History of the Dutchess Bleachery
Author: Joseph Italiano
44 pages, paperback/booklet
Preface by the author: “As a young man, I worked at the Dutchess Bleachery during my summer vacations from High School. It inspired me to attend and graduate from the Philadelphia Textile Institute in 1958, receiving my Bachelor of Science degree in Textile Engineering. The Dutchess Bleachery was part of my youth which I cannot forget. This inspired me to write the story to the best of my ability. I gathered information from various articles, periodicals, stories told to me by the Old timers, my own personal experiences and research. Soon there will be no one left to document what life was like in a One Company town. It is sad that records were not kept during that Era which will never return again. Now, in this year of 1996, and at the age of 60, I will try to cover a partial history of The Dutchess Bleachery. This textile complex started in 1832 and closed in 1955, a period of 123 years. This magnificent plant reigned as “Queen of the Hudson Valley”. May those who read this book in the future, enjoy it as much as I enjoyed preparing it”.