Gloversville

Gloversville, New York
—  City  —
Gloversville, New York Location within the state of New York
Coordinates: 43°3′9″N 74°20′34″W / 43.0525°N 74.34278°W / 43.0525; -74.34278
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Fulton
Government
- Mayor	Timothy Hughes (D)
Area
- Total	5.1 sq mi (13.2 km2)
- Land	5.1 sq mi (13.2 km2)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	820 ft (250 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	15,413
- Density	3,027.0/sq mi (1,168.7/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	12078
Area code(s)	518
FIPS code	36-29443
GNIS feature ID	0951265

Gloversville is a city in Fulton County, New York, that was once the hub of America's glovemaking industry with over two hundred manufacturers in Gloversville and Johnstown. In 2000, Gloversville had a population of 15,413.

History

The region, known as "Kingsborough" was acquired by Sir William Johnson. In 1752, Arent Stevens bought land. Puritans from New England settled there at the end of the 18th century. At first the town was known as "Stump City" because after the land was cleared for development, there were stumps left from the trees.^{[citation needed]}

The proximity of forests to supply bark for tanning made the community a center of leather production early in its history. It earned its name for being the center of the American glove making industry for many years. Upon the establishment of a United States Post Office in 1828, Gloversville became the official name of the community. In 1890-1950, 90 percent of all gloves sold in the United States were made in Gloversville.^[1]

Large tanneries and glove shops employed nearly 80% of the residents of Gloversville and environs. Home workers sewed the gloves from leather that had been cut in factories. Related businesses, such as box makers, sewing machine repairmen, and thread dealers opened to serve the industry.

Until 1936, Gloversville had a very active electric interurban line, the Fonda, Johnstown, and Gloversville. It ran from Gloversville, through Johnstown, along the Mohawk River to Amsterdam, and then to Scotia, across the Hudson River, and into downtown Schenectady to the New York Central station. In 1932 in a bold move during the Great Depression it acquired unique Bullet cars in an attempt to revive business. Passenger service ended in 1936, but freight operation continued.^[2]

Gloversville is the main headquarters for the Schine movie industry. The Glove Theatre was the Schines' favorite movie house. Hollywood movies sometimes premiered in Gloversville before they opened in California.^{[citation needed]}

The downfall of the glove industry left the city financially depressed, with many downtown storefronts abandoned and store windows covered with plywood. Many of the houses were abandoned when people moved out of town to find jobs elsewhere.

The mayor of Gloversville is Timothy Hughes. He began his four-year term on January 1, 2006. On November 3, 2009, Independent Dayton King won election as the city's mayor and will take office on January 1, 2010.

Notable residents

In 1899, the Hollywood producer Samuel Goldwyn immigrated from Poland to Canada, he walked through snow into the United States at an unmanned border point in rural Maine, eventually making his way to Gloversville, where he worked as a glove maker and commissioned salesman for the Elite Glove Company.^[3]

Pulitzer Prize winning author Richard Russo (Empire Falls, Nobody's Fool, The Risk Pool) was raised in Gloversville. The city and its residents were the inspiration for many of his characters and locations in his novels, especially his novel "Mohawk."

Actress Elizabeth Anne Allen, who played Amy Madison on Buffy the Vampire Slayer was raised in Gloversville. Artist Frederick Remington was a one-time resident.

Outside Artist Father Lawrence Faust, who resides at West Fulton Street Ext. operates the "Art Park." The park is an interactive playground for children and adults. Faust as he likes to be called utilizes light, sound, motion and vibrant colors to express his current affinity for African and Central American Art.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.1 square miles (13.2 km²), of which 0.20% is water.

New York State Route 29A (Fulton Street) is an east-west road through the city. New York State Route 30A is a north-south highway through the east side of the city. Another north-south highway, New York State Route 309 (Bleecker Street) terminates its southern reach at NY-29A in Gloversville.

The Cayadutta Creek flows southward through the city, which is southwest of the Great Sacandaga Lake.

Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 15,413 people, 6,500 households, and 3,828 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,027.0 people per square mile (1,169.2/km²). There were 7,540 housing units at an average density of 1,480.8/sq mi (571.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.37% White, 1.86% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.67% of the population.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,755, and the median income for a family was $34,713. Males had a median income of $27,109 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,207. About 14.9% of families and 19.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.6% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

Gloversville High School is the only high school in Gloversville and serves grades 9 through 12.

References

Bibliography

• Engle, Herbert M. Shtetl in the Adirondacks: The Story of Gloversville and Its Jews, Purple Mountain Press, 1991.
• Berg, Scott. Goldwyn, A Biography, A. Knopf, NYC. 1989.
• Decker, Randy. "The Fonda, Johnstown, and Gloversville Railroad: The Sacandaga Route to the Adirondacks", Arcadia Publishing.
• Middleton, Wm. D. "The Interurban Era", 432pp. Kalmbach Publishing, Milwaukee, WI. 1961, reissue 2000. (ISBN 0-809-240-035-0, Library of Congress 61-10728)
• Larner, Paul. "Our Railroad: History of the Fonda, Johnstown, and Gloversville Railroad 1867-1893", St. Albans, VT.

External links

New York portal

• City of Gloversville webpage
• Gloversville City Court information
• 1914 glove strike
• Judge rules in city police chief’s favor
• Photographs of Fonda, Johnstown, and Gloversville Railroad

• Gloversville, New York is at coordinates 43°03′09″N 74°20′34″W / 43.052476°N 74.342798°W / 43.052476; -74.342798 (Gloversville, New York)Coordinates: 43°03′09″N 74°20′34″W / 43.052476°N 74.342798°W / 43.052476; -74.342798 (Gloversville, New York)

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v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Fulton County, New York County seat: Johnstown Cities Gloversville | Johnstown Towns Bleecker | Broadalbin | Caroga | Ephratah | Johnstown | Mayfield | Northampton | Oppenheim | Perth | Stratford Villages Broadalbin | Dolgeville‡ | Mayfield | Northville Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties