Oldest American Cutlery Co.

[edge213]

What is the oldest American cutlery company still manufacturing knives in the U.S.? Can't count Schrade, Camillus or any company owned by Americans but knives being produced overseas. Case claims 1889, that was the oldest I could think of without researching.

[carrmillus]

....Camillus started in 1876!!!......... ............

[knife7knut]

Probably either Dexter-Harrington or Lamson & Goodnow.
EDIT: Both companies are still in business:Dexter-Russell(new name) started in 1818 and Lamson & Goodnow in 1837.

[RobesonsRme.com]

How could "Camillus" have started in 1876 when they didn't buy their initial plant until about 1900? Prior to that, it was Kastor Brothers.

Robeson dates from 1876, but was an importer/jobber and didn't become a manufacturer until after 1891, about 1894, I think.

Charlie Noyes

[RobesonsRme.com]

Without looking up their histories, I'd say Case or Utica would be the oldest continuously producing pocketknife maker.

Lamson & Goodnow and Dexter - Harrington do not make pocketknives.

However, the OP simply stated "cutlery company still manufacturing knives in the U. S.", so I guess those two qualify.

Charlie Noyes

[carrmillus]

How could "Camillus" have started in 1876 when they didn't buy their initial plant until about 1900? Prior to that, it was Kastor Brothers.

Robeson dates from 1876, but was an importer/jobber and didn't become a manufacturer until after 1891, about 1894, I think.

Charlie Noyes

...their 100th anniv. stockman came out in 1976, and the catalog I hve says "since 1876"????....... ........

[RobesonsRme.com]

According to Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camillus_Cutlery_Company

Adolph Kastor founded Adolph Kastor and Bros in 1876 as an importer of German made cutlery.

He continued to import cutlery until the Dingley Tariffs of 1891 made it too expensive.

He bought the Sherwood Cutlery building in Camillus, New York, in 1902. He did not start to manufacture knives until then.

Kastor was a brilliant business man. He came to America at age fourteen, in 1870 and by 1876 and age twenty or twenty-one, was founding his own company, one that continued in very successful business until 2007.

Charlie Noyes

[carrmillus]

...thanks for that info, Charlie, I stand corrected!!............. .............

[RobesonsRme.com]

Not correcting, just informing.

I didn't know Camillus' history, other than it didn't exist by that name until after Kastor bought the Sherwood plant, recently vacated by Robeson.

Charlie

[knife7knut]

Lamson & Goodnow and Dexter - Harrington do not make pocketknives.

However, the OP simply stated "cutlery company still manufacturing knives in the U. S.", so I guess those two qualify.

Charlie Noyes

Actually Lamson & Goodnow did make folding knife/fork/spoon combinations prior to the Civil War. Their pocket knives of a later time were contract knives by Waterville and possibly Gardner.
If you take into consideration that Dexter-Russell(their latest name)was partnered with the John Russell company then I guess you could say they made pocket knives as well. A technicality to be sure.

[RobesonsRme.com]

Understood, but I wrote that they "do not" make pocketknives, which they don't. I did not mean to infer that neither of them had never made a pocketknife.

Maybe my syntax was lacking.

Charlie Noyes

[knife7knut]

Understood, but I wrote that they "do not" make pocketknives, which they don't. I did not mean to infer that neither of them had never made a pocketknife.

Maybe my syntax was lacking.

Charlie Noyes

Not your problem Charlie;likely mine. My comprehension(or incomprehension as the case may be)seems to be sorely lacking of late. As a friend of mine used to say:"My tongue got in the way of my eye teeth and I can't see a thing I'm saying!"