you are sorry you wrote. However I wanted to impress that any donation or compliments of our efforts is received with heart felt appreciation. Should you ever make it to us please introduce yourself and I will personally take you through a tour. THANKS AGAIN FOR YOU INTEREST AND HELP. LT

[CheckSix]

Hi Rich,
Thanks for responding! In big round, rough numbers... what does it take on average to operate the museum per year? $10K - $20K for operating expenses?? More? Less? I'm just taking a wild guess. Have you ever heard of GoFundMe??? I think we could mount a campaign to raise money on an ongoing basis. The secret is getting the message out and getting donor numbers up high enough with people willing to spend $20, $50 or $100 per year to keep it up and running.

The age thing is a different problem. That needs to be addressed by getting middle-aged cutlery loving folks involved, that are 100% invested in the concept of museum continuity, curation and history preservation. That needs to be cultivated by the current Board as a solid succession plan.

Apologies! if I've stuck my nose in too far!

By the way, I've successfully hooked my 29 yr old son into being a knife lover. He's an example of the future of the hobby and what little I've learned so far, I am passing on to him, so he appreciates how all of this happened and why its important.

[lt632ret]

We have a base but it is tough to get continuing members year after year to contribute. Obviously we work on getting younger folks involved. Truthfully each year is a little better but it is touch and go. We have scout troops in and really do a lot ( with no money ). We have a knife store which I run at zero profit for me . I supply the knives ( all vintage and antique ) I never know what I can replace anything with because I never know what i will be able to find. I generally lose on each sale ( of my cost ) sometimes i break even that is a good sale. Hopefully this year a custom makers display on consignment. We have gotten pretty creative. I know nothing about the funding mechanism you mentioned. As far as cost you are not far off I would prefer not to give figures here. Any interest or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks again LT

[CheckSix]

Thanks Rich! You can count on me being a consistent donor. I believe firmly in the importance of this project. For the cost of one, half way decent knife ($50 - $100), I think the benefit of helping the museum, FAR outweighs the loss of the purchase of one knife per year for me. I would much rather see the museum survive.

You should look into GoFundMe... https://www.gofundme.com/tour Once you get your head around it and how it works, then a campaign needs to be created and executed.

[lt632ret]

Thankyou I guess i am just getting tired. LT

[TheMadHungarian]

Rich old friend, it's great to see what you've been up to since we last spoke on the other site many moons ago. The museum looks great, you've been busy and it shows. Next time I'm up in your neck of the woods I'll definitely stop in and visit. In the meantime I found my way back here after a 10 year hiatus and look forward to talkin' knives like the old days.

[lr64knives]

All I can say is WOW!! My try to join you soon dont have a printer but should be able to fill our info. on paper..
Take a look at my site... My Historical Knives

[lt632ret]

I have enjoyed your store for years and have bought from you . Highest regards LT

[tongueriver]

Abstract of the core info of the latest newsletter, received today.

[camp9mm]

An interesting book, features some great photography. In many ways, the book could be about any rust belt city who had all their eggs in one industrial basket when the toughest of times hit.
http://www.koxvold.com/knives

[KAW]

Haven't heard anything about the 2018 season on their Facebook or web page....
hope all is well there... ???

[Chase]

I just visited the Museum again this past week. Unfortunately I only had a couple of hours to spend there though. I was impressed by Eric's Canal Street display ass well as Mr. Herman Williams's Custom Knife Display.

I have offered up some of my Unique Schrade and Canal Street knives for the Museum to display. Once Doc Craft irons things out with the available space, some of my more Rare Knives may be going on Vacation to the Museum for a spell. What's most important is that we get knives that folks rarely get the opportunity to see up close and personal, into the Museum for all to see.

Tom

[KAW]

Please keep me apprised as to when your collection will be on display. I look forward to taking a trip to view them as well as seeing Eric's Canal Street and Herman Williams' custom knives collections. Thanks for the heads up.

[Mountain Man Knives]

What a an AWESOME THREAD this is......Filled with so Much.......I will have to come back again and again.......Lots a COOL PHOTO'S and HISTORICAL INFORMATION HERE ~

[Gunsil]

I just visited the Warwasing museum for the second time last Sunday. Some of you may or not know that Rich Langston is no longer a part of the museum and has taken everything from his collection out of the museum. Others have stepped up and added to the museum's knife displays and there are now more knives there than previously with a Randall collection and others in the front room. The guys have done a fantastic job rearranging the main room and improving the visibility of all the displays. I am only a little over an hour away so I will likely go again this summer, maybe with Barry (1fartsmella).

[KAW]

Yesterday, I visited the museum for the first time this season... did a great job with the revamped displays... and a guide walks around with you to tell the history of American knife making as you go from one showcase to the next. Ended up visiting for much longer than expected!

Even picked up a couple of additions to my collection from their knife store...

[dmgibs1]

This is amazing, I want to see it with my own eyes. Thank you, Donna

[Rossr]

Does anyone know if the museum is open or if it will be open at some point this summer?

Thanks

Ross

[Mumbleypeg]

Does anyone know if the museum is open or if it will be open at some point this summer?

Thanks

Ross

Maybe someone here knows but if not there’s a telephone number for info on the museum web site http://theknifemuseum.com/

Ken