Today in Wheeling History: May 28--The Augustus Pollack monument was dedicated in Wheeling with 10,000 people in attendance (1916).
Augustus Pollack was a prominent German Jewish businessman in Wheeling, West Virginia in the late 19th century. He founded the Crown Stogies cigar company in 1871, which grew to become one of the largest cigar manufacturers in the world. Pollack was known for his progressive labor practices, treating his employees fairly and supporting labor unions at a time when this was very uncommon.
After Pollack's death in 1906, Wheeling's labor unions, led by the Garfield Assembly of International Stogie Makers, raised over $8,000 from their members to erect a large granite monument in Pollack's honor. Depicting a handshake between employee and employer, the monument was originally placed on the grounds of the old Wheeling City-County Building at the corner of 15th and Chapline Streets and dedicated on May 28, 1916 with 10,000 people in attendance. In 1956, when that building was demolished, the monument was moved to a grassy area along Main Street in North Wheeling near the on-ramp to the Fort Henry Bridge. Most recently, in 2013, the Pollack monument was restored and relocated again to Wheeling's Heritage Port area on the riverfront. The Pollack monument is thought to be the only memorial ever built by labor unions to honor an employer they respected and appreciated for his support of workers' rights and organized labor.
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/4t8jeeh8) (https://tinyurl.com/5yttpm6j) (https://tinyurl.com/mpcjxa8w) (https://tinyurl.com/ycb6bdps) (https://tinyurl.com/3hc6t99a)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV
Augustus Pollack was a prominent German Jewish businessman in Wheeling, West Virginia in the late 19th century. He founded the Crown Stogies cigar company in 1871, which grew to become one of the largest cigar manufacturers in the world. Pollack was known for his progressive labor practices, treating his employees fairly and supporting labor unions at a time when this was very uncommon.
After Pollack's death in 1906, Wheeling's labor unions, led by the Garfield Assembly of International Stogie Makers, raised over $8,000 from their members to erect a large granite monument in Pollack's honor. Depicting a handshake between employee and employer, the monument was originally placed on the grounds of the old Wheeling City-County Building at the corner of 15th and Chapline Streets and dedicated on May 28, 1916 with 10,000 people in attendance. In 1956, when that building was demolished, the monument was moved to a grassy area along Main Street in North Wheeling near the on-ramp to the Fort Henry Bridge. Most recently, in 2013, the Pollack monument was restored and relocated again to Wheeling's Heritage Port area on the riverfront. The Pollack monument is thought to be the only memorial ever built by labor unions to honor an employer they respected and appreciated for his support of workers' rights and organized labor.
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/4t8jeeh8) (https://tinyurl.com/5yttpm6j) (https://tinyurl.com/mpcjxa8w) (https://tinyurl.com/ycb6bdps) (https://tinyurl.com/3hc6t99a)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV
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