Westfield, Connecticut

In 1909, Vanzetti left New York in search of work in Connecticut. After coming up empty in several small towns, Vanzetti found employment in the brick furnaces of Westfield. The work was excruciatingly difficult, but Vanzetti found solace in his fellow Italian immigrants.

"We had quite a colony of natives from Piedmont, Tuscany and Venice, and the little colony became almost a family. In the evenings, the sordidness of the day was forgotten. Someone would strike up a tune on the violin, the accordion or some other instrument. Some of us would dance-I, unfortunately, was never inclined towards this art and sat aside watching. I have always watched and joyed in other folk's happiness." ~Bartolomeo Vanzetti

"I learned to love and sympathize with those others who, like myself, were ready to accept any miserable wage in order to keep body and soul together. I learned that class-consciousness was not a phrase invented by propagandists, but was a real, vital force, and that those who felt its significance were no longer beasts of burden, but human beings." ~Bartolomeo Vanzetti

Ten months later, Vanzetti left Westfield, continuing on his journey to Meriden, Connecticut.