Elia Corti was a stone carver and considered one of the best of his time. His artistry is evident today in the bas-relief panels on the Robert Burns Monument that stands at the Vermont History Center in Barre, Vermont. At the turn of the 20th century, Barre was the home of many immigrants who worked in the town's granite business. Elia Corti was one of the emigrant Italian stonecutters who had learned their trade as young apprentices in Italy, creating statues from Italian marble. He was skilled enough that he quit his employment at the factory and started his own firm, along with several partners. He soon became well-known within the local Italian community, both as a leading businessman of the town and for his political views.
Political views in the early 1900s were tied closely to the workers' lives. More than 90 percent of Barre's workers belonged to one of fifteen local unions. They primarily were opposed to the harsh working conditions and long work hours at the several nearby granite producers. However, the unions were politically and philosophically divided; both Anarchist and Socialist factions sought change, but they differed strongly in their proposed methods and speed of action.
In this climate Elia Corti started out as an active Anarchist. His views moderated once he had a wife and three small daughters to support and became a member of the Socialist Labor Party, along with many of his fellow immigrants
Elia's tombstone was carved by his brother, William Corti, and his brother-in-law, John Comi. The three men were some of the partners in the granite-carving firm of Novelli and Corti. A newspaper article published a few days after the tombstone was put in place, written by a reporter who knew Elia Corti well, stated that the statue is a "remarkable likeness of the man."
He was murdered
Political views in the early 1900s were tied closely to the workers' lives. More than 90 percent of Barre's workers belonged to one of fifteen local unions. They primarily were opposed to the harsh working conditions and long work hours at the several nearby granite producers. However, the unions were politically and philosophically divided; both Anarchist and Socialist factions sought change, but they differed strongly in their proposed methods and speed of action.
In this climate Elia Corti started out as an active Anarchist. His views moderated once he had a wife and three small daughters to support and became a member of the Socialist Labor Party, along with many of his fellow immigrants
Elia's tombstone was carved by his brother, William Corti, and his brother-in-law, John Comi. The three men were some of the partners in the granite-carving firm of Novelli and Corti. A newspaper article published a few days after the tombstone was put in place, written by a reporter who knew Elia Corti well, stated that the statue is a "remarkable likeness of the man."
He was murdered
Elia Corti was a stone carver and considered one of the best of his time. His artistry is evident today in the bas-relief panels on the Robert Burns Monument that stands at the Vermont History Center in Barre, Vermont. At the turn of the 20th century, Barre was the home of many immigrants who worked in the town's granite business. Elia Corti was one of the emigrant Italian stonecutters who had learned their trade as young apprentices in Italy, creating statues from Italian marble. He was skilled enough that he quit his employment at the factory and started his own firm, along with several partners. He soon became well-known within the local Italian community, both as a leading businessman of the town and for his political views.
Political views in the early 1900s were tied closely to the workers' lives. More than 90 percent of Barre's workers belonged to one of fifteen local unions. They primarily were opposed to the harsh working conditions and long work hours at the several nearby granite producers. However, the unions were politically and philosophically divided; both Anarchist and Socialist factions sought change, but they differed strongly in their proposed methods and speed of action.
In this climate Elia Corti started out as an active Anarchist. His views moderated once he had a wife and three small daughters to support and became a member of the Socialist Labor Party, along with many of his fellow immigrants
Elia's tombstone was carved by his brother, William Corti, and his brother-in-law, John Comi. The three men were some of the partners in the granite-carving firm of Novelli and Corti. A newspaper article published a few days after the tombstone was put in place, written by a reporter who knew Elia Corti well, stated that the statue is a "remarkable likeness of the man."
He was murdered
Political views in the early 1900s were tied closely to the workers' lives. More than 90 percent of Barre's workers belonged to one of fifteen local unions. They primarily were opposed to the harsh working conditions and long work hours at the several nearby granite producers. However, the unions were politically and philosophically divided; both Anarchist and Socialist factions sought change, but they differed strongly in their proposed methods and speed of action.
In this climate Elia Corti started out as an active Anarchist. His views moderated once he had a wife and three small daughters to support and became a member of the Socialist Labor Party, along with many of his fellow immigrants
Elia's tombstone was carved by his brother, William Corti, and his brother-in-law, John Comi. The three men were some of the partners in the granite-carving firm of Novelli and Corti. A newspaper article published a few days after the tombstone was put in place, written by a reporter who knew Elia Corti well, stated that the statue is a "remarkable likeness of the man."
He was murdered
