This is the Chalmers Mill located in Amsterdam, NY. Amsterdam is home to such people as Benedict Arnold, not to be confused with the General of the United States Army who defected to the British during the Revolutionary War. Bobby Stewart, who was the 1974 National Boxing Champ who became Mike Tyson's first trainer. Also actor Kirk Douglas in 1916. Amsterdam was settled in 1710 by the Dutch, originally named Veeders Mills, it changed to Amsterdam in 1803. The mill was opened in 1913 to manufacture underwear and was an employer of 650 or so people. The mill closed in 1959, the employees were paid minimum wages at best. The mill reminds me of a prison type of building. I found payroll slips dated 1941 which didn't have names, but in place of names it had numbers.
With this project, I set out to capture the feeling that this mill gave me. It was cold and lonely in some parts and others were almost warm and inviting in a scary way. I couldn't help but to feel the pain and burden that the employees must have felt walking through this mill on a day to day basis, for next to nothing for pay and long, strenuous hours. So finally, enough jibba jabba.....here's some imagery!
The first floor entrance
First floor in the administration building
Creepy spot in the admin building with a red handprint with the tag "chilli"
From the original bathroom in the admin building. (there was still soap in the dish)
First floor of production outside of the admin offices.
This one is entitled "hell" because of it's warm tones and it's freakish resemblance to the "Amityville Horror" This was the scariest place in the building next to the absolute basement or the drop down spots that had nothing more than a makeshift latter into a black hole.
Keep an eye out for the new website to be launched soon! www.mattgrangerphoto.com
There's much more to come with this series, so keep checking back regularly!!!
