Below is a news report done by our local KDKA, featuring the author of "Consecrated Dust," Mary Frailey Calland, about tomorrow's events at Arsenal Park.
Event To Mark 150th Anniversary Of Allegheny Arsenal Tragedy « CBS Pittsburgh
Allegheny Arsenal 150 Years Later
And above is the link to a radio interview with author/historian James Wudarczyk and head of the Lawrenceville Historical Society Tom Powers.
Coming Sunday: Allegheny Arsenal explosion
The first one is from the local Tribune-Review, the second one is from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, with a short video. I'm so glad the 150th of the Allegheny Arsenal explosion is getting so much press.
There's lots going on in Pittsburgh this weekend with the 150th anniversary of the Allegheny Arsenal explosion. On Saturday, at Heinz History Center, there will be a "trial" to try and determine the cause of the Allegheny Arsenal explosion. Jim Wudarczyk - Lawrenceville author and historian - and famous forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht will lead it and visitors can serve on the "jury."
Events to recall arsenal explosion
And from today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette comes an article about Sunday's events at Arsenal Park: music, a dramatic reading by Pittsburgh's CLO, living history with weapons demonstrations, a lecture with Power Point, and guided tours of Allegheny Cemetery. Can't wait!
Historic Pittsburgh arsenal needs care, official says | TribLIVE
This article, published last Friday in the local Tribune-Review, talks about the neglect that the former powder magazine of the old Allegheny Arsenal suffers. It also mentions the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the explosion coming up in almost 2 weeks.
I know, I don't post on here nearly as much as my Facebook page. But the Fbook page is so much easier (so if you don't already follow me there, I highly suggest it).
In other news, after three years of fast food hell and looking for a job in my field to go with my masters degree, I have a job for next semester as an adjunct professor, teaching two US history courses. So I'm excited about that.
Also, I'm thinking of starting a Kickstarter page to help fund my research and getting my book published. Any contributions will get a shoutout in the acknowledgements.
Remembrance of 1862 Arsenal casualties set | TribLIVE
Article from yesterday's local paper (the Tribune-Review) about next month's commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Allegheny Arsenal explosion. There will be talks, music, living history, and more.
But there's a bit of confusion: the Facebook page for the event says it is September 15 while the article says it's the 16th. So hopefully I find out for sure soon.
This conference was awesome. Tiring, but awesome. I nailed my speech. I was overwhelmed with how supportive and welcoming everyone was.
Yesterday, we had a field trip to the former Allegheny Arsenal site (where I acted as a sorta tour guide), Allegheny Cemetery with James Wudarczyk, and Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall. Then we had several fabulous lectures (including one by a high school student...she rocked it) and then a banquet of Pittsburghese cuisine. For those of you non-local, that includes pierogies, kilbassa and sauerkraut, halupki, rigatoni, fried chicken. Then we had a sing along of period music (16 years of living history helps with knowing so much of the words) and a fishbowl auction and door prizes - I won a couple books. Score. And today, we finished with a few more lectures. It was such an honor to present before so many knowledgeable people, as well as my loved ones (my mom, sister, and boyfriend, in this case).
For some reason, my "smart" phone likes to get pics out of order, so bear with me:
The people I'm with are my mom (in the blue dress), my sister (of In the Swan's Shadow blog, in brown) and my boyfriend Mark. There's a few photos of the Allegheny Arsenal explosion monument at the Cemetery, and of Soldiers and Sailors. I included the Peanuts/cartoons display because I'm a huge Peanuts/Snoopy collector.
http://www.travelchannel.com/video/allegheny-arsenal-explosion
Gotta love staying up late...my mother informed me that one of last night's "Mysteries at the Museum" on the Travel Channel talked about the Allegheny Arsenal explosion. This talks about bullets found in the carnage of the Arsenal, now at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. The video features History Center CEO Andy Masich.
Sermon commemorative of the great explosion at ...
Here, you can read the entire sermon given by the Reverend Richard Lea of the local Presbyterian church after the Allegheny Arsenal explosion. It extolls the positives that came from the tragedy, such as how quickly help arrived and how it brought the Lawrenceville community together.
This article about the Allegheny Arsenal explosion from the Tribune-Review is a few years old, but still good and relevent. It features Allan Becer, who has done so much to help me in my research by sharing his own.
Pittsburgh’s Allegheny Arsenal and the Civil War - Pittsburgh American history | Examiner.com
This is a great article by Chuck Stephens from about a couple weeks ago (how did I miss it?)about the history of the Allegheny Arsenal. Check it.
Fayette letters to enhance traveling Civil War exhibit | TribLIVE Mobile | Pittsburgh
The Pennsylvania Civil War 150 traveling exhibit is back, and has expanded. Besides the letters from Fayette County soliders (the county south of me) are figures of Pennsylvanians who served in various capacities. Included is one of Kate McBride, the 15 year old daughter of the Allegheny Arsenal main lab superintendant Alexander McBride . Kate was one of the 78 victims of the explosion there in 1862. Looks like I will have to make another trip to it...
