Organized labor celebrated May Day 1902 in
Morganfield, Kentucky with a day of festivities. A look at the typical May Day activities is provided in the Evansville Journal News on Friday, 2 May 1902, page 1.
May day was
celebrated here yesterday by the different branches of organized labor. It was
the most largely attended and widely represented celebration of the kind ever
held in Western Kentucky.
The crowd
assembled at Young's Grove early in the day. The committee in charge had
everything in order before the crowd arrived. There were 30 head of sheep, 15
shoats, 15 lambs, 10 calves, 2 beeves for meats and these were barbecued by Tom
Sparks, considered an expert in that line. The arrangements committee consisted
of John Jarbeau, Henry Veach, James Threlkeld, James Sickling and Charles
Morehead.
The
following organizations participated in the festivities: Local 9757, composed
of teamsters, painters, paper hangers, carpenters, bricklayers, machinists and
laborers; 1123, U.M.W. of A., of DeKoven; 8989, Federation of Labor of Uniontown;
1414, U.M.W. of A. of Uniontown; 836, U.M.W. of Sturgis; 990, U.M.W. of
Grangertown; 119, Federation of Labor, teamsters, of Sturgis.
The music
for the occasion was furnished by the DeKoven corncert [sic] band, director and leader, Joe Young, C.P. Neggie, Ben
Hieronymous, Fred Newcomb, William Walker, Jim Boettiger, S. Newcomb, F.
Shipley, Wes. Ames, H. Spragues, C. Spragues, E. Ames and William McKinley.
The speakers
for the occasion included E.P. Taler, of Owensboro, John Brashear, of
Madisonville, Wm. Howell, and Judge Clements of Morganfield. Judge Clements
made an appeal for Marshall Hubby, a boy about 17 years old who had lost his
leg in an accident in one of the mines, and $150 was quickly subscribed for the
purpose of securing an artificial leg for the lad.
The
celebration of May Day in Morganfield was one of the most successful ever held
in Western Kentucky. There was no liquor on the ground, but there were barrels
of ice water and lemonade, and coffee was served hot to those who wanted it.
Another
celebration will be held the 4th of July at Sturgis.
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