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Vol. 26:1 ISSN 0160-8460 March 1998
Preserving the Rich History of a Vermont Town
Aldrich Public Library Archives of Barre History, Barre, Vermont
The Aldrich Public Library Archives of Barre History, organized in 1974, is the major repository for material documenting the 200-year history of Barre, Vermont. As the result of NHPRC Grant No. 93-073, a number of collections held by the library were arranged and described. An illustrated guide to these collections was published in 1997.
Barre was profoundly influenced in its development by the dramatic expansion of the local granite industry following the installation of a rail line in 1875. Highly skilled craftsmen were attracted to the community from the quarry districts of Europe to quarry, cut, and carve the granite memorials which made Barre prominent in the stone industry. Trade unionism was already a familiar phenomenon in the quarry districts of Europe, and organized labor became a way of life in Barre. By 1900, the Barre branch of the Granite Cutters' National Union was the largest in the United States, with over 1,000 members.
Cultural life in Barre also took on new dimensions with the coming of the many immigrant groups. The Italian community, for example, formed an independent opera company which performed such favorites as Il Trovatore on the stage of the Barre Opera House. Ethnic groups like Clan Gordon No. 12 of the Order of Scottish Clans were organized; No. 12 grew to be the largest Scottish society in the country, with upwards of 500 members.
Many of those who came to Barre from abroad also brought with them a passionate interest in politics. Socialism and anarchism found many adherents in the community, and during the early decades of this century as many as eight different Italian-language political newspapers were published in Barre. Several of them have been preserved on microfilm and are a part of the archives' holdings.
Among the holdings of the Archives of Barre History are club and organizational records, church records dating from 1796, records of academic institutions in the area, personal papers, and business records. Of particular interest to researchers are items associated with Barre's labor and political history, its literary and artistic heritage, its industrial development, and its ethnic heritage. We wish to thank Marjorie Strong, Archivist, for providing the photographs that appear here and on the last page of this issue.
Main Street in downtown Barre, Vermont, ca. 1915. Photograph courtesy of the Aldrich Public Library. Settled in 1781, Barre, Vermont, is a rural community with a population of 17,500 and a remarkable past. The granite quarries and manufacturing plants of the "Granite Capital of the World" have attracted immigrants from Europe, Canada, and the Middle East since the 1880s. Today, Barre is one of only a handful of Vermont communities with a culturally diverse population, boasting some 15 distinct ethnic groups, including Danish, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Irish, Italian, Lebanese, Norwegian, Polish, Scottish, Spanish, Swedish, and Yugoslavian.
Interior of the Barre Opera House, ca. 1900. Photograph from the Barre Opera House Collection, courtesy of the Aldrich Public Library. The Barre Opera House currently occupies the second and third stories of Barre City Hall, which was constructed in 1899 after a fire destroyed the original 1886 structure. The Barre Opera House opened in 1886 with an active schedule of theater, musical programs, and lectures sponsored by the Barre Entertainment Association. The theater was closed in 1944, but, through community effort, the Barre Opera House was able to
Lelia Corti Comolli (far right) with her parents, Maria and Elia Corti, and her sister, Emma. Photograph from the Lelia Corti Comolli Papers (1897-1982), courtesy of the Aldrich Public Library. Lelia Corti Comolli was the daughter of sculptor Elia Corti, who was assassinated on October 3, 1903, on the steps of Socialist Hall in Barre. She was a graduate of Spaulding High School's Teacher Training Program in 1917. In 1922 she married Armando A. Comolli, owner of Comolli Brothers, a granite manufacturing company. After her marriage, she taught English to Italian and Spanish immigrants.
Dr. Joe Jackson (second from left, standing) with the medical staff at Camp George H. Thomas, Chickamauga National Military Park, Georgia, June 25, 1898. Dr. Joseph W. Jackson acted as health officer for the city of Barre, Vermont, during the years 1903 to 1905 and held that office at the state level from 1905 to 1912. During the Spanish-American War, he served as assistant surgeon of the First Regiment of the Vermont National Guard, and was later active in the United Spanish War Veterans' Association. He was also active in the Boy Scouts of America and in freemasonry. Photograph from the Dr. Joseph W. Jackson Papers (1868-1937), courtesy of the Aldrich Public Library, Barre, Vermont.
