Library Closed for Labor Day

Here is some interesting information about the history of Labor Day, from one of the databases we offer, World Book Online:

Labor Day is a holiday honoring working people. It is observed as a legal holiday on the first Monday in September throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. Labor organizations sponsor various celebrations, but for most people it is a day of rest and recreation. The holiday also has become a symbol of the end of summer. In Australia, Labor Day is called Eight Hour Day, and it commemorates the successful struggle for a shorter working day. In Europe, Labor Day is observed on May 1.

Two men have been credited with suggesting a holiday to honor working people in the United States—Matthew Maguire, a machinist from Paterson, New Jersey, and Peter J. McGuire, a New York City carpenter who helped found the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners. Both men played an important part in staging the first Labor Day parade in New York City in September 1882. In 1887, Oregon became the first state to make Labor Day a legal holiday. President Grover Cleveland signed a bill in 1894 making Labor Day a national holiday.

Enjoy your day off!