All About Pocket Knives

I took this pic when I was in Walden NY. Not the best pic because of the sun. The lower Hudson Valley once had more than a few knife manufacturers but now we have nothing. Not even many antique stores that sell knives and never a knife show. At least there's the internet.

There's one at the site of the old Schrade factory too. Those were only put up recently, before that hardly anyone in town (not even the librarians!) knew there were knife factories there. Kind of sad since there are still signs there, I think the old gates that diverted water from the Wallkill River through the Walden knife company are still there, along with some of the old buildings behind Hannafords. NYK Co and Schrade are completely gone, no sign that they were ever there.

Eric

ea42 wrote:There's one at the site of the old Schrade factory too. Those were only put up recently, before that hardly anyone in town (not even the librarians!) knew there were knife factories there. Kind of sad since there are still signs there, I think the old gates that diverted water from the Wallkill River through the Walden knife company are still there, along with some of the old buildings behind Hannafords. NYK Co and Schrade are completely gone, no sign that they were ever there.

Eric

Hi Eric,
I believe that is the one at the factory site. I went shopping at Thruway Sports, saw the sign and took the pic.

There is also the statue of Thomas Bradley, owner of New York Knife Co in town. He worked hard for the tariff act of 1890 that made it harder for European cutlery companies to compete with the American companies.
Bdev, there is the gun and knife show a couple times a year at the fairgrounds in Middletown and there are several knife dealers who sell there regularly. Usually knives among the guns and eight or so knife only dealers. The best and nearest knife only show is the NCCA two day show in Mystic, CT, visit the Northeast Cutlery Collectors Association site for dates, it will be late April or early May.

Gunsil wrote:There is also the statue of Thomas Bradley, owner of New York Knife Co in town. He worked hard for the tariff act of 1890 that made it harder for European cutlery companies to compete with the American companies.
Bdev, there is the gun and knife show a couple times a year at the fairgrounds in Middletown and there are several knife dealers who sell there regularly. Usually knives among the guns and eight or so knife only dealers. The best and nearest knife only show is the NCCA two day show in Mystic, CT, visit the Northeast Cutlery Collectors Association site for dates, it will be late April or early May.

Hi Gunsil,

I've been to the Middletown show over the years more times than I can remember. Mostly when I was collecting guns, not so much now. I plan on going to the Lehigh Valley PA show on April 21st. It's about a two hour ride from my house.

I may set up at the Lehigh show but I have never really done well there. I used to do the Wind Gap show which is now defunct. I have tables for the Mystic show and it is a quality show. I don't know exactly where you are but I am near Nyack, and Mystic is a little less than two hours for me, about the same as the Lehigh show. Middletown has definitely gone down hill from years ago, but I got a REALLY sweet Binham's Best lock back English jack there last fall for short money. I has a great etch and very light use, and although I haven't found a really nice knife at Middletown for years this one made up for it.

I'm in Orange County near Stewart Airport. I was also at the fall 2017 Middletown show and picked up a nice Imperial wartime jack for cheap. A Case barbed wire doctor's knife caught my son's eye and he had to have it. Not cheap!
I usually go to the Middletown show to see friends from years back, who set up there.

Great History

From a May 1935, Newburgh, New York newspaper.