The arched door on the left of the lower photo is all that remains of the Italian Hall, seen above, 98 years later. For more pictures and info on the tragedy which occurred here, see Copper Country Reflections. If you have Real Player, you can click here to hear the story as told by Jack Foster.

My Aunt, the late Gladys M. Matheson, was supposed to attend that party. She came down with a very bady cold, and as a result had to stay home. She died in Arlington, Virginia in l983, at the age of 83. She often told us the story and how a bad cold saved her.
Bruce J. Penn
Sanford, FL.
unreconstructed1@msn.com

Where exactly is that doorway? I grew up between Hancock and Calumet and never saw that Arch! Although we all heard about the tragedy behind the Hall Story.

Good to see that the Keweenaw's gonna have a White Christmas after all. I had my fingers crossed! Remembering back to last Christmas in my toasty apt. on Shelden St. and missing the U.P...

My grandfather help to build the hall. He took my mother there for the Christmas program when some one had yelled fire. He knew where the fire escapes were and led people and my mother out down the fire escapes.
That was a very sad time for the village of Calumet and it's people, but I thank God that my grand dad got my mom out of there.

The Arts Center in Hancock did a photo exhibit of the Italian Hall at one time. It was extremely eerie. Very powerful to see.

Happy Holidays to my Pasty Pals! And a special one to Charlie and the crew, especially the regular photographers...Dan, Steve, etc...you guys do make this a real special place to stop every day! Thanks and, keep doing what you do best! God Bless!

Italian Hall stood at the NW corner of 7th and Elm and I remember walking past it many times on my way to and from my Aunt and Uncle's 7th Street home before the walls came tumbling down. The standing archway is a nice tribute.
Now for a little Christmas cheer, here's a shot of a pasty shop window in Truro, Cornwall courtesy of: Cornwall Cam

there is a poem written by woody guthrie (father of arlo) .."this land is your land " about the italian hall fire. in addition, there is a listing on the michigan genweb site of the victims of the fire. I was quite surprised to see who they were...not shom I was led to believe as a child.

My old apartment manager was Joe Marko. He was in the hall at the time of the incident. I wonder if any one knows of his family. I know they moved to the mines in Minnisota. He was in Milwaukee 1982. He was just a kid and his sister held him from running down the stairway.

Cousin Jack, thanks for sending the Cornwall Cam. I loved seeing where my forebears once lived in
Cornwall. Boy, those pasties by Santa are kinda chubby, aren't they?

Hi, here is a site http://www.volcanomedia.com/lvg/calumet/ It is a film project about the song 1913 massacre and the hall .I was lucky to be given as a gift , the mortgage papers for the hall in about 1980..Thanks to Fred Marcy!!I hope to get them to the Michigan Tech archives or the park service someday.

Polly in Milwaukee,

The Woody Guthrie song about the disaster is called, 1913 Massacre on an album by his son, Arlo recorded in 1972. Woody had previously recorded it.

My mom first told me the story of the Italian Hall when I was about 4. I still remember that she went into that building when she was 7 ot 8 before it was torn down.

I remember standing on Elm street with my grandpa when they were tearing down the Italian Hall. They claimed the building was ready to collapse and was a huge liability. When the crane operator took the first swing, the wrecking ball just bounced off. It was sad to see just how sturdy the old building still was. Many wish it could have been saved.

Abe, thanks for the first-hand account of the demolition. This seems to refute the theory that the building was ready to fall on the next passerby on the west side of Seventh. It is a pity such a historic building couldn't be preserved.

This story reminded me of my Great Grandmother "Gram" (although my mother says that is not her name I am sure it is) Helen Putansu.
She would tell my sisters and I about being in the Italian Hall fire. Of course being very small we had no idea what that meant. We went to school at Morrison Elementary School, which if you will recall was right across the street, and saw that building every day.
The story was that my Gram went to the program with her mother and siblings, her mother being pregnant at the time, she remembers seeing a little girl with blonde hair done in long ring cirls wearing a red dress singing Jingle Bells when someone screamed "Fire".
Her mother kept her children with her as best she could as everyone rushed to the door that would end up causing so many deaths, but her sons were lost in the panic.
She took my great grandmother and her sisters and had to jump out of a second story window to get out. The boys could not find their mother (how they got out no one can even remember now,)nor she them, they had to walk amongst all of the dead looking for the boys. (How she could have stood that I will never know). The boys couldn't find their mother either so they did what they thought best and went home. Thank goodness for little boys who know to go home when something like this happens, and for mothers who keep their wits about them. Still such a tragedy in history.
Of course my beloved Gram is no longer with us, just as the building no longer stands, but some memories seem to stay with you a good long time.

I am a published author beginning research for a book about the Italian Hall disaster and am looking for any information or input about it. I can be reached at Zenhandyman@aol.com

It took a lot of time, studies, and thought to demolish the building. It wasn't an easy thing to do. That is why the arch was resurrected. Peggy Germain, area historian, wanted a memorial as did the labor union heads. That is why the present site is even there and not a pile of rubble. Many people worked to fight for a site to tribute the victims and their families.