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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                              August 21, 2014

Sen. Looney to Join Labor History Association Members
to Accept Historic New England Preservation Grant


 Check Presentation Event to be Held at New Haven City Hall on Monday, August 25 

Former Winchester workers and Labor History Association members joined by State Senator Martin Looney will accept a $1,000 Historic New England preservation grant on Monday, August 25 at 3 pm at the atrium of New Haven’s City Hall, 165 Church Street. The grant will help the organization to expand its current traveling exhibit, “Our Community at Winchester: An Elm City Story,” which is currently showing at the atrium. 

The exhibit tells the stories of workers at the U.S. Repeating Arms Company (Winchester) plant, which closed and left New Haven in 2006. Labor struggles, workers’ culture within the plant, and the impact of the plant on the larger community are described in 33 panels, many of which feature text and photos from oral histories of former workers.

 “We’re thrilled that this grant will help to fund the research and production of eight more panels based on workers’ stories,” said Joan Cavanagh, the exhibit curator and the Labor History Association’s Director. She added that Sen. Looney has agreed to share the story of his father, a pro-union worker at the plant, as part of the exhibit.  

The award will be presented by Diane Viera, Executive Vice President of Historic New England. 

Historic New England is a museum of cultural history that collects and preserves buildings, landscapes, and objects dating from the seventeenth century to the present and uses them to keep history alive and to help people develop a deeper understanding and enjoyment of New England life and appreciation for its preservation. Among its programs, the organization provides grants of $1,000 each to one Affiliate member organization in each of the six New England states, consistent with its strategic agenda goals for regional focus, visibility, and heritage preservation.

The “Our Community at Winchester” exhibit is part of the Greater New Haven Labor History Association’s ongoing mission to collect, preserve, share and celebrate the history and culture of working people in the greater New Haven area and beyond.

For more information, contact joan@laborhistory.org.

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