The Society\'s collections of labor union artifacts number nearly 400 items including buttons, badges, medals, banners, signs, and other ephemera dating from the 1870s to the present. The button and badge collection alone contains over 300 pieces such as convention delegate badges, event commemoratives and membership buttons from Minnesota locals of national and international trade unions. 
Along with buttons and badges, the Society maintains a collection of banners representative of union activity in Minnesota. Banners were especially popular with unions in the l9th century because of their visual impact and often featured large, colorful pictorial designs accompanied by stirring slogans. A source of pride as well as an emblem of identification, banners, along with distinctive clothing, were used in parades and conventions to distinguish particular trades.
In 1995 the Society was fortunate to acquire a late-19th century banner used by the St. Paul branch of the Journeymen Stonecutters Association of North America. Measuring nearly four feet long and three feet wide, the double-sided banner is made of red and blue silk adorned with metallic fringe and tassels.
The banner\'s front bears the maxim, "pioneers of the 8 hour day" in gold lettering, adjacent to a hand-painted depiction of a stonecutter at work. Below this image is the chapter\'s founding date of December 5, 1887. This side also bears the union label of the Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators, and Paperhangers of America, the banner\'s manufacturer. The back of the banner features a handpainted image of an upraised arm gripping a stonecutter\'s mallet.
Research is ongoing to learn more about the banner and the membership of the St. Paul stonecutters Union. Who were they? Where did they meet? What became of their organization? In addition to the banner, the Society is researching a collection of tools used by stonecutters Swan Pearson and Frank Fitzpatrick. Pearson, a Swedish immigrant, served as a foreman stonecutter for the construction of the 1891 home of railroad king James J. Hill. A resident of Maiden Rock, Wisconsin, Frank Fitzpatrick cut stone near Red Wing, MN and made headstones for cemeteries in the 1850s.
Extensive artifact collection
Although the Society\'s artifact holdings are extensive (nearly 165,000 objects), only a small portion of the collection pertains to labor unions. The staff at the Minnesota Historical Society are eager to add to the trade union collections so that future generations will have the opportunity to appreciate the important role that Minnesota labor unions have played in the state\'s history.
MHS curators are seeking a wide range of items, which need not be old, that will document the social, economic, and political aspects of trade unions throughout the state. These could include machinery and equipment manufactured and used by Minnesota unions, work clothing, photo albums, letters, family histories or diaries that talk about labor and union experiences . MHS is also interested in acquiring items related to local union activities. Records, newsletters, programs, awards, buttons, and other memorabilia are sought to help tell the story of how Minnesotans have united to protect the rights of workers.
Adam Scher is a document curator at the Minnesota Historical Society. If you would like to help preserve the history of Minnesota\'s unions and have items to contribute, please contact the Minnesota Historical Society, 345 Kellogg Boulevard West, St. Paul, MN 55102, www.mnhs.org
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The Society\’s collections of labor union artifacts number nearly 400 items including buttons, badges, medals, banners, signs, and other ephemera dating from the 1870s to the present. The button and badge collection alone contains over 300 pieces such as convention delegate badges, event commemoratives and membership buttons from Minnesota locals of national and international trade unions.
Along with buttons and badges, the Society maintains a collection of banners representative of union activity in Minnesota. Banners were especially popular with unions in the l9th century because of their visual impact and often featured large, colorful pictorial designs accompanied by stirring slogans. A source of pride as well as an emblem of identification, banners, along with distinctive clothing, were used in parades and conventions to distinguish particular trades.
In 1995 the Society was fortunate to acquire a late-19th century banner used by the St. Paul branch of the Journeymen Stonecutters Association of North America. Measuring nearly four feet long and three feet wide, the double-sided banner is made of red and blue silk adorned with metallic fringe and tassels.
The banner\’s front bears the maxim, "pioneers of the 8 hour day" in gold lettering, adjacent to a hand-painted depiction of a stonecutter at work. Below this image is the chapter\’s founding date of December 5, 1887. This side also bears the union label of the Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators, and Paperhangers of America, the banner\’s manufacturer. The back of the banner features a handpainted image of an upraised arm gripping a stonecutter\’s mallet.
Research is ongoing to learn more about the banner and the membership of the St. Paul stonecutters Union. Who were they? Where did they meet? What became of their organization? In addition to the banner, the Society is researching a collection of tools used by stonecutters Swan Pearson and Frank Fitzpatrick. Pearson, a Swedish immigrant, served as a foreman stonecutter for the construction of the 1891 home of railroad king James J. Hill. A resident of Maiden Rock, Wisconsin, Frank Fitzpatrick cut stone near Red Wing, MN and made headstones for cemeteries in the 1850s.
Extensive artifact collection
Although the Society\’s artifact holdings are extensive (nearly 165,000 objects), only a small portion of the collection pertains to labor unions. The staff at the Minnesota Historical Society are eager to add to the trade union collections so that future generations will have the opportunity to appreciate the important role that Minnesota labor unions have played in the state\’s history.
MHS curators are seeking a wide range of items, which need not be old, that will document the social, economic, and political aspects of trade unions throughout the state. These could include machinery and equipment manufactured and used by Minnesota unions, work clothing, photo albums, letters, family histories or diaries that talk about labor and union experiences . MHS is also interested in acquiring items related to local union activities. Records, newsletters, programs, awards, buttons, and other memorabilia are sought to help tell the story of how Minnesotans have united to protect the rights of workers.
Adam Scher is a document curator at the Minnesota Historical Society. If you would like to help preserve the history of Minnesota\’s unions and have items to contribute, please contact the Minnesota Historical Society, 345 Kellogg Boulevard West, St. Paul, MN 55102, www.mnhs.org