Life in the Original Larkinville (Explore Buffalo Speaker Series)

The Grosvenor Room, the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library’s Special Collections Department, will present a speaker series with Explore Buffalo in 2025.

This free speaker series will take place in the Ring of Knowledge in the Central Library in downtown Buffalo at 1 Lafayette Square. Admission is free and no registration is required. All presentations will begin at 1 PM and be approximately one hour in length, including time for Questions & Answers.

Today, Larkinville is a revitalized neighborhood that boasts of successful businesses, a vibrant arts scene and, of course, food truck Tuesdays. The area has arisen from the neglect of the late 20th Century and in many ways represents the re-birth of 21st Century Buffalo. Many people, however, know very little about the namesake Larkin Soap Company, which was one of Buffalo’s major employers 100 years ago. When one thinks of large corporations in the early 20th Century, images of over-worked and under-paid women and children working in dangerous sweat-shops comes to mind. While this period became known as the Progressive Era in American history, most large businesses were very slow to improve the working conditions for the average worker. The Larkin Soap Company was a leader in changing the work place environment by placing an emphasis on the overall well-being of their employees. They created an environment where all of the “Larkinites,” which included not only the employees but also management and their customers, were treated with respect creating a very dedicated and loyal organization. This talk will look at the policies and benefits that were instituted by the Larkin Soap Company that not only improved the lives of their employees but also the lives of the citizens of Buffalo.

Presenter: Christine Campbell

You may also like the following events from Buffalo & Erie County Public Library - Central Library:

• This month, 23rd August, 12:00 pm, FREE CPR and Narcan Training by UB HEALS in Buffalo
• This month, 23rd August, 03:00 pm, Central Library Special Collections Tour in Buffalo
• This month, 25th August, 11:30 am, Storytime with Christian Benford in Buffalo

Also check out other Workshops in Buffalo, Food & Drink events in Buffalo, Arts events in Buffalo.