End of an Era Nears for GE in Fort Edward NY

As the Hudson River winds its way through Hudson Falls and Fort Edward, atop its banks rest fatigued and vacant buildings, with scant resemblance to the once bustling business within the now-decaying walls.

Nearly 3,000 employees filled those positions at paper, lumber and metal factories in a tiny triangle of industry in the 1940s. Those jobs are now gone, like many manufacturing jobs across the country.

In the mid-1970s, General Electric alone employed nearly 2,700 workers. Today, 167 employees remain on the job in the Fort Edward facility.

The doors at that plant will close for good in early 2015, having employed thousands in the community for the past 73 years.

“It was a very difficult decision,” said GE spokeswoman Chris Horne of relocating operations from the Fort Edward site to Clearwater, Florida.

“We’ve been losing money at Fort Edward for years,” she said. “This is in no way a reflection on the employees. They gave a diligent effort.”

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