Press Releases

Slate belt ties museums together

Twinning of National Slate Museum Llanberis, Wales and Slate Valley Museum, Granville, New York, USA

On 19 May 2007, the National Slate Museum , Llanberis will celebrate its ‘twinning’ with the Slate Valley Museum in Granville, New York State, underscoring the lasting ties between the people of the United States of America and Wales.

One of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales’ key centenary events, it will highlight the significant cultural and historical ties between the people of the slate quarrying communities of north Wales and those of the slate region in the USA – known as the slate belt.

The process of bringing the two museum together began over three years ago via correspondence between the National Slate Museum's Keeper, Dr Dafydd Roberts and the Director of the Slate Valley Museum in Granvillem New York, Mary Lou Willits.

"The Slate Valley Museum, Granville, held their celebrations last year and now it is our turn to celebrate in Wales", said Dr Roberts. "We will be commemorating the cultural and industrial links between the two sites and how the slate industry has created unique communities in both of our societies. Over a century ago, when money was tight in the quarrying areas of north Wales, many families moved to the United States to look for a better life in Granville and other parts of the USA. We will be telling some of the stories that we've collated from local people over the past two years, about their relatives in America, some of who are still in touch each other today."

"The National Slate Museum has already hosted two North American events this year. A new book entitled ‘Slate of Hand' by Judy and Ted Buswick, detailing various artists from Wales, the USA and across the world who work through the medium of slate, was launched in April, and the Bangor Slater Marching Band from Pennsylvania, who were on a Heritage trip Wales, also performed here. This event will further strengthen our International links."

As well as an official ceremony to mark the event, the day will also be full of entertainment for families with music by popular Welsh-American band Cajuns Denbo. Mixed choir, Cor Cyntaf I'r Felin will sing the popular Welsh song Moliannwn , written by Benjamin Thomas, who was born in Bethesda, Gwynedd, but who spent much of his life in North Pawlet, New York State.

Michael Houlihan, Director General Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales said:

"We are very pleased to be associated with the Slate Valley Museum. It helps us as a Museum to develop an understanding of the historical, cultural and lifestyle similarities and differences between both countries. Twinning provides unique opportunities to learn about the history of citizens in other international countries and their lives today, to communicate with them and often to develop friendships with them, which we have done already with the  Slate Valley Museum.

" The twinning event forms part of Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales' centenary programme and international strategy, which is currently focusing on North America. This has included the launch of our own national impressionist and post impressionist collections - Colour and Light - in new York, a collection which will tour North America during 2008/09."

Mary Lou Willits, Executive Director of the Slate Valley Museum in Granville said:

"The connection between the two slate regions is both geological and human. It stretches back to the formation of a common slate belt 500 million years ago when both regions were part of the same land mass, and culminates with the immigration of thousands of Welsh quarryman who came to work in the slate quarries of the Slate Valley of New York and Vermont from 1850 through the 1920s,"

"The Welsh brought with them their families, customs, and traditions. In doing so, they had a profound impact not only on the slate industry in America but also the social structure of the towns in which they settled.

"Today the Slate Valley Museum is collecting and documenting the history of the Welsh in the American slate industry, so it is natural that we have formed a relationship with the National Slate Museum. Formalizing and advancing this relationship will be mutually beneficial as we share best practices, exchange historical information from our collections, and develop new audiences by raising awareness of both sites in our respective countries."   

The public event takes place between 2pm and 4pm on 19 May and admission - like all Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales' sites - is free thanks to the support of the Welsh Assembly Government.

Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales operates seven national museums across Wales.  These are National Museum Cardiff, St Fagans: National History Museum, National Roman Legion Museum, Caerleon, Big Pit: National Coal Museum, Blaenafon, National Wool Museum, Dre-fach Felindre, National Slate Museum, Llanberis and the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales celebrates its centenary in 2007.  For more details go to the 07 pages on our website - www.museumwales.ac.uk.

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For further information, please contact Julie Williams, Marketing Officer  tel: 01286 873707 julie.williams@museumwales.ac.uk

Notes to Editors:

  1. Families conducting research into their Welsh roots may consult the Hughes-Jones Collection of Articles of Interest to Researchers of Welsh-Americans from the New York/Vermont Slate Communities, 1873-1936, located in the reference section of the museum's resource room. The two-volume collection (353 pages) was produced by John A. Jones, Middle Granville, and Iwan Hughes, Rhuthun, Wales, who translated early Welsh-American newspaper articles and other documents into English.
  1. Escaping economic instability in Wales, Welsh Quarrymen and their families arrived in the Slate Valley from the 1850s through the 1920s. The nascent American slate industry was eager to recruit Welsh migrants who had the experience and skill to exploit the valuable slate seams of the valley. As skilled quarrymen, the Welsh dominated the labour force and often occupied the higher paying positions in the quarry-some Welsh workers even achieved the status of wealthy owner-operators.