Socialist Labor Party Hall - Barre VT - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The Socialist Labor Party Hall at 46 Granite Street, Barre, Vermont was constructed in 1900. It was the leading place were debates took place among anarchists, socialists, and union leaders over the future direction of the labor movement in United States in the early 20th century

Located in the former Italian section of Barre, the Socialist Labor Party Hall is a two story flat-roofed brick structure with a gambrel-roofed single story rear hall. It is associated with Barre's rich ethnic heritage, specifically the vital Italian community that immigrated to Barre at the end of the 19th century.

The direct association of this property with the labor movement, community, and the immigration of Italians makes it one of Barre's most important buildings.


The building was constructed in 1900 by volunteers of the Italian community as a meeting hall for the Socialist Labor Party, a political group dedicated to social and labor reform. The Hall provided the community with a place to meet, organize, and socialize. Dances, boxing and wrestling matches were held here. In 1901, the Co-Operative store was started in the basement to provide necessities for the community.

When the Hall opened in 1900, more than 90 percent of Barre's workers belonged to one of 15 local unions, many of them probably attended union meetings and political rallies held here. From 1900 to 1936 the building held the offices and meetings of the Granite Cutters International Association, at the time the largest local union of granite workers in the country. Labors leaders such as Eugene Debs and Samuel Gompers are known to have visited Barre and, although unconfirmed, likely spoke at the Hall.

During textile strikes taking place in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the Italian community in Barre sheltered 35 children of those striking workers, all of whom were received at the Hall. During one political gathering in 1903, illustrating the sometimes volatile nature of political groups at this time, an argument broke out between socialists and anarchists, ending in the essentially random but fatal shooting of Elia Corti, a prominent Italian stone carver responsible for the panels on the Robert Burns Memorial statue in Barre.

In 1936, the Hall was sold and converted to a warehouse for The Washington Fruit Company and later the Vermont Pak Tomato company.

The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2000.

In 1995 the Hall was purchased by the Barre Historical Society, with much support, to restore it as a library, community meeting hall, and social club. The Labor Hall was flooded due to rain on July 10–11, 2007. Four feet of water flooded the basement, damaging walls, equipment, and the archived documents stored in the basement.

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Street address: 46 Granite St Barre, VT County / Borough / Parish: Washington Year listed: 1998 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event Periods of significance: 1900-1924, 1925-1949 Historic function: Commerce/Trade, Recreation And Culture, Social Current function: Work In Progress Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 1: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   06/26/2010 nomadwillie visited it