Browse Items · Documenting the Scranton Lace Company

Article about the laceworks

Newspaper article about the reason behind a dining trip. In 1907 the mayor of Scranton took the laceworks football club to dinner.

Small image of men's soccer team

The Scranton Lace Company pushed for a community type environment for their company. One of these many community like activities was a men’s soccer team. This image was taken in 1905, and there are more images such as this taken in later dates.

Men at a dining table

12 men surrounding a fine dining table, all dressed well. These were most likely higher members of the factory and we could assume that meetings such as this were common for many types of events.

Men in Suites

Thirty-five men pose for a picture while standing in front of a door that leads to the Scranton Lace Factory. They all seem to be wealthy for the time while all of them are wearing various colors of suites and ties.

Stag Party for N. Robertson

On the photograph the words, "Stag Party for N.G. Robertson by the men of the Scranton lace company. Located in the crystal ballroom May 26th, 1927 Hotel Casey." are written at the bottom. Three couples stand in the middle of the Hotel Casey ballroom with a man on the left standing with them. On either side of the ballroom, several men dressed up for the occasion sit down and stare at the camera. The men of the Scranton Lace Company have come together and hosted a celebration for the soon-to-be-married N.G. Robertson with a “Stag party,” which, strangely is the British term for a bachelor's party. The man who stands with the other couples on the left side likely planned or set up the party. This explains why he is in this photo even though he doesn’t seem to be a part of the bride and groom’s group according to the other photograph in this series “N.G Robertson Stag Party” which features only the bridal party for the wedding. A bachelor party is reserved for men to celebrate the groom’s marriage. However there are three women present, N.G Robertson’s wife, who remains nameless even in the caption on the photo. There are two other women present with their couples, they are on either side of Mr. and Mrs. Robertson dressed similarly (the photograph N.G Roberston Stag Party shows a closer photo of the bridal group), and they are likely the best men and women. The women came in for photos and promptly left to allow the men to mingle a party as per the typical pre-marriage traditions. However, there is a bit of sweetness in such a small gesture as the groom, Robertson, had taken the time to be photographed with his wife during the party. The party was hosted by the men of the Scranton Lace Company, making it likely that N.G Robertson worked there. However, hosting a large party for just any worker getting married is very demanding. N.G. Robertson was a higher-up respected by the company and when news of his engagement spread, it resulted in this party. The guests are also friends of N.G.Robertson’s or coworkers at the company. They were also possibly a part of the upper management and business side of the company based on the clothes and location of the stag party, The Hotel Casey. Hotel Casey, designed by Charles E. Weatherhog and ran by Patrick and Andrew J. Casey, was a famous hotel in Scranton. It was opened in 1911 and was one of the most popular hotels in the northeastern U.S. It had eleven stories and 250 rooms. The Hotel hosted many Stag parties like N.G. Robertson’s and even hosted speeches and meetings for influential people. In 2001 Hotel Casey was demolished and turned into a parking garage and a place for many small businesses in the area. The Scranton Lace Company valued (at least on paper and from what we’ve seen), a community their workers can thrive in. Sports teams, parade marches, and even wedding parties for their coworkers, the company wanted to build a sense of community that contrasts the harsh work environment of repetitive work, and heavy machinery. The factory held bowling alleys and barber shops, allowing the working-class people to feel a sense of normalcy and relaxation from their daily heavy work. It isn't surprising that the upper management would hold this sentiment closely and host a party for their coworker, it shows how much of a close-knit community the Scranton Lace Company had built.

Scranton Lace Company Parade