The Zombie Next Door

(web image)

     The Victory Mill went up in smoke on May 31, 2025. It was an 100+ year old former cotton and paper mill that fell victim to arson  by a couple of teenagers. It wasn't the first and probably won't be the last such structure to suffer this fate. John D'Alessandro, secretary of The Firefighters Association of the State of New York was quoted as saying, "We have a lot of those old vacant structures. This is going to be a problem fire departments are going to have to contend with for the near future." 

Screen shot from video walk thru of Stevens and Thompson plant in Middle Falls

posted on Youtube

     He makes a valid point. We build to meet a need and hopefully make a profit. But what happens when what we build is no longer needed? Abandoned and derelict structures are all too common in our area. Bio Tech, Skybel and Stevens and Thompson, all on the Battenkill River, come to mind. Then there is the Thompson Mill in Valley Falls. An effort to raze that building and create a park on the Hoosic River is projected to cost four million dollars. Dealing with asbestos is expensive. Almost all of these former mills are considered 'brown fields' with various toxic chemicals polluting the sites. The EPA, at taxpayer expense, did some clean-up at both Bio Tech and Skybel. Given the current administration's priorities it's hard to know if there will even be an EPA in the future.

Thompson Mill in Valley Falls

(web image)

     Waterpower was highly valued by early settlers. They built small dams and lumber and grist mills at many sites in Washington County. Historians have documented these places and you can sometimes still find traces of former activity. The Rexleigh Marble Mill is a familiar example. 

Rexleigh Mill

(Battenkill Conservancy photo)

     As agriculture developed, barns and silos were constructed. Evolving economics have made many of these obsolete and left them in various states of decay. For some this has resulted in second careers as subjects for area artists! ASA's Landscapes for Landsakes showcases these old farm buildings not as eyesores but as part of the charm of rural Washington County. 

Harry Orlyk painting

This prolific Salem artist has many more landscapes for sale on his website 

     Unfortunately, the paper mills that developed in the late 1800's and early 1900's lack the 'scenic' factor and are more likely to be contaminated with chemical residues.  Most are located near rivers and streams which causes additional concern. Time and technology have left these buildings behind. After years of failing to find an adaptive reuse for the Victory Mills plant it was slated to be demolished even before the fire hastened its demise. 

     Occasionally there are better endings, as a family story reveals. For years my grandfather managed a textile factory on Elm Street in Glens Falls. When the company that owned it looked south for labor savings Grandpa Butler went to North Carolina to oversee construction and manage the new factory staffed by low payed black women. Unjustly, they were the cheapest labor available. Eventually, even that plant closed and all production moved overseas where wages were lower yet. The good news is that the Glens Falls building where he had worked for many years was refurbished as upscale condominiums and continues in that function to the present day. A rare success story in reusing an old industrial structure. 

 

The former Clark Brothers textile mill in Glens Falls converted to condominiums

Jon and Deana Ketchum refurbished this Salem garment factory

It is now their home and furniture shop

(web image)

 

     For every site put to new use there are many others that are derelict. The GE and Ciba-Geigy plants in Fort Edward/Hudson Falls/Glens Falls have been demolished with their former locations empty and creating no jobs or economic activity. The same can be said for the Thompson Pulp and Paper Mill lot on the Hudson near Schuylerville. Other properties are tax delinquent, contributing nothing to the community while actually costing us in blight and remediation. They are dangerous 'attractive nuisances' that kids are drawn to explore. Local government officials seem at a loss in dealing with these situations. They are sometimes called 'Zombie Properties' but who wants to live with zombies in their midst? 

Thompson Pulp and Paper in better days

Old photo from top of Starks Knob?

Buildings have since been razed

     * Back in November of last year I was fortunate to hear a presentation by Skidmore College student Nicholas Sisto on "The Company and its Town: Textile Production in Victory Mills and the Community Built Around it." Sisto did a great job and his research has relevance to other 'company towns' in our area. The talk was filmed and you can watch it here.

Nicholas Sisko presenting on Victory Mills

Puppets x 2

     The Bread and Puppet Theater has announced a spring tour that includes several appearances in and around Washington County. They will be in Manchester Vermont on Saturday March 28, in Bennington on Monday March 30 and in Cambridge New York on Friday and Saturday. April 3 and 4. Click here for more info.  

     For those unfamiliar with Bread and Puppet, they are the creation of Peter and Elka Schumann and have been staging original theater pieces for 63 years. The troupe is based in rural Glover, Vermont. According to Shumann:

          "We have two types of puppet shows: good ones and

          bad ones, but all of them are for good and against evil."

Peter Schumann

Elka Schumann

1935 - 2021

     The shows are often politically radical and definitely not MAGA endorsed. The 'Bread' in their name comes from the practice of sharing sourdough rye with the audience after each show and the 'Puppet' refers to their large cardboard and paper mache creations.

          "We give you a piece of bread with the puppet show

          because our bread and theater belong together. For a

          long time the theater arts have been separated from the stomach."

- Peter Schumann        

           

          

 

     I first saw them many years ago at Skidmore College in Saratoga and most recently last summer at one of their Circus's in Glover. (Unfortunately, an earlier in the day hike up nearby Wheeler Mountain left me in need of a nap and I slept thru most of the Circus!) The performances in Glover remind you of mini-Woodstocks with lot's of hippie vib, plenty of tie dye and the occasional VW microbus.

 

     Definitely check out the local shows this spring but for the full Bread and Puppet experience I would recommend a trip to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont later this summer. If you've got a few days there is plenty of hiking and biking nearby and a paddle or beach day on Lake Willoughby is a must. The New Yorker's restaurant critic visited the area and raved about the local food scene in a recent issue. There is also the quirky Museum of Everyday Life as well as  Bread and Puppets own museum of art work from past performances. 

 

     Don't confuse Bread and Puppet with the Mettawee Theater. Both companies are known for their masks, costumes and puppets. Sadly, the Mettawee's much loved summer evening shows came to an end with founder Ralph Lee's death in 2023. They have been doing a one night potpourii of past shows at the Georgi in Shushan since then and they also take part in Salem's Fourth of July parade. Good things don't necessarily last forever. All the more reason to see a Bread and Puppet show while you can.

Ralph Lee