The Kate Mullany House was the home of Kate Mullany (1845–1906), an early female labor leader who started the all-women Collar Laundry Union in Troy, New York in February 1864. It was one of the first women's unions that lasted longer than the resolution of a specific issue. It is located at 350 8th Street in Troy, just off NY 7 one empty lot east of the Collar City Bridge.

Kate Mullany House
Kate Mullany House is located in New York
Kate Mullany House
Location350 8th Street, Troy, NY
Coordinates42°44′23.64″N 73°40′54.49″W / 42.7399000°N 73.6818028°W / 42.7399000; -73.6818028
Built1869
Architectural styleItalianate
NRHP reference No.98000453
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 1, 1998[1]
Designated NHLDApril 1, 1998[2]
Designated NHSDecember 3, 2004[3]

The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1998.[2][4] It is now a National Historic Site. The site also includes Mullany's grave. The New York State Senate honored the house and its most famous resident for Women's History Month in March 2007.[5] The house is also on the New York Women's Heritage Trail.[6]

Designation as a National Historic Site

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Then First Lady Hillary Clinton toured the house in 2000, and named it as a "treasure".[7] Senator Daniel P. Moynihan had introduced a bill to designate the home as a National Historic Site, but the bill languished in the United States Senate.

Senator Clinton took up the bill in January 2001 when Moynhian retired, and she advocated for the home.[8] There were hearings on the bill,[9] and the Congressional Budget Office undertook an official budget analysis for the United States Congress.[10] The bill was co-sponsored by Senator Clinton and Representative Mike McNulty, supported by organized labor,[11] and was passed into law.[12] It is an affiliated area of the National Park Service; it remains privately owned and operated but the NPS provides technical support.

On November 10, 2020, a car crashed through the building's back wall. Though no one was injured, the National Park Service reported that the "damage to the back wall was so extensive that engineers worried the second floor might collapse". Before the incident, the site was planned to open in late 2020.[13]

The site was officially opened to the public on June 10, 2023 with a public celebration hosted by Paul Cole, executive director of the American Labor Studies Center who helped organize fundraising for the site.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ a b "S.1241 - Kate Mullany National Historic Site Act".
  3. ^ "Kate Mullany House". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. September 15, 2007.
  4. ^ Page Putnam Miller; Jill S. Mesirow; Andrew Laas; John W. Bond; Rachel Bliven (September 4, 1997). "National Historic Landmark Nomination—Kate Mullany House" (pdf). National Park Service. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying 2 photos, from 1994. (493 KB)
  5. ^ NY State Senate Women's History month web page Archived 2003-07-26 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed January 24, 2008.
  6. ^ New York Women's Heritage Trail official web site Archived 2008-03-29 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed January 24, 2008.
  7. ^ First Lady's official web site Treasure Tour page. Accessed January 24, 2008.
  8. ^ Senator Clinton's official issues page. Accessed January 24, 2008.
  9. ^ Hearing Testimony on the Kate Mullany House NHS bill. Accessed January 24, 2008.
  10. ^ Congressional Budget Office official web site page on the cost estimate. Accessed January 24, 2008.
  11. ^ Bill for NHS from the Teamsters web site. Accessed January 24, 2008.
  12. ^ Bill passed, Mike McNulty's official web site. Accessed January 24, 2008. Archived December 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Ward, Deborah. "Crash threatens historic Kate Mullany House". National Park Service. Published March 2021. Accessed June 22, 2023.
  14. ^ Belmont, Molly. "Kate Mullany National Historic Site announces official opening." NYSUT Communications. Published April 3, 2023. Accessed June 22, 2023.
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