Newest Exhibit

1929 STRIKE:
A Community
Divided

The Gaston County Museum’s upcoming exhibit, 1929 STRIKE: A Community Divided, explores the details of the iconic 1929 Loray Mill Strike, including why strikers chose to organize with the National Textile Workers Union (NTWU) and how the strike influenced mills across the country.

The exhibit brings to life the living and working conditions of mill workers in Gaston County leading up to the strike and life in the mills as told from the contrasting viewpoints of workers and mill owners. Additionally, visitors will learn about the deaths of strike leader Ella May Wiggins and Police Chief O. F. Aderholt, and how the influence of communism in Gaston County ignited and divided the mill communities.

The Gaston County Museum’s exhibit is the first of its kind to delve into the storied history of the 1929 Loray Mill Strike. In presenting 1929 STRIKE: A Community Divided, the Museum hopes to challenge the viewer to consider what is right, what is fair, and what it means to protest, as these themes are now as timely as ever.