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.
The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1998. and 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.NY State Senate Women's History month web page . Accessed January 24, 2008. The house is also on the New York Women's Heritage Trail.New York Women's Heritage Trail official web site . Accessed January 24, 2008.
Designation as a National Historic Site Then First Lady Hillary Clinton toured the house in 2000, and named it as a "treasure".First Lady's official web site Treasure Tour page . Accessed January 24, 2008. 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 Moynihan retired, and she advocated for the home.Senator Clinton's official issues page . Accessed January 24, 2008. There were hearings on the bill,Hearing Testimony on the Kate Mullany House NHS bill. Accessed January 24, 2008. and the Congressional Budget Office undertook an official budget analysis for the United States Congress.Congressional Budget Office official web site page on the cost estimate. Accessed January 24, 2008. The bill was co-sponsored by Senator Clinton and Representative Mike McNulty, supported by organized labor,Bill for NHS from the Teamsters web site . Accessed January 24, 2008. and was passed into law.Bill passed, Mike McNulty's official web site. Accessed January 24, 2008. 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.Ward, Deborah. "Crash threatens historic Kate Mullany House". National Park Service. Published March 2021. Accessed June 22, 2023.
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.Belmont, Molly. "Kate Mullany National Historic Site announces official opening." NYSUT Communications. Published April 3, 2023. Accessed June 22, 2023.
References
External links
Places Where Women Made History: the Kate Mullany House, at National Park Service Wiawaka web site page on Kate Mullany . Accessed January 24, 2008.