History threads — Shirt cutting record

This is the latest in an occasional series of posts about the history of the garment industry in Warren, Washington, Saratoga and Essex counties.

A new record for Glens Falls garment factories was set on Oct. 1–2, 1883.

“Two shirt cutters in J. L. Libby & Company’s factory cut 10,000 yards of cloth in nineteen hours on Monday and Tuesday,” The Morning Star of Glens Falls reported on Oct. 3, 1883.

That averages out to about 526 yards per hour.

In other historic garment factory news:

Moving up the career ladder

S. G. Boyd left Glens Falls to become superintendent of W. H. Baldwin’s custom shirt and glove factory in Chicago, The Morning Star reported on Oct. 1, 1883.

On Feb. 2, 1884, The Morning Star reported that Boyd was superintendent of a shirt and collar factory in Buffalo.

Location, location, location

In 19th century real estate, as today, it was all about location, location, location.

The Morning Star on Oct. 3, 1883 suggested fortune teller White Swan had selected an opportune location to set up shop at 5 Park Street — next to the shirt factory.

“Every collar shop girl in the town will soon have her fortune revealed by this wonderful seer.”

Click here to read the most recent previous post in the series.