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<\/a><\/p>\nThese quotes are all part of a larger story currently being told in a new exhibit on Level B of Homer Babbidge Library.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur Community at Winchester: An Elm City Story\u201d is the story of the Olin-Winchester Repeating Arms plant, one of New Haven\u2019s most important employers of the 20th<\/sup> century.<\/p>\n The history of the plant and the stories of its workers are told in 35 display boards of oral histories, photographs and other documents such as newspaper clippings and company memos.\u00a0\u00a0 They chronicle the company\u2019s creation in the late 1800s up to the aftermath of its closure in 2006. Like many large corporations, it has had its fair share of triumphs, struggles and controversies.<\/p>\n The elements of the exhibit, compiled by Joan Cavanagh, archivist and director of the Greater New Haven Labor History Association, tell the story of labor struggles, union battles, racial tensions and impact on the community brought on by the manufacturing giant.<\/p>\n The exhibit will be on display until June 13, 2016. It\u2019s definitely something to check out, whether you need a quick study break or just want to learn something new.<\/p>\n There will also be a reception and gallery talk April 18, 4:30-6:30 p.m.\u00a0titled \u201cWorkers at Winchester: Community, Contradictions and Struggle\u201d by Joan Cavanaugh, Archivist\/Director of the Greater New Haven Labor History Association.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cThese big corporations see us as numbers, not names. They\u2019d just as soon write you off as look at you.\u201d \u201cThis was a booming area for manufacturing, now there\u2019s nothing.\u201d \u201cWinchester was an integrated part of the community, and the … Continue reading <\/a>Especially compelling are the oral history accounts, which were collected by Dorothy Johnson and Lula White, two sisters whose father worked at Winchester. The accounts, both positive and negative, paint a picture of life for the various workers at the plant. Along with photos of the interviewees, quotes and background information give a vibrant overview of each of their individual experiences and often, struggles.<\/p>\n