A Greenwich Village Legacy: The Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911

There were over 500 employees at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory – most were young women, most were recent immigrants. On March 25, 1911, a fire broke out on the 8th floor. Workers ran to the fire escape. It collapsed, dropping them to their deaths. People on the street watched as the workers began to jump out the windows. Fire trucks arrived but their ladders only reached the 6th floor. The elevators ran as long as they could as workers pressed into the cars; some tumbled down the elevator shaft. In the end 146 people died. As a family descendant of one of the victims, 18 year old Annie Nicholas, Salmagundi member Debbie Wells lectures about the factory and the fire, as well as her journey to uncover her personal family connection through speaking to historians at Cornell University, New York Times and HBO, and especially the Remember the Triangle Coalition whose latest project is to create a Triangle Fire Memorial.

Hosted by the Salmagundi Club, co-sponsored by Village Preservation.

This very special presentation will begin at Salmagundi’s entrance at 6:30PM with a walk down Fifth Avenue to the site of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire for a brief talk before returning to Salmagundi for the 7:30PM lecture.