CATTARAUGUS â Patrick J. Cullen, the founding collector at the American Museum of Cutlery on Main Street in Cattaraugus, has written a brief history of cutlery manufacturing in Cattaraugus County.
The county was at the center of the manufacture of cutting edge tools â knives, razors, scissors, axes and chisels â with around 200 companies within 75 miles of Little Valley.
The greatest reason for the large number of cutleries in the Little Valley and Cattaraugus areas is the New York & Lake Erie Railroad, which was able to deliver high-quality steel from Buffalo to communities along the line, said Cullen, the retired president of the Bank of Cattaraugus. The railroad was completed in 1851.