Strike Ends in Hopedale
On this day in 1913, a 13-week strike at the Draper Corporation in Hopedale ended in failure, and the workers returned to their jobs. This was a time of labor unrest throughout the country, but the Draper family was shocked that their workers would strike. The corporation provided them with decent housing, modern utilities, even recreational facilities. Ebenezer Draper originally came to Hopedale in the 1840s. He was a major investor in and a resident of the utopian community that thrived there for over a decade. When the community failed in 1856, Ebenezer and his brother converted it into a successful manufacturing venture. The Drapers continued the tradition of social reform by making Hopedale a model company town. Today it is part of the Blackstone National Heritage Corridor.
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