Interview with Willie Haley
Willie Haley was born in Montgomery, Alabama, and moved to Birmingham when he was two. He recalls various jobs he had in Birmingham, including ore mining. He later moved to Memphis and worked as a bricklayer. He was a member of the Steelworkers Union while in Alabama and the Bricklayers Union in Mem...
| Format: | Electronic |
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| Published: |
University of Alabama Libraries
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| Online Access: | http://purl.lib.ua.edu/54308 |
| Summary: | Willie Haley was born in Montgomery, Alabama, and moved to Birmingham when he was two. He recalls various jobs he had in Birmingham, including ore mining. He later moved to Memphis and worked as a bricklayer. He was a member of the Steelworkers Union while in Alabama and the Bricklayers Union in Memphis. Haley describes working in the mines and the dangers associated with mining. He also describes seeing many men hurt and killed in the mines. In one accident Haley discusses, a 32-ton rock fell on a man. Because they were unable to remove the rock, the company doctor gave the man an injection that "finished killing him." The doctor would never tell the workers what injections he was giving them but this particular type of injection was called "black bottom." Haley also describes living through The Depression. He says his family survived because they raised their own food. He said his family never had to accept any type of aid during this period and he's proud of this fact.The digitization of this collection was funded by a gift from EBSCO Industries. |
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