Historic Preservation: Kate Mullany National Historic Site

Some of you may recall my daughter & I participating in a re-enactment of the Collar Laundry Strike of 1864 this past February. Well, on October 4, 2014 I was able to visit the Kate Mullany National Historic Site in Troy, NY with my aunt's DAR chapter.

The Kate Mullany House was declared a National Historic Landmark by the Secretary of the Interior in 1998 and designated an affiliated unit with in the National Historic Site Congress on 2005. It is located at 350 8th St. in Troy, NY. It is the home of the American Labor Studies Center. The site is undergoing restoration and does not have regular visiting hours. For information on visiting the site, call the American Labor Studies Center at (518) 331-4474. 

 The house at 350 8th St. is under renovation. The other half of the building at 352 8th St. is in foreclosure, and the ALSC is hoping to acquire it as well. Until that time, the renovations continue, as does the fundraising. For more information on supporting the restoration project, please click HERE.

The Kate Mullany house became a National Historic Landmark in 1998

My mom on the steps of Kate Mullany's House

The back yard has been recently landscaped

Kate & her Irish parents arrived in Troy in 1853

One of the exhibit panels at Kate Mullany NHS

Another of the exhibit panels at Kate Mullany NHS

Kate was inducted National Women's Hall of Fame 2000

 Read Kate Mullany's bio at National Women's Hall of Fame website.

Staircase leading to the 3rd floor

Original floors under modern bathroom linoleum

Lathe & plaster and modern plumbing

New old windows

Renovating the ceiling

Turquoise plaster over the brick fireplace

More renovations 

Me at the top of the stairs

3rd floor plan

Me in my "Don't iron while the strike is hot!" tee

Kate Mullany's grave at St. Peter's Cemetery in Troy, NY

Leaving a token to show I was there

The house is not open for regular tours during renovation, but call the ALSC for more information about scheduling your group visit.

Also, check out the PowerPoint presentation for more information on Kate Mullany & the Collar Laundry Strike.

New Year's Resolution... Organize the Office

Seeing as how April 2012 will be my 9th anniversary as the Historian for the Town of Greenwich, I have decided this is THE year for me to finally tackle the tremendous job of organizing, cataloging, filing, scanning, decluttering the office here.

In the spirit of that process which, I'm sure, will uncover some very interesting things I didn't know where here, I will share with you some random bits of ephemera. Enjoy (& I;ll see what I can dig up for you next week.)

front & back cover of the White Swan Cafe menu c. 1980s



Look at those prices!

 For those of you who create brochures, pamphlets, posters... Could you try to remember to put a date on them? Especially the year. It would be a great help to all of the historians and archivists who have to sort through all of the paper 30, 50, 100 years down the line.

Undated House Tour brochure

Eight places in the Greater Greenwich area listed

Here's one. A scrapbook that you picked up at a gas station in a town you were visiting. This one was never used, but the gas station stamp is inside.

The year is printed right on this scrapbook- 1953

The stamp for John Whiteside & Sons is in the upper right

I'll keep you informed of my progress in keeping my historian's New Year's resolution. Did you make any resolutions for 2012?