SHELBURNE FALLS — About 200 people spent Sunday afternoon celebrating the legacy and the workers at the Lamson & Goodnow Co.’s former headquarters.
The historical societies in Buckland and Shelburne planned the event, where they hosted tours, displayed old wares from the company and heard from former employees from one of America’s oldest cutleries.
The event was held in a restored building within the Lamson & Goodnow complex — in what is now called “The Mill at Shelburne Falls” — on Conway Road.
Former employees and their families were on a panel, where they talked about their experiences working at Lamson & Goodnow.
State Sen. Adam Hinds and state Rep. Stephen Kulik awarded citations to the workers and their families, recognizing the contributions of the workers to the economic and social fabric of the community over 178 years.
Elaine Parmett, curator of the Shelburne Historical Society, said she was approached by Michael McCusker of the Buckland Historical Society about the possibility of the event, and both groups were interested and began working together.
Parmett said the event was a success and the amount of people who attended show how important the company was to the community. She said the event helped offer closure to those connected to the company.
“It ended abruptly in this town, but we still wanted to honor the legacy of the workers for many, many generations,” she said. “It was just a chance to say, ‘thank you.’”
McCusker told the crowd that the town is grateful to those who have stepped up to preserve the buildings since the factory closed.
“The people who worked here and their families took care of this place so well that we have these buildings,” McCusker said.
The cutlery began on the Shelburne-side of Shelburne Falls, off Deerfield Avenue, in 1837. It was started by Silas Lamson, the inventor of the curved scythe snath — an innovation that allowed a worker cutting grass, grain or other tall crops to stand fully erect, making it easier on the back. In 1837, his two sons and Abel Goodnow were interested in making knives, which is the origin of the Lamson & Goodnow name.
The company grew steadily, adding new buildings in Shelburne Falls. Experienced cutlery workers were recruited from both Sheffield, England and Solingen, Germany. Descendants of these European workers were still employed by the company in 2009.
In 1851, the company moved to more spacious grounds, on the Buckland side of the Deerfield River, and by 1852, it employed 200 people, according to the Shelburne town history. The Lamson & Goodnow website says the company employed at least 500 workers during the Civil War and added tableware to its line of agricultural cutlery.
In 2014, Lamson & Goodnow filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from creditors, while the company reorganized and formed a new business management plan. In 2015, the company sold most of its Shelburne Falls 19th-century complex and moved its factory operations to Westfield.
Today, Lamson & Goodnow still operates a retail store and one other building on part of its old land. The site has been recently added to the village’s “cultural district” designation.
Reach Miranda Davis
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