The Socialist Labor Party Hall 

Home of the Barre Historical Society

Welcome to the website of the Barre Historical Society, owner of the Socialist Labor Party Hall National Historic Landmark. Here you can find information about the history of the the Hall, about renting the Hall for your event, about how you can help the Barre Historical Society preserve the Hall.

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The Barre Historical Society, steward of the Old Labor Hall and its storied history, encourages the study of Barre's past by local students. Recently students at Barre's Spaulding High School researched the history of the Hall. Visiting the Hall and using the resources of the Aldrich Public Library and the Vermont Historical Society.

The results of their labors is a multimedia presentation that can be viewed here.

The Society has also collaborated with pupils from the Barre Elementary and Middle School on a community history project which can be viewed here.

New Labor Hall History Brochure

Available Now

  Although the Old Labor Hall is a National Historic Landmark, it is also in operation (just as it was in its glory days) as a gathering place for all kinds of events. Because of its constant use, there has been no area in which a permanent exhibit about the history of the Hall could be mounted. So to provide visitors with an introduction to the Hall, the Barre Historical Society has prepared a brochure giving a brief history of the Hall.

  The production of the brochure was supported by generous grants from the Vermont Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Vermont-NEA, and the Vermont State Employees Association.

Copies of the brochure can be obtained on request. For individual copies send a business sized stamped, self-addressed envelope to Brochure, Barre Historical Society, PO Box 496, Barre, VT 05641. For multiple copies, email info@oldlaborhall.com for special arrangements. 

Oh, dear! 

We have been announcing the onlline availability of these limited commemorative edition, genuine union made T-shirts, union printed right here in Vermont with Ed Epstien's original art work.

However, the shirts have been so popular that there are too few left to put up for sale on the website. The only remaining shirts are in size small (36 inch chest) or medium (38 inch chest).

If you would like one, email directly to info@oldlaborhall.com with the sizes you need and the number you would like. Then we can let you know if we can meet your needs. The price would be $20 per shirt including shipping. 

Where Have the Lawrence Strikers' Children Gone?It's 101 years since the children of Lawrence, MA, came to Barre to be cared for during the great textile strike.

Although the last of the Bread and Roses strikers' children took the train from the Barre Depot Square back to Lawrence on March 30, 1912, the generousity of the Barre community has never been forgotten in Lawrence. 

To find out more about Barre's part in the Lawrence Strike, visit our Bread and Roses history pages.

Going, going . . . GONE

Barre Historian Paul Heller has compiled a series of true stories which he descibes as "love letter" to Barre.

The real-life characters featured run the gamut from famous Folk Medicine author Dr. D.C. Jarvis to anarchist Luigi Galleani, from Barre's Chief of Police Patrick Brown and civil war soldier Lemuel Abbot to labor organizer Mother Jones and Socialist mayor Fred Suitor to renown movie director Alfred Hitchock and President Theodore Roosevelt. From bank robbery to big league baseball, all human life is there.

Mr. Heller, who is also a trustee of the Barre Historical Society, is donated the entire purchase price of this fascinating book to the restoration of the Old Labor Hall.

The Good News: Granite City Tales has sold like hot cakes. The Barre Hitorical Society has sold all its copies. There are only a few copies of the book remaining at theNext Chapter Bookstore.

The Bad News: Mr. Heller has no plan to republish.