Gilroy’s old cannery memorialized by former workers, oral
histories and a museum
Former Gilroy cannery workers took an audience down memory lane
last week at a special event that commemorated a major part of the
city’s economic history, called the Gilroy Oral History
Project.
Gilroy’s old cannery memorialized by former workers, oral histories and a museum
Former Gilroy cannery workers took an audience down memory lane last week at a special event that commemorated a major part of the city’s economic history, called the Gilroy Oral History Project.
Before the old Felice and Perrelli Cannery site gets demolished and makes way for a new South County Housing apartment project, the nonprofit corporation teamed up with Gavilan College students to organize the endeavor, which documents life in the bustling food processing plant when it operated between 1914 and 1997.
The cannery on Lewis Street was once the heart of Gilroy’s thriving ag industry before the city became home to Big Box retail. Led by Gavilan history professor Leah Helper, Gavilan students Crystal Lombardo, Jackie Penyacseh, Erin Fry and Jeff Harris heeded the call to preserve this important local legacy by collecting oral histories from former cannery workers who worked at times between the 1940s and 1990s.
Those workers talked about their livelihoods during the cannery’s heyday on Saturday during interviews, on a panel before a fascinated public. The cannery workers who spoke were Dolores Reynoso, Marietta Scagliotti, Ernie Marques and George Goris.
“These peoples’ memories are so strong, vivid and vibrant,” said Nancy Moore Wright, senior project manager for South County Housing. “They worked their tails off, developed arthritis and had harder working conditions in the early days, but they developed life-long friendships. And oddly enough, we haven’t heard any bad memories.”
Also on display was a “Walk of History” exhibit featuring a 1928 cannery uniform in mint condition, photos, meticulously filled out timesheets and other artifacts. The Gilroy Oral History Project is funded through a grant from the California Council of the Humanities. The display viewed last week will become part of a permanent museum on the 13-acre site, where the new apartment complex will be built.
The cannery is scheduled to be demolished July 15. It its place, South County Housing will build 200-unit mixed-use development featuring apartments, retail offices, loft-studios and shops. For more information, visit South County Housing’s website at www.scounty.com.
