CAYUGA/SENECA CANAL

Sox from the local mill were also shipped all over the world and the Dutch government did designate foot coverings knit at Seneca Knitting Mill to be their official sock of the country’s armed forces. During World War II, the yarn turned out in Seneca Falls was used in gloves and blankets for American troops. The Netherlands and Uncle Sam are just two of Seneca Knitting Mills many customers. The socks carried more recognizable labels such as Seneca Red Jacket (for the red ring around the top of the sox), E.G. Smith, Polo by Ralph Lauren, Oyster Bay, Field and Stream and Nike.

Over the years, the once family owned and operated mill that was the second-largest private employer in Seneca County (next to Gould’s Pumps) changed both owners and product emphasis. With imports cutting into the yarn business in the late sixties and early seventies, the business was able to flourish by manufacturing only socks.

This industry had become so much a part of the every day life of the people of this community that some had come to think of it as a matter of course. Due to failing economy, in early 1999, the owners of the mill shut down the 155-year-old factory.

Today, the mill still reflects its original 1844 plant with its three-foot thick hand hewn limestone block construction ~ red brick annex built about 1890 and finally bordering on Bridge Street ~ the concrete block annex constructed just after World War II.

Two native sons, State Senator Michael F. Nozzolio (R-Fayette) and Seneca Falls businessman Bruce H. Bonafiglia, have begun a project to revitalize the canal and refurbish the Seneca Knitting Mill through the Seneca Falls Canal Development Project.

This waterfront renovation will preserve the mill ~ so that we may all enjoy the historical architecture which lines the Seneca/Cayuga Canal so proudly.