Open House

A Tour of the Perry Knitting Company

Mariah Rockwell

From the President’s Desk:

It is with real pleasure that I welcome you to our Open House at the home of our NITEY NITE sleepers. Years of experience have proved that the success of our NITEY NITE program has been made possible only by the untiring efforts of all our employees. I wish to extend to each one of them my personal thanks and appreciation for their efforts in making NITEY NITES the leading sleeper throughout our country. I trust that your visit to our Open House will be just the beginning...come to see us often!

George M. Traber, Jr., President

Perry Knitting Co.'s Open House was held on May 27, 1953:  refreshments are served to visitors ;  a mill worker shows cotton spindles ; an  elementary school teacher  watches sanding work (?) on a special tour. All images are courtesy of the Clark Rice Photography Collection at the Perry, NY Public Library.

Cotton begins with its harvest in the fields. These are day laborers on the Marcella Plantation, in the Mississippi Delta. The year is 1939.

At the time of this photograph, also taken in 1939, mechanical harvesters are on the rise and beginning to displace workers.

Raw cotton is shipped north by railroad and ends up near here on the Silver Lake Branch line. The Perry Salt Works you see are another major industry in the town.

The Perry Knitting Co. has twenty-one operating departments in buildings that take up five acres of floor space. Every year more than 6,000 tons of coal produce more than 3 million kilowatt hours to power all of the machinery.

These two gentleman are taking bales of cotton into the Perry Knitting Company. The mill uses more than 3 million pounds of raw cotton every year, which is enough to cover Wyoming, Livingston, and Genesee counties with a layer two inches deep. That area on the map is pretty large.

In the Spinning Room these ladies are ensuring that machines are spooling the cotton correctly. The yarn will later be used to weave cotton fabric.

We've already walked through several different rooms at our plant, so why not rest a moment and have a look at this informational map? Click on a building to learn more about how it's used. And enjoy the Nitey Nite mannequins on our carousel!

Now we see newly spun thread being woven together to create solid pieces of fabric. These pieces will be sewn together in the next room.

A group of women are sewing together the various garments that the Perry Knitting Company makes. There are a few male supervisors keeping careful watch. Each station is prepped for the women to sew as much as possible during their shift.

Here we meet a small group of people waiting to package clothes made at the Perry Knitting Company. They will ensure the product gets out in a timely fashion. Later our sleepers will be sealed, strapped, weighed, and marked for destination.

Now you've seen how the FINEST SLEEPERS IN THE WORLD are assembled. Have a look for yourself. Last year we manufactured so many that, laid end to end, they add up to 1,788 miles. That's the distance from Perry to Cripple Creek, Colorado!

The Personnel Department is on your right as you are about to leave us. Here the records of employment, insurance, safety, and first aid are kept. We also will help you with your employment problems.

It has been swell to have you with us today and I am sure we know each other a lot better. Thanks a million for coming in--and for all our friends may I say, Nitey Nite.

Perry Knitting Co.'s Open House was held on May 27, 1953:  refreshments are served to visitors ;  a mill worker shows cotton spindles ; an  elementary school teacher  watches sanding work (?) on a special tour. All images are courtesy of the Clark Rice Photography Collection at the Perry, NY Public Library.

Cotton begins with its harvest in the fields. These are day laborers on the Marcella Plantation, in the Mississippi Delta. The year is 1939.

At the time of this photograph, also taken in 1939, mechanical harvesters are on the rise and beginning to displace workers.

Raw cotton is shipped north by railroad and ends up near here on the Silver Lake Branch line. The Perry Salt Works you see are another major industry in the town.

The Perry Knitting Co. has twenty-one operating departments in buildings that take up five acres of floor space. Every year more than 6,000 tons of coal produce more than 3 million kilowatt hours to power all of the machinery.

These two gentleman are taking bales of cotton into the Perry Knitting Company. The mill uses more than 3 million pounds of raw cotton every year, which is enough to cover Wyoming, Livingston, and Genesee counties with a layer two inches deep. That area on the map is pretty large.

In the Spinning Room these ladies are ensuring that machines are spooling the cotton correctly. The yarn will later be used to weave cotton fabric.

We've already walked through several different rooms at our plant, so why not rest a moment and have a look at this informational map? Click on a building to learn more about how it's used. And enjoy the Nitey Nite mannequins on our carousel!

Now we see newly spun thread being woven together to create solid pieces of fabric. These pieces will be sewn together in the next room.

A group of women are sewing together the various garments that the Perry Knitting Company makes. There are a few male supervisors keeping careful watch. Each station is prepped for the women to sew as much as possible during their shift.

Here we meet a small group of people waiting to package clothes made at the Perry Knitting Company. They will ensure the product gets out in a timely fashion. Later our sleepers will be sealed, strapped, weighed, and marked for destination.

Now you've seen how the FINEST SLEEPERS IN THE WORLD are assembled. Have a look for yourself. Last year we manufactured so many that, laid end to end, they add up to 1,788 miles. That's the distance from Perry to Cripple Creek, Colorado!