The Men of Duffy's Cut - A Novel

KELLY CLARK

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A sewing and tailoring book from Dublin, complete with samples (1833).

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Grave marker memorializing the men who died at Duffy's Cut.

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Irish laborer 

circa 1855 

Old Irish photographs from the Sean Sexton Collection

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The Omaha Road (part three)

Concluding my small study of the Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Paul and Omaha Railway, here are four more images taken along the main route between the Twin Cities and Sioux City, Iowa.

By late afternoon of my first day shooting I passed through Sheldon, Iowa. I’d taken some images in this small town back in July of 1977—just under forty years ago. It was not difficult to find the location of my vintage shot (of an eastbound Milwaukee Road train, seen above) due to the brick station building still existing and in very good shape—again this one having been re-purposed at some point. The train is crossing over the Omaha at this point.

The third image was taken of the line just south of Sheldon. The final image, looking southwest as the sun set, is a location between Hospers and Alton, Iowa. Four images by Richard Koenig; one from 1977 and three recent shots take on December 20th 2016.

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Pen to Paper, The Historical Society of Pennsylvania’s wonderful lecture series on the mastery of 18th and 19th Century handwriting.  Dr. Robert J. Mahar discusses a brief history of the role cursive handwriting served in society. Many of the men from the Duffy’s Cut crew were likely illiterate however I can’t help but imagine that someone in the group may have penned letters home for these men. I don’t know about you, but I find these letters and the the beautiful writing a piece of art and “heart” all rolled into one!

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Some of the over 15,000 Chinese workers who worked on the American Transcontinental Railroad in the 1860s.

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Trinity College Library, Dublin.

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Love

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Baltimore & Ohio in Indiana

Here we see a westbound train in two locations near Mitchell, Indiana.

In the first image, the train is less than a half mile west of where the east/west B&O crosses over the north/south L&N (Monon) in the center of town. It was shot from Old State Road 37. For the second photograph, we have sped ahead of the train three miles, on State Road 60, to set up for what you see here.

B&O 3546 is an EMD GP35 in the colorful Chessie paint scheme of the time. This portion of the B&O ran between Cincinnati and St. Louis and was originally the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad (acquired in 1900). This particular section of the railroad we see here was called the Indiana Subdivision.

Two images by Richard Koenig; taken in the mid- to late-1970s.

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If ever there was a song to pair with the story of “The Men of Duffy’s Cut,” Phil Couter’s “Farewell To Inishowen” would be it. <3

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The Mystery of Duffy’s Cut

  [CIndy Ross’ wonderful Blog Post about Duffy’s Cut, March 2013]

Staring out the window of a speeding commuter train on its way towards Philadelphia, a passenger would have no clue of the horror and injustice that occurred in this quiet wooded valley. They mig…

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Mulling the intertwined history of Ireland and the U.S. on this St. Patrick's Day

A Millersville University professor considers Ireland's complex and colorful history.

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Irish woman murdered 183 years ago at Duffy’s Cut will be reinterred in Ireland

Duffy’s Cut dig site organizers and Philadelphia Irish raise funds to send remains of Catherine Burns back to her native Co. Tyrone.

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‘Duffy’s Cut’ Symposium planned at Immaculata University

EAST WHITELAND >> An arts focused symposium developed after the discovery of Duffy’s Cut, the burial site of about 57 Irish immigrant railroad workers who died in 1832, will be held at Immaculata University Oct. 11.

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Scar tissue has no character. It’s not like skin. It doesn’t show age or illness or pallor or tan. It has no pores, no hair, no wrinkles. It’s like a slip cover. It shields and disguises what’s beneath. That’s why we grow it; we have something to hide.

Susanna Kaysen, Girl Interrupted  (via wordsnquotes)

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They came from Ireland, the north mostly, all of them searching for a better life here in America. In two month's time, they crossed the Atlantic in a Newcastle Barque stuffed with the bodies of dreamers.

                                              - Nona MacIntyre, The Men of Duffy's Cut.

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With Dr. William E. Watson, Professor of History at Immaculata University, Pennsylvania. Looking over the Duffy's Cut Memorial wall.  Constructed in 1909 by Martin W. Clement for the 1832 railroad workers at Duffy's Cut. This area will soon be the site of the next phase of archaeological research, in search of the remaining 57 men from Ireland who tragically lost their lives.