WAUBarnettEugene4553.xml Guide to the Eugene Barnett Oral History Collection 1940, 1961 Barnett (Eugene) Oral History Collection Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries ©2007 (Last modified: 1/31/2020)
Allen Library BOX 352900 Seattle, Washington 98195-2900 Business Number: 206-543-1929 speccoll@uw.edu http://www.lib.washington.edu/specialcollections/
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-02-11. Finding aid written in English. Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard). Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries Eugene Barnett oral history collection Barnett, Eugene, 1892-1973 4553 0.21 cubic feet 1 box containing 3 sound cassettes (circa 154 min.), 1 transcript (24 pages) 1940, 1961 Trade unionist Collection materials are in English.

Eugene Barnett (1892-1973) was born in Caldwell, North Carolina. He worked as a mineworker from the age of eight. After moving to Southwest Washington sometime after 1908, he joined the Industrial Workers of the World. On November 11, 1919, he witnessed the attack on the IWW union hall in Centralia, was arrested, tried, and imprisoned for eleven years. After his release to care for his ill wife, he worked as a miner and in various other occupations.

Oral histories of Eugene Barnett (1940 and 1961), transcript. In a self interview or speech (1940), Barnett describes his life as a miner. Barnett witnessed the Centralia Tragedy of 1919. The event occurred when I crowd inclusing American Legion members attacked the Industrial Workers of the World union hall in Centralia, Washington on November 11, 1919. Becker described his imprisonment in the aftermath and his life afterwards. In the 1960 interview Archie Green interviews Barnett about additional details of his life and his strong belief in the labor union movement.

Listen to the 1961 interview conducted by Archie Green on the Libraries Digital Collections site.

Open to all users.

Request at UW

Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries

Donated by William Friedland, 11/21/1995

Wikidata is available for this collection

Friedland, William H Green, Archie Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington) Centralia Massacre, Centralia, Wash., 1919 Labor disputes--Washington (State)--Centralia Massacres--Washington (State)--Centralia Lumber industry--Labor unions--Washington (State) Labor History Labor Unions Mines and Mineral Resources Washington (State) Eugene Barnett oral history collection 4553-001 Box 1