An Emotional Piece of Remington Arms History is Now Gone

A piece of Remington Arms history in Ilion, is now just a memory in the village known as the birthplace of what used to be Herkimer County's largest employer in Upstate New York and America's oldest gunmaker.

The factory sign at the northeast corner of the Remington plant in Ilion was taken down and removed on Wednesday. It was, for people like me whose father worked at the plant for more than 30-years, a fixture that one assumed would always be a part of Ilion's landscape. RemArms, the investment firm that purchased the gun making portion of Remington following bankruptcy, closed the historic plant on March 4, 2024.

This is what it looks like now (below), as you drive by the former Remington location. The missing sign now contributes to the emptiness of the factory parking lot as overgrowth and decay are already taking a toll on the property, which is currently on the market for a mere $10 million.

The sign that was removed on Wednesday was at the northeast corner of the parking lot located in front of the factory. It identified the massive 1 million sq ft. gun making manufacturing facility, and directed visitors to the iconic Remington Museum which was near the corporate offices and at the entrance to the legendary custom gun shop.

The museum was spectacular as it displayed Remington's long 200-plus years in Ilion, including the role the gunmaker played in wars throughout American history, along with the incredible quality and craftsmanship that was being produced during the plant's modern era.

Adjacent to the museum, was the highly acclaimed Remington Arms Custom Gun Shop, which is where my father worked as a gunsmith specializing in creating the stock portion of the gun.  There, the guns were handmade by a handful of craftsmen for privileged gun enthusiasts from around the country and around the world who could afford the high-ticket item made exclusively for them.

I often remember my dad talking about meeting notable figures and celebrities like Hank Williams Jr., and General Norman Schwarzkopf, who often traveled from around the world to Ilion to receive their custom Remington shotgun or rifle in-person.

Children of dads (and moms) who worked at the Ilion factory all have certain memories in common. There was the traffic jam every weekday at 3:30 in the afternoon when the second shift "let out" and police had to direct traffic as workers would run to their vehicles to get ahead of traffic. I remember when Ilion's busiest street used to drive right through the factory, until the traffic pattern was altered and moved around the north side of the plant, like it is today. I also remember open house events where we'd tour tour the factory, and the annual family day when employees and their families would travel to Sherman's Amusement Park in Caroga Lake, where kids would enjoy free rides all day with the wrist band and would receive a crisp one dollar bill from the company when we first arrived.

Obviously, we can talk all about the fond memories, especially during Remington's heyday in Ilion during the 60s and 70s - but one thing that can't be ignored, is the hard work that went into that factory which resulted in solid incomes for hundreds and at one point, thousands of workers who mostly lived in the Mohawk Valley. At one point in the 70s, some 3,000 people were employed at the Ilion facility. It dwindled drastically over the years, down to only a few hundred when the plant closed permanently in March.

So, while it might seem like it's just a sign that was taken down in Ilion today, it's so much more than that for so many families. If you grew up in the Valley (Mohawk, Ilion, Frankfort, Herkimer), it's likely that your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and even siblings were able to make a decent living working inside that historic building that everybody called The Arms.

Sadly, the one thing that reminded us all of what used to be there - even after it closed - its legendary welcome sign, quickly today became yet another, thing of the past.