The records of the Western Massachusetts locals and district councils of the UBCJA documents the rise of unionization among carpenters in the Connecticut River Valley since the 1880s. This collection represents a merger of separate accessions for the District Councils in Springfield (MS 110), the Pioneer Valley (MS 231), and Holyoke (MS 108), along with post-merger records for Local 108. In general, each has been maintained as a distinct series.
Oral history with the Gagnon family, part of the Franco-American community in Springfield since 1953. Topics include their participation in Franco-American activities at St. Joseph’s Church, their interest in Franco-American studies, and what nationality means to them, as people with roots in America, Canada, and France.
Collection includes statutes and by-laws, minutes, administrative records, correspondence, financial records and receipts, scholarship records, publications, records of programs and events, and artifacts and ephemera.
Interview includes discussions of: Maine legislature; Democratic National Committee; Maine Democratic Party (1952-1954); 1954 Maine gubernatorial campaign; Maine Governor (1955- 1956) ; 1956 Maine gubernatorial campaign; Maine Governor (1957-1958); 1968 Vice Presidential campaign; Muskie’s Presidential campaign (1969-1972); Denis Blais personal information; the merger of AFL and CIO; the revival of the Democratic party; the connection between Democratic Party and Labor; the Frank Coffin gubernatorial campaign; Blais’s election records from 1950; and the 1968 Democratic Convention.
