Strike!

On a recent trip to Massachusetts, I visited the Lowell National Historical Park in the city of Lowell http://www.nps.gov/lowe/index.htm. I love old mills, as does my mother & daughter. One particular mill is the Boott Cotton Mill where they made cotton cloth on large, mechanized looms. In the "Mill Girls" exhibition nearby there is some talk about the strikes that occurred in Lowell. This got me thinking about the Dunbarton here in Greenwich & their one strike...

In October of 1937 a union was formed at the Dunbarton in Greenwich. (The Paterson & Kearney, NJ & Anniston, AL plants were already unionized by this time.) A 10% wage increase was agreed upon in May 1938, but was revoked in February 1939 after the US & Great Britain signed a reciprocal trade agreement. This made imported linen thread cheaper, thus hurting the market for US produced thread & twine. Both NJ mills strike & shut production down.

Odd Fellows Hall in Greenwich where strike meetings were held



After an unenthusiastic strike meeting the day before, only about 20 workers picketed the mill on February 13, 1939. Estimates have Greenwich strikers at 12. Nine days later only about 10 workers were striking. A February 25th meeting has workers severing ties with the Textile Workers Organization & forming an independent union. By mid-March all workers were back at the Greenwich mill. Workers at both NJ mills were still out on strike.

The NJ strike ended on April 19, 1939. Workers gained some ground with the wage reduction changed from 10% to 7%, essentially giving all workers a 3% raise from pre-May 1938 wages. Greenwich's independent union was recognized by the National Labor Relations Board (NRLB). 40-hour work week, time & a half on Saturday, one week vacation, & no pay reductions for one year were also approved. The Union hosted a party at the White Swan Hotel on October 14, 1939. Dinner was brought to the boiler room for Sam McCune, the only employee left on duty that night!

For more information:

*Ruddock, W. Linen Threads and Broom Twines: An Irish and American Album and Directory of the People of the Dunbarton Mill Greenwich, New York 1879-1952. Bowie, MD: Hertiage Books, 1997.

^ Reciprocal Trade Agreement: http://www.washingtontradereport.com/RTAAcanada.htm

Fascination with commemorative plates

I'm not sure why I am fascinated with commemorative plates. You know the ones I mean. Your grandmother may have had a few displayed on the wall in one of those metal, spring things... Or maybe they were in the back of the china closet. My grandmother had a few that I have inherited. Some I may not keep because I don't really have a connection to them, but others will be bound for display.

The Village of Greenwich Sesquicentennial committee decided to have a commemorative plate made for the 1959 event. It was produced by Kettlesprings Kilns in Alliance, OH. Kettlesprings Kilns began in 1950 to create a plate for Alliance's bicentennial, & grew from there. They still produce commemorative items like plates, mugs, tiles & bells (http://home.earthlink.net/~kettlesprings/products.html).

Greenwich Sesquicentennial plate 1959

Our plate is green, of course, with the sesquicentennial logo in the center. Around the outside are various buildings in the town. Notice the tiny witches between each building.

• White Swan Hotel (1851)
• Upper Dam (1860)
• Stevens & Thompson Mill
• Mowry-Blandy House
• Dorr Park & Van Ness House
• Greenwich Central School (1927)



Typical toile (in my favorite- red)

• temporary home of Susan B. Anthony*

You might think that I like these plates simply because of my interest in local history, but I think it's more than that. There is the sentimentality associated with my grandmother, but there is also the design element. I love toile^, a French fabric, usually linen or canvas with pastoral scenes printed on using one color. My favorite is red, but more often found in blue or black. These plates remind me of toile.

Well, I guess I do know why these plates fascinate me after all!


* I'm assuming this is the house the Anthony's moved to after the Panic of 1837, when they lost their home in Battenville.
^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toile or http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toile

The White Swan Hotel

The corner of Main Street and Washington Square/ Salem Street has always been the heart of the village of Greenwich. In 1810, when Greenwich was Union Village, David Whipple built a tavern on the northwest corner. In 1851, the wood frame building was replaced by a modern brick structure. It no longer catered to the "demon rum" as the Temperance Movement was sweeping through the area. Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune, visited the temperance house on July 4, 1852.

Shortly thereafter, however, the building came under new management. The new Union House was up and running and alcohol was back on the menu. Over the next 70 plus years the business would continue to operate under various owners and names- the Blakeley House, the Hamilton House... Until June 30, 1926 when it re-opened as the White Swan Hotel with updated hot & cold plumbing and new floors. The new name came from the White Swan bottled water company of Fort Edward, NY.

The White Swan was a major business in the village until February 13, 1971 when fire destroyed the three story edifice. The restaurant, bar and movie theater that were such an integral part of life in this small community were gone. Also lost were three men, Gail Gilchrist, Edward A. Tefft, Sr. and Raymond W. Worden who died of smoke inhalation on the second floor. A month later, the site was cleared and replaced by a small brick bank. The unimposing structure still houses a bank today, Trustco.

I recently received a package in the mail from DP Edeline of San Pedro, CA. In it were some photographs and documents related to the Fuller/Parkerson families. One of the photographs is shown here... The White Swan Hotel in 1961.