x
  1. Home
  2.  Entertainment

Terence Powderly and the rise of labor

| 10 May 2013 | 04:55
    The 10th annual convention of the Knights of Labor at Richmond, Virginia in 1886. Frank J. Ferrell, colored delegate of district assembly no. 49, introducing General Master Workman Terence V. Powderly to the convention.
    The 10th annual convention of the Knights of Labor at Richmond, Virginia in 1886. Frank J. Ferrell, colored delegate of district assembly no. 49, introducing General Master Workman Terence V. Powderly to the convention.

Historian Robert Powell will present a talk entitled “Terence Powderly, the Knights of Labor and the Labor Union Movement in the Lackawanna Valley” at the Dorflinger-Suydam Wildlife Sanctuary on Thursday, May 16 at 11 a.m. as part of the Sanctuary’s Lectures and Lunch series.

The presentation will be held in the Blough Building on the Sanctuary grounds. A lunch will follow. There is no charge for the lecture, but there is a fee for the lunch (members of the Sanctuary $10; non-members $12). Reservations are necessary. Call 570-253-1185 or e-mail suydam@ptd.net. Space is limited.

S. Robert Powell, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Carbondale Historical Society, is recognized as an expert on regional history with an emphasis on the Carbondale area.

He will present a talk on Carbondale native Terence Powderly and the rise of the Knights of Labor, one of the largest labor organizations of the 19th century. Powderly served as the head of the Knights and Mayor of the city of Scranton. He was appointed US Commissioner General of Immigration by President William McKinley and later worked for the Bureau of Immigration.

Dr. Powell is currently writing a definitive history of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company’s gravity railroad that ran from Carbondale to Honesdale. The focus of the book is the technological and sociological history of the company, with an emphasis on the people who made the system work on a daily basis. Additional information about the Society can be found on their internet site www.carbondalehistorical.org.

The Dorflinger-Suydam Wildlife Sanctuary is a 600-acre property with hiking and nature trails. It is home to the Dorflinger Glass Museum and the Wildflower Music Festival. On Thursday, June 13, author Tom Klopfer will talk about the culture, customs and unique speech patterns of the people in northeastern Pennsylvania. Bernie McGurl will talk about the rebirth of the Lackawanna River on Thursday, July 25. Additional information is available at: www.dorflinger.org.

The Dorflinger-Suydam Wildlife Sanctuary is located on Long Ridge Road and Elizabeth Street in White Mills.