Carpenter's Union Members Plan to Clean Up Graveyard By John Chambliss, The Ledger
From 1927 to 1976, union members came to Carpenter's Home in Lakeland from all over the nation to retire. The union dues paid for their rooms, food and a burial plot when they died.
At one time, up to 370 men lived there.
"It was the only place to retire for us," said Frank Hyjek, a representative from the carpenter's union in Tampa. "You would take a guy from Wisconsin who would retire, and he would come down here and share war stories with his brothers (union members)."