Cattaraugus Cutlery in Little Valley has stood idle and empty since the business shut the doors in that facility in 1963. Vandals, neglect and weather have continued to chip away at the once thriving vital building that was a strong source of the economy in Little Valley, NY. In 2016 two fires at different times in the month of August ended any hope of salvage or restoration of the building. The final fire was so intense it was clearly visible from 5 miles out of town. This is a sad loss for Little Valley.
Many people living in the village are not aware of the productive days of the old buildings sitting near the Pat McGee Trail. Unknown is the economic past of those old crumbling buildings. The knife making operation moved to Bradford along with the history of Cattaraugus County companies like Cattaraugus Cutlery and Case Cutlery. Not many folks that still pick up a Case jackknive over in Vails Hardware on Main Street in Little Valley are aware that knives and Case and the industry was a vibrant past history of this town. Little Valley now in 2016 has no visible acknowledgement of such a strong industry within this village limits. The only hint of cutlery or tools appears on a sign near the fairgrounds on Rt 353 as you drive out of Little Valley toward Cattaraugus. The sign: an advertisment for the American Museum of Cutlery in Cattaraugus, NY
Sue M. Cross, member of the History Advisory Committee