Cascina Workers’ Association Museum, Wood and Trades
On display is the history of the furniture industry, between the 19ᵗʰ and 20ᵗʰ centuries
The Museo della Società Operaia di Cascina, Legno e Mestieri (Cascina Workers’ Association Museum, Wood and Trades) is located in Cascina on Via Curtatone. It houses an important collection of objects, photos, videos and documentation chronicling the arts, trades, economy, education and social and territorial development since the mid-19ᵗʰ century. At the behest of the Cascina Workers’ Association, it was founded in 1863 as a Workers’ Mutual Aid Association.
Among the objects on display are carvings, inlays, fretwork, paintings, period materials and an expansive collection of photographs and drawings including sketches, geometric plates and reproductions of ornate and inlaid elements attributable to the most skilled cabinetmakers and the most renowned workshops of Cascino.
In mid-19ᵗʰ-century Cascina, the furniture industry grew in an area that until that point had a strong agricultural vocation. The arrival of the railroad in 1845 created the ideal conditions for developing the industrial sector, facilitating the large-scale distribution of products and the supply of materials.
The Cascina Workers’ Association Museum was founded on December 31, 1863, with the intent of offering support to members and their families in the event of injury, loss of employment or death. It was the fifth Mutual Aid Association to be established in the province of Pisa and, as early as 1865, also opened its doors to women members. Among its social goals, it strove to promote popular education and, to this end, a School of Professional Drawing and Plastics was established within the company in 1869, aiming to train young drafters, cabinetmakers and carpenters to be employed in the fledgling furniture factories.
In 1965, the Superintendence of Archives and Bibliography for Tuscany declared the library and historical archives of the Cascina Workers’ Association property of historical interest. In 2021, the museum joined the Association of Small Italian Museums and, from 2024, the Network of Museums of Regional Significance.
The Cascina Workers’ Association Museum offers customized guided tours in Italian and English, with the aim of making cultural heritage accessible to a broad audience, including children, seniors, people with disabilities and students. It organizes educational activities for various audiences, including tours for the blind, visually impaired and for people with physical and mental disabilities.
