Lawrence History Center

The MA Society of Genealogists~Merrimack Valley Chapter invites you to attend a discussion with Writer/Director Lorre Fritchy on Saturday, January 28th at 10:00am. Lorre will give us a behind the scenes glimpse into the making of Millies, a feature film about a bankrupt, modern-day mill owner visited by mill girls from 1912 when they discover her future threatens their historic past... For more information click here.

The morning events of January 12, 2012, despite gloomy weather in the forecast, will still take place at the following times and locations to commemorate the Centennial of the Bread and Roses Strike of 1912:

9:00 AM - At the Everett Mill (15 Union St. Lawrence, MA), for the kickoff of the Bread & Roses Centennial will begin with a brief reenactment and a procession led by a flag carrier to Lawrence City Hall.

9:15 AM - At City Hall, a Mayoral proclamation will be read, the City Hall bell will be rung, the flag will be raised, and the Lawrence High School Girl's Ensemble will sing "The Internationale".

10:00 AM - At the Everett Mill (6th floor), the Lawrence History Center will hold a Ribbon Cutting and Commemoration for the Exhibit, "Short Pay! All Out!" The Great Lawrence Strike of 1912. Click here to view the Event Program (246.73 KB).

Also opening on January 12, 2012, is the Bread and Roses Centennial Exhibit Online! If you are unable to join us in Lawrence, we hope that you will spend some time viewing this informative and visually rich web site!

January 1, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Susan Grabski, Director, Lawrence History Center, 978-686-9230

Lawrence History Center to open exhibit, "Short pay! All out! The Great Lawrence Strike of 1912," on January 12, 2012

LAWRENCE—The Lawrence History Center will open a bilingual exhibit, "Short pay! All out! The Great Lawrence Strike of 1912," on January 12, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. on the sixth floor of the Everett Mill (15 Union St., Lawrence, MA) to commemorate the Centennial of the Bread and Roses Strike. This event will be free and open to the public. An online exhibit will also be unveiled.

"Short pay! All out!" will engage visitors in the story of the textile strike through the use of powerful imagery, quotes from the Lawrence History Center oral history archive, objects and documents, video, and a stairwell sound installation that will recreate the sounds of the mills—the crowd noises, machinery, and the incredible multi-cultural energy of the 1912 Strike. The exhibit will weave together important themes—What happened?, Who makes a community?, What makes a community?, Why strike?, What next?, and How do we remember?—and visitors will have the opportunity to contribute their own reflections, photographs, artwork, and writing to this space, concluding their visit by connecting with a powerful community of memory and continuing action.

"In a democracy, the highest office is the office of citizen."
-- Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter

The Lawrence History Center is honored to announce that a member of our LHC family is now a citizen of the United States of America!

On November 30, 2011, Ecuadorian born Whimpper Barahona, a member of our Board of Directors and dedicated teacher at Lawrence High School, took the Oath of Allegiance during the U.S. Naturalization Ceremony at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium in Lowell. Standing alongside hundreds of other immigrants representing 91 countries from Albania to Zimbabwe, Whimpper chose this country.

The Naturalization Ceremony itself was both moving and powerful. An enormous American Flag provided a fitting backdrop for the program. As the names of all 91 countries were read, the audience was asked to hold its applause until the end.

Have you uncovered something so fascinating during your research that you are dying to share with others? Are you interested in hearing what other genealogists have discovered while exploring their family's history? If so, we'd like to invite you to join the MA Society of Genealogists~Merrimack Valley Chapter at LHC on Saturday, December 17 at 10:00am for a round table discussion on surprising genealogical finds. For more information click here.