Leather

Focus on Mohawk Valley History
Pictures of Gloversville
By Bob Cudmore
Monday, March 3, 2008

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Do you remember Mr. Ligion, the elevator operator at the former Argersinger’s department store in Gloversville? His picture and many others will be on display during a series of five programs to be held at First Congregational Church, 31-33 East Fulton Street in Gloversville as 2008 advances from winter into spring.

The photos and sketches are from the 1600 item collection of Gloversville resident Cindy Morey. The very active Fulton County Historical Society has organized the series.

Society president Joan Loveday said the first program is Thursday, March 13 at 7 p.m. entitled The Early Years, 1773-1902. Loveday said the oldest sketch dates from 1773.
The second program is called Gloversville Grows, 1903-1919 and will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 27.

The next program is at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 10 and is titled Cultural Revolution, 1920-1949. The photos depict theaters, fraternal organizations, sports teams and other shots from that community-minded era in Gloversville history.
Decline of the Leather Industry and Urban Renewal is the title of the presentation at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 17. Loveday said it is sad to see the pictures from that time.

Recent Times is the name of the exhibition for 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 22 and that is the program where elevator operator Ligion will be shown. There are other individuals still well-remembered included in the photos for that night, such as weatherman Jim Chambers who used to deliver his forecasts with unusual pronunciations (such as “the weather for Gloversville and vie-cinity”) over radio station WENT.

There is no charge to attend the programs and refreshments will be served. Cindy Morey’s photos and sketches will be displayed using a computer and projection screen.
I’ll bet there will be a good turnout!

The Glovers of Fulton County is a research and documentation project that examines the glove industry of Fulton County, New York. Fulton County was long a center of world glove production. During the late 1800s and early decades of this century the county produced more than 90% of all fine leather gloves manufactured in the United States. Documents noted below are a sample of what will ultimately be a comprehensive multimedia exploration of this important Mohawk Valley industry, examining its evolution from the 1700s through the late 20th century. The final installation will contain over a thousand images and thousands of pages of text documents (letters, reports, wage and census data, newspaper accounts, photographs, miscellaneous archival sources, government documents, business records, and oral histories—interview transcripts, along with audio and video excerpts). The Glovers of Fulton County is the first of the University at Albany Department of History History and Media Initiatives and is directed by Professor Gerald Zahavi and doctoral student Susan McCormick. Follow the links below to preview materials that illustrate some of the resources that are a part of The Glovers of Fulton County Project.