Commonwealth Speakers:Labor and Industry
On a warm and sunny day in 1897, a delegation of coal miners joined with striking United Mine Workers of America members to march to Lattimer to close the colliery. What happened next would make history.
Lattimer Massacre: The Worst Day in Pennsylvania's Labor History
On September 10,1897, the Luzerne County Sheriff and more than 80 deputies
confronted nearly 400 striking mine workers in the village of Lattimer. Without warning,
the deputies fired into the crowd, killing 19 and wounding 38, making this the worst
single act of violence committed by law officers against strikers in Pennsylvania
history. George Turner examines the socioeconomic and ethnic tensions that
contributed to the deadly outcome of this confrontation, the various reactions to the
incident, and its impact on the labor movement in Pennsylvania's Anthracite region.
Projection screen required.
George A. Turner, Professor Emeritus, Bloomsburg University
The first railroad in the United States was built to carry coal from Summit Hill to Mauch Chunk, PA,in 1827, and Pennsylvania boasts many railroad engineering landmarks such as Horseshoe Curve and the Tunkannock Viaduct. In turn,the railroad motivated the development of many of Pennsylvania's most important industries, such as coal mining and iron and steel production. Today, Pennsylvania leads the nation in the preservation of historic rail sites. Lance Metz examines the interconnected development of Pennsylvania and the nation's rail system.
Projection screen, TV, and VCR required.
Lance Metz, Historian, National Canal Museum - Hugh Moore Historical Park,
Easton
Jim Davy grew up in Monument (Centre County), a town owned and operated by the Harbison Walker Brick Works. In this slide-illustrated presentation, he explores life in a typical "company town." What were working conditions and wages like? What was it like to live in a company-owned house? What kind of social life and pastimes were available to workers and their families in these sometimes remote communities? His talk will help preserve the memories of this unique phenomenon while dispelling some of the myths that have developed about company towns.
Slide projector, screen, and display table required.
Howard "Jim"
Davy, Musician and Historian, Beech Creek
No city in the United States has been as important to the American labor movement as Pittsburgh. Charles McCollester reviews the milestones of a rich and turbulent history that shaped the nature of labor relations in Pittsburgh and the nation, including the cordwainer conspiracy trial of 1814, the 1877 railroad insurrection, the 1892 Battle of Homestead,the 1919 "Hunky" Steel Strike,the "red scare" in the Turtle Creek Valley (1947-1949), the African American struggle for construction jobs (1968-1970), and the collapse of regional manufacturing in the 1980s.
Slide projector and screen required.
Charles McCollester, Ph.D., Professor of Labor Relations, Indiana University
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