An Illustrated Talk On W.C. Cowee At The Stephentown Historical Society

Sharon Klein will give an illustrated talk on W.C. Cowee, the man and the company, at the Stephentown Historical Society meeting on Monday, May 6, at 7:30 pm. The meeting will be at the Stephentown Heritage Center on Garfield Road, Stephentown. It is free and open to the public. The building is handicapped accessible. For directions or information, phone 518-733-0010.
W.C. Cowee invented the floral pick at the request of his “Gladiola King” brother, Arthur. The pick is a thin wooden stick with a pointed end and an attached wire which is used to fasten flowers to arrangements and keep them in place. W.C. struggled to start the company, which began manufacturing the picks in 1898 in Berlin, NY. The company was a major employer in Berlin and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1998. Over the years it made a variety of other wooden wares, including Tinkertoys®. Various parts of the company have been sold in recent years, and in 2011 the pick division closed.
W.C. Cowee was a community leader and also started the water and electric companies for Berlin. Klein will also give some background on the Cowee family.
Sharon Klein is Berlin Town Historian and the Past President and Secretary of the Taconic Valley Historical Society. She is retired from teaching at Berlin Central Middle/High School. She will be displaying some items that the W.C. Cowee Co. manufactured.