Label
Watchman’s Club, 1935-1936
Harry L. Hall (1878-1956)
West Rutland, Vermont
Burned wood
Gift of William Hall, #2018.19
The lengthy and violent Vermont Marble strike of 1935 and 1936 gained national attention and, though the strikers gained no concessions, led to federal labor legislation. Harry Hall served as a night watchman at the West Rutland facility during the time of the strike. He vividly documented the strike on his “billy club” with a woodburning tool. Imagery shows bridges dynamited, strikers beaten, trains derailed, and the leader of the company and strikers depicted as a pig and rat respectively. A summary of the strike can be found near the handle of the club and reads, “power lines blasted, RR track blasted, bridge blasted, windows stoned, property damaged, street fights, heads cracked, a good time had by all.”