Our Community at Winchester: An Elm City Story

An exhibit produced by the Greater New Haven Labor History Association

Curator: Joan Cavanagh, Archivist and Director

Creative Direction, Design and Production: Jeanne Criscola, Criscola Design

Image Re-mastering and Digitization: Cynthia Beth Rubin, Jeanne Criscola

Oral History Interviewers: Dorothy Johnson, Lula White, Mary Johnson

Videographers: James Hoffecker and Bill Berndtson

Research and Writing: Joan Cavanagh

Exhibit Set-up: Peter Vollemans and Alessandra Nichols

Funding Partners:
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
The Phoebe Foundation
Members and friends of the Greater New Haven Labor History Association
Connecticut Humanities

We thank the following organizations, publications and individuals for their contributions to the content of the exhibit:
Arthur Bosley (oral history)
Marcia Biederman (oral history)
Charles Bimonte (artifacts)

Jason Bischoff-Wurstle, Director of Photo Archives, New Haven Museum and Historical Society

James Campbell, Curator, Whitney Library,, New Haven Museum and Historical Society (for photograph of Thomas J. Boak, Winchester Works Manager and for providing access to the library’s materials on Winchester Repeating Arms, including its employee and company publications)

Suzanne Cooney (images of McDermott’s Tavern)

Connecticut Historical Society (image of Winchester women packing bullets, 1877)

Everett Corey, Directing Business Representative, IAM District 26 (Local 609 Records)

Maryann Davies (image of Winchester Safety Outing 1946 and WELI interview, early 1950s)

Employee and company newspapers at Winchester Repeating Arms: Winchester Life, Olin News, Target

Robert Erff (oral history, artifacts)

The late James Foster (oral history)

Craig Gauthier (oral history)

Emmanuel Gomez (oral history, artifacts)

Mary J. Gregory (artifacts)

Herbert G. Houze (early Winchester photographs from his book, Winchester Repeating Arms Company: its history and development from 1865 to 1981, copyright 2004)

Mary Jo Inofrio (information from her book, Captive of the Labyrinth: Sarah L. Winchester, Heiress to the Rifle Fortune, copyright 2010)

Claretha McKnight (oral history)

New Haven Register (several articles about struggles at Winchester; the Register celebrated its 200th anniversary in New Haven in 2012)

Marge Ottenbreit (oral history)

John Reynolds (focus group discussion, Local 609 Records)

Raymond Simms (oral history)

Joe Taylor and the People’s Daily World (1979-1980 strike photographs)

Steve Thornton (information and images from his book, A Shoeleather History of the Wobblies: Stories of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in Connecticut, copyright 2014)

Christopher Wagoner and Charles Micallef, Winpisinger Center for Education and Technology (who twice hosted presentations about the Victory Lodge and the planned exhibit at their Local Lodge History week long workshop at Placid Harbor)

David White (focus group discussion)

Edward E. Ulrich (artifacts)

Lawrence Young (oral history, artifacts)

We also thank all of the retired Winchester workers whose oral histories are not yet included in the exhibit content. They are being preserved and will be made available.