Tom Williams worked for Camillus Cutlery for 30 years. Collecting knives and information is his hobby.

Below is a synopsis of the history of the company as he told it to News 10 Now reporter Joleene Des Rosiers.

"The original Camillus Cutlery began in 1876, and it was known as A. Castor and Brothers. And, A. Castor and Brothers operated out of New York City as an importing company, and they brought knives in from Germany and from England."

"In the 1890s, tariffs were entacted that made the bringing in of imported goods prohibited. So, Mr. Castor looked for a domestic supplier, and he heard about a small cutlery company in Camillus, New York known as Sherwood Cutlery. And, he contracted with Sherwood Cutlery, which began in 1894 as a struggling company with only 20 employees and eventually bought the company in 1902, and the name was changed to Camillus Cutlery from Sherwood Cutlery."

"After the acuisition by Mr. Castor, the company was greatly expanded, and by 1910, there was more than 200 employees in the small Camillus factory."

"Much of Camillus' sucess can be attributed to Nilo Miori, who assumed the presidency in 1963 after the Camillus Cutlery was sold to the Kaufmann and Shwarts family. And under Mr. Miori's direction, he renovated all the buildings, and the business thrived through the '60s, '70s and '80s until his retirement in 1987."

"It's unfortunate, and the way it is today with the labor costs overseas, American knife companies are having a very hard time competing."