But has been restored to show off its natural architecture. From the original hardwood floors to the original fireplaces throughout the interior. Now all of our Guest get to enjoy the natural elements of this wonderful building with a touch of modern mixed in. Port Union is the only union-built town in North America. Construction began on the shores of Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, in 1916. Within fi
ve years, a busy and modern union town bordered the protected deep-water harbour-all made possible through the hard work and vision of the members of the Fishermen's Protective Union (the FPU) and their first leader, William Ford Coaker. A self-made man and a tireless worker, Coaker had been a clerk, telegraph operator, customs worker, postmaster, and farmer in the years leading up to the FPU's formation. A collective-action organizer from an early age, he turned his mind to the problems of the Newfoundland fishermen and saw unionization of this powerless, dispersed group as the solution. Coaker attracted the first 19 men to join the FPU at a meeting he called in Herring Neck on November 2, 1908. During the winter that followed, he traveled around Notre Dame Bay, seeking support in as many tiny communities as possible. By the fall of 1909, the FPU had 50 local councils. By 1914, 21,060 members were signed up-just over half the fishermen in Newfoundland. Port Union was built to be the home of the Fishermen's Protective Union. Close to the communities where FPU support was strongest, it became the center of the FPU's business in all ways. The Fishermen's Union Trading Company, formed by the Union to break the merchants' stranglehold on salt fish prices and trade, moved its operations to the new community in 1918. By 1924, when the FPU's annual convention center, Congress Hall, was built and the Union's weekly newspaper, The Fishermen's Advocate, had also moved from St. John's, the town was a hive of mercantile activity. In addition to these enterprises, in its successful first decades, the Port Union could boast:
a retail store that served 40 outlets in other communities
a salt-fish plant with electric dryers
a seal plant
an international fish and supply trade
a fleet of supply and trading vessels
its own spur railway line
a pier for the government coastal steamer
coal and salt sheds
a cooperage and carpenter shop
workers row housing
a soft drink (or ìtemperance beverageî) factory
a hotel
a warehouse with electric elevators
its own power-generating plant
a movie theatre
a woodworking factory
a school
a debating club
a community nurse
a church built to commemorate the Coaker Recruits of World War One
The William F. Coaker Foundation, renewed attention is being shone on the significant heritage and buildings of historic Port Union. The now-restored Factory building is open for tours, and work and planning continues for further restorations and interpretation displays and
