Italian Hall Memorial Fund
Donation protected
A memorial to the 73 people who died on Christmas Eve, 1913, in Calumet, MI.
In the year 1913, the Western Federation of Miners Union of Calumet, MI. had been striking for five months by the afternoon of Christmas Eve. The WFM auxiliary #15, led by 'Big Annie' Clemenc, planned an afternoon party for the children of the striking miners as provisions had become scarce for the families.
Approximately 300 guests were expected to attend the event in the upstairs ballroom of the Italian Hall, but hundreds more had arrived. There was only one auxiliary member checking at the crowded door for union cards when an unidentified man managed to slip in and ascend the high stairs to the party, where he shouted a false cry of 'Fire'. A panic caused a rush to the stairs to exit, resulting in mayhem where 73 children and adults suffocated in the stairwell.
The Italian Hall was razed in 1984, but the sandstone and brick archway from its front door entrance was reconstructed and became the focal point on the grounds where the building stood. The site includes informational markers, but many in the community felt that the site lacked a tribute to the people who perished there on that tragic day. A committee of local volunteers have designed this memorial monument of black granite and plan to install it in the location just beyond the arch, by the fall of 2017. It will list the names and the ages of the victims, grouped by families.
This project is possible with a donation and the support of the Calumet Village Council, donations from the Houghton Keweenaw County Genealogical Society from the sale of their book, "Families Left Behind", and donations from the public.
You may also make donations at the Village of Calumet Office located at 340 6th St. Calumet, MI 49913.
In the year 1913, the Western Federation of Miners Union of Calumet, MI. had been striking for five months by the afternoon of Christmas Eve. The WFM auxiliary #15, led by 'Big Annie' Clemenc, planned an afternoon party for the children of the striking miners as provisions had become scarce for the families.
Approximately 300 guests were expected to attend the event in the upstairs ballroom of the Italian Hall, but hundreds more had arrived. There was only one auxiliary member checking at the crowded door for union cards when an unidentified man managed to slip in and ascend the high stairs to the party, where he shouted a false cry of 'Fire'. A panic caused a rush to the stairs to exit, resulting in mayhem where 73 children and adults suffocated in the stairwell.
The Italian Hall was razed in 1984, but the sandstone and brick archway from its front door entrance was reconstructed and became the focal point on the grounds where the building stood. The site includes informational markers, but many in the community felt that the site lacked a tribute to the people who perished there on that tragic day. A committee of local volunteers have designed this memorial monument of black granite and plan to install it in the location just beyond the arch, by the fall of 2017. It will list the names and the ages of the victims, grouped by families.
This project is possible with a donation and the support of the Calumet Village Council, donations from the Houghton Keweenaw County Genealogical Society from the sale of their book, "Families Left Behind", and donations from the public.
You may also make donations at the Village of Calumet Office located at 340 6th St. Calumet, MI 49913.
Organizer and beneficiary
Village of Calumet Italian Hall Memorial Fund
Organizer
Osceola, MI
Dave Geisler
Beneficiary