Authors of historical fiction have the dual task of creating an interesting story and getting historical details correct. This Mary Frailey Calland does ably in her historical novel "Consecrated Dust: A Novel of the Civil War North." The story starts in the winter of 1860 and climaxes on September 17, 1862, the day of both the battle of Antietam and the Allegheny Arsenal explosion.
The four young people of this story are from the Pittsburgh/Lawrenceville area, and find themselves contributing to the Union war effort in their own way. All are caught up in the events of that September day - with tragic results.
Clara Ambrose is a liberal, outspoken daughter of a doctor (who goes to the front as a surgeon) and a social-climbing mother who fears for her daughter's marriagability. Her family, including her sister Helen, baby nephew, and ailing grandmother, struggle in the absense of Dr. Ambrose. Clara yearns for a way to help the war effort beyond sewing in parlors, but her mother will have nothing that could hurt Clara's reputation.
Garrett Cameron is an idealistic orphaned law student who joins the 9th Pennsylvania Reserves/38th Pennsylvania Volunteers and soon discovers the horrors of war. Before leaving for the war, he falls in love with Clara and she with him, despite her mother's efforts to steer her toward a more "suitable" mate.
That prospective mate is Edgar Gliddon, the arrogant president of a Pittsburgh iron works who sees the war as an opportunity to get richer. He does business with many, including the local Allegheny Arsenal. The more he pursues Clara, the more she pushes him away, despite his kindnesses toward her family in Dr. Ambrose's absense.
Annie Burke is from a large family of Irish Catholic immigrants with four brothers who join the fight. She is also Clara's best friend, despite the prejudices of many around them (this being a time of strong anti-Irish feeling). Annie begins work as a cartridge maker at the Allegheny Arsenal to help support her family.
Calland does a wonderful job of creating a story with these four characters intertwining as friends, lovers, and rivals. Her book is rich in detail of Civil War Pittsburgh and Lawrenceville (those being separate places at the time), as well as in battle with the 9th Reserves and at work at the Allegheny Arsenal. I'm not normally sappy, but I found myself cheering for the romance between Clara and Garrett.
All told, this is an excellent read for anyone who wants to learn more about what life was like in wartime Pittsburgh and be entertained at the same time. I can't wait to meet Ms. Calland on the 28th this month and have her sign my copy.
6th Annual Civil War Weekend | CarnegieCarnegie
I am so going to this. The 6th Annual Civil War Weekend is Saturday, April 28 at the Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall in Carnegie from 10 am-5 pm. It includes a period tea, fashion show, a film, books and such for sale, and best of all: a lecture and book signing by the author of "Consecrated Dust" a novel about the Allegheny Arsenal explosion, Mary Frailey Calland. (I'm still waiting on my copy from Amazon).
Lawrenceville: History: Allegheny Arsenal
From the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is an undated newspaper article, most likely from 1913, about the dedication of the memorial at the former powder magazine at the Allegheny Arsenal. Included is a list of the 78 victims.
Arsenal Monument ( - 1862) - Find A Grave Memorial
Find a Grave is itself a good time-killing website, but here is the page for the Arsenal Monument at Allegheny Cemetery. If you like, you can leave "flowers" there in honor of those who died.
Arsenal Terminal and the Arsenal Tunnels By Brian Schill founder of IPRFinc.
Here's a well-done page about the Allegheny Arsenal explosion and the 40th Street Bridge-connected tunnels beneath it. The purpose of the tunnels is yet unclear (possible storage?) And access to them is restricted but there may be some activity there.
Here are the details about this year's Society for Women and the Civil War's conference, held at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, July 27-29. I am the keynote speaker for Friday night. It looks like it will be a great time.
http://theebonswan.blogspot.com/2012/03/petersons-magazine-fashion.html?m=1
I'm stealing another of my sister's posts, not just because period fashion plates are fun to look at, but her rant about living historians dressing according to one's place in society (their impression, that is), also it brought a few things to mind for me.
One, there are reports of women wearing hoopskirts while working in the arsenals. First off, most of these ladies were the working poor and might not have even owned hoops, let alone worn them to work, wearing them out. Secondly, women and girls were supposedly hired for their smaller frames and could thus be packed in like sardines. I know from personal experience that hoops take up a lot of space.
Two, there is a theory (about which I will post momentarily) that static electricity from ladies' dress material created enough charge to spark the Allegheny Arsenal explosion.
Some food for thought...
Today was spent at both the main and Lawrenceville branches of the Carnegie Public Library, where I found a goldmine of sources (mostly newspaper articles of various dates). I feel very confident about conference now.
I popped over to visit Arsenal Park while I was there and took a few more pictures:
Lawrenceville Historical Society
This is the homepage for the Lawrenceville (PA) Historical Society. Check out the Ask a Historian and Article sections; they have a wealth of information about the Allegheny Arsenal. And for Stephen Foster fans (his daddy founded Lawrenceville) they host the annual Doo-dah Days.
