Veterans Memorial Park at Hayden Heights
Introduction
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This park features several monuments and memorials and is named after Paterson's first park commissioner, labor activist, and WWI cavalry veteran, William Hayden. During the 1940s, Hayden became a representative of the AFL-CIO and worked to organize textile workers in the South. The region and industry had long been resistant to organized labor, and at several times, Hayden faced hired guns who forced him to leave a town at the risk of being shot. Despite these threats, he continued to work on behalf of better working conditions and wages for Southern textile workers.
Images
The memorial park includes several monuments and a static display of a tank. The memorial on the hill includes several plaques that honor veterans of multiple wars and conflicts.
The First World War by John Keegan-click the link below for more information about this book.
Culture of Misfortune: An Interpretive History of Textile Unionism in the United States by Clete Daniel--click the link below for more information about this book.
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
To learn more about the history of World War I or the history of labor unions in the textile industry, please consider these recommended books.