When the Farr-Alpaca Company, a major Holyoke employer, ceased operating in 1939, it left behind many who needed work and many thousands of square feet of factory space available for rent.
Shortly after the plant’s demise, Dunster Mills rented space at the southeast corner of Bigelow and Appleton Streets. The Dunster Mills, led by Philip White, did not operate long, and in June 1941, the plant was sold to Ralph Webber of Patterson, New Jersey and renamed the Interstate Weaving Company. Included in the purchase were 230 looms and a potential workforce of 60 employees.
A month later, in July 1941, ownership transferred to Murray Antkies, who also owned Montauk Mills Inc. of New York and Majestic Weaving Company Inc. of New Bedford. In 1943, the company leased additional property, the shed behind the mill, from Holyoke Industrial Properties Inc.
The company regularly placed classified ads seeking rayon weavers and quillers. Workers were represented by the Silk and Rayon Workers Union, A. F. L. Local 1929. The union negotiated several pay raises for its employees, who at one time numbered about 150.
In 1947, the company signed a 5-year lease for the C shed at Appleton and Bigelow for $14,200 a year, effective September 1, 1947. The company was running three shifts at the time, and advertising for more rayon weavers.
In early 1952, there was a textile mill crisis. A substantial decrease in orders had reduced the mill to under 30 workers. Another A. F. L. local 1029 mill, Holyoke Mills, announced its closing and did so on April 1, 1952. Very little information was available about Interstate Weaving Company, which was on the brink of closure; however, its 5-year lease expired on August 31, 1952. A news article appearing on October 29, 1952, referred to the former Interstate Weaving Company.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
