The Ghosts of Duffy's Cut

The Irish Who Died Building America's Most Dangerous Stretch of Railroad

William E. Watson, J. Francis Watson, John H. Ahtes, Earl H. Schandelmeier III (Autoren)

Buch | Hardcover

240 Seiten

2006
Praeger Publishers Inc (Verlag)
978-0-275-98727-5 (ISBN)

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In 1832, 57 Irish Catholic workers were brought to the United States to lay one of the most difficult miles of American railway, Duffy's Cut of the Pennsylvania Railroad. These men were chosen because, in the eyes of the railroad company that hired them, they were expendable. Deaths were common during the building of the railway but this stretch was worse than most. When cholera swept the camp basic medical attention and community support was denied to them. In the end all 57 men—the entire work crew—died and were buried in a mass unmarked grave. Their families in Ireland were never notified about what happened to them. The company did its best to cover up the incident, which was certainly one of the worst labor tragedies in U.S. history. Set against the backdrop of a rapidly industrializing America, this book tells the story of these men, the sacrifices they made, and the mistreatment that claimed their lives.

The saga of Duffy's Cut focuses particularly on the Irish laborers who built the railroads. Who were these men? Who hired them? Why did they come? Perhaps most important, why did they die? Based on archaeological digs at the site and meticulous historical research, the authors argue that the annihilation of the work crew came about because of the extreme conditions of their employment, the prejudice of the surrounding community, and the vigilante violence that kept them isolated. In shedding light on this tragic chapter in American labor history, The Ghosts of Duffy's Cut also illuminates a dark side of America's rise to greatness.

William E. Watson is associate professor and chair of history at Immaculata College in Pennsylvania. He is the author of Tricolor and Crescent (Praeger, 2003) and The Collapse of Communism in the Soviet Union (Greenwood, 1998). J. Francis Watson has a PhD in historical theology and is a Lutheran clergyman and ecclesiastical archivist in New Jersey. His articles on religious history have appeared in various journals. John H. Ahtes III is assistant professor of history, Immaculata College. He has published in Irish Review. Earl H. Schandelmeier III received his BA in history from Immaculata University, where he served as history department assistant. He teaches history in Maryland. He worked for many years in business, including as a consultant for Toyota Motor Production Systems, and also as an operations manager.

Preface and Acknowledgments
The Genesis of the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad
The Kingdom of Ireland in 1832
America in 1832
The Irish in Penn's Woods
The Story of Duffy's Cut
"A Chastisement for the Sins of the People": Cholera in Pennsylvania, 1832
Duffy's Cut in Historical Memory
The Ghosts of Duffy's Cut
Duffy's Cut Project: A Chronicle
A Virtual Tour of Duffy's Cut
Appendix
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Photo Sections

Erscheint lt. Verlag	30.7.2006
Sprache	englisch
Maße	156 x 235 mm
Gewicht	510 g
Themenwelt	Natur / Technik ► Fahrzeuge / Flugzeuge / Schiffe ► Schienenfahrzeuge
	Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► Neuzeit (bis 1918)
	Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte
	Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Wirtschaftsgeschichte
ISBN-10	0-275-98727-2 / 0275987272
ISBN-13	978-0-275-98727-5 / 9780275987275
Zustand	Neuware