Press Release
May 07, 1998
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Brian Vattimo
518/486-1868
PEEBLES ISLAND PROJECT SEEKS FORMER CLUETT, PEABODY & CO. BLEACHERY EMPLOYEES
(Albany, New York May 7, 1998...) One of the exhibits to be featured at the Peebles Island annual Open House celebration on Saturday, May 9, will be "Where the Rivers Merge As One: Peebles Island Yesterday and Today," a special presentation on the island's history. The exhibit highlights the period from 1911 to 1972, when the Cluett, Peabody & Co. bleachery was in operation on the island.
Currently, Peebles Island serves as the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation's headquarters for researching, restoring and preserving historic sites and artifacts.
Over the winter, staff from the Bureau of Historic Sites gathered information on the Cluett, Peabody & Co. complex. Their efforts included searching for former Bleachery employees and interviewing them to learn about their jobs and the company.
Researchers located a few former Cluett and Peabody workers who provided oral history, identified sites and machinery in old photos and described processes the company used, which helped State Parks personnel complete the exhibit for Saturday's Open House.
Peebles Island staff believe, though, that there is much more to learn about the bleachery and the people who worked on Peebles Island for more than 60 years, and the staff is eager to recruit additional former employees to help with the history of those years.
The Open House runs from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM on May 9. Former employees of the Cluett & Peabody Bleachery are urged to attend, or to call 237-8643.