Also available on the WWVHSC (
www.thewaldenhouse.org), is an excerpt from a book "Old Walden" by String Cooper. Below is the link to this:
http://www.thewaldenhouse.org/LHD 2012/Knife Industry.pdf
The quote below is from about the middle of page 4.
"During World War I government contracts kept the factory operating to full capacity. One of the major items produced were large knives for the Navy. After the armistice there was a sharp decline in the demand for pocket cutlery. E. C. Simmons Company, being in a precarious financial situation merged with the Winchester Arms Company who were as bad off with their large munitions factories standing empty, and started making knives in their Bridgeport, Connecticut factory. The Walden plant started down hill. They continued working in a small way until 1927 when they closed their doors for the last times."
Through searching old newspapers, I found the article below. It is from the Warwick Advertiser, dated July 27, 1922. I talks about a visit by President Otterson, of the Winchester Arms-Simmons Hardware Co., to the Walden Knife plant. At the end of the day he gathers the plant foreman and assures them that operations will continue as usual at the Walden plant.
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I also have two newspaper articles giving an exact closing date for the Walden Knife plant. One is from the Ithaca Journal, dated April 16, 1927 and the other is from the Walden Citizen Herald, dated April 14, 1927. Both state that the Walden Plant will shut down on April 30, 1927. The Ithaca Journal article also states that the
175 employees had been notified.
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There is the notice for the Public Auction of the Walden Knife Co. equipment available on
www.collectors-of-schrades-r-us.com as below:
http://www.collectors-of-schrades-r.us/Walden/Walden.pdf
The list of equipment up for auction is over 20 pages long. I have looked through it and don't see as much of some types of equipment (grinders, anvils etc) as I would expect, but, it is still quite an extensive list.
That is pretty much a summary of what I have to date. As I said, I am still hoping for more from the Walden village historian, and will post information as I get it.