How Labor Day, born of class conflict, became last big summer hurrah at Delaware resorts
“People flocked from everywhere to Rehoboth for Labor Day,” the Milford Chronicle reported on Sept. 7, 1928. “Never in the history [of the resort] was there such a crowd at any one time.
"It was practically impossible to find accommodations, and every available eating house was open from early morning to late at night trying to feed the hungry crowds. Belhaven Hotel and also the two cottages on Wilmington Avenue owned by Mrs. Mc. Barnett were filled to their capacity, and several hundred extra meals were served daily.”
In the late 19th century, when Rehoboth Beach was established as an ocean resort, the Industrial Revolution spawned the growth of factories whose workers toiled in harsh conditions for little pay. The formation of labor unions led to several violent strikes, which many people viewed as class warfare.
Out of this turmoil, there was growing sentiment for the establishment of a holiday dedicated to the American worker. Two men with similar names, Peter J. McGuire, cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, and Matthew Maguire, a secretary of the Central Labor Union, have been credited with originating the idea of “Labor Day.”
The first Monday in September was arbitrarily selected for the new holiday, because it came about halfway between July 4th and Thanksgiving. The early September weather was ideal for picnics, parades and other outdoor celebrations. Many states quickly made Labor Day a state holiday, and, in 1894, Grover Cleveland signed legislation that made it a federal holiday.
On Sept. 12, 1903, the Delaware Pilot reported, “In every city and large town in the United States Labor Day was observed by the members of the trades unions, and in the aggregate over 434,000 of them marched in the parades in the principal cities.”
The Lewes newspaper went on to list over three dozen places that held Labor Day parades. During the first decades of the 20th century, the Labor Day holiday grew in popularity; and in the Delaware coastal resorts, it became a convenient marker for the end of the summer season.
Not everyone was pleased with the institution of Labor Day. There were lingering suggestions that the holiday was born from class warfare tinged with socialism and communism.
The Sept. 7, 1914, edition of the Milford Chronicle editorialized “Labor Day passed quietly at Rehoboth Beach, in fact like any other day. The principle of Labor Day does not appeal to these true American citizens. Labor Day was introduced into this country by a servile, menial, slavish class from Europe. One day in seven [Sunday] has been recognized for thousands of years as Labor Day, by all classes.”
Despite these misgivings, the Labor Day holiday continued to grow in popularity at Rehoboth.
The Milford Chronicle reported as part of the resort’s 1928 Labor Day festivities, “The Saturday Nite Dance at Belhaven Hotel had a very large crowd. If it had not been for the continuous dancing the crowd could not have been accommodated. The music was furnished by George Kelly and his orchestra and the Seneca Serenaders, of Geneva, N. Y.”
The celebration took on touches of a New Year’s Eve party, “The Midnight Revue and Supper Dance at the Belhaven Hotel held on Monday morning, September 3rd, at 12:05 A. M. to 2:30 A. M., was a new novelty for Rehoboth, and the biggest success of the season. Special acts of vaudeville added to the gaiety of the morning.”
Over the years, Labor Day has shed the vestiges of class conflict, and now the holiday is celebrated as the last big weekend for the Delaware resorts.
Principal sources
Milford Chronicle, Sept. 7, 1928; Sept. 7, 1914.
Delaware Pilot, Sept. 12, 1903.
Labor Day 2023 History.com editors, https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/labor-day-1
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This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: How Labor Day came to celebrate last big weekend for Delaware resorts
