The Homestead Strike, or Battle of Homestead, was a violent labor conflict in 1892 at the Carnegie Steel Company in Homestead, Pennsylvania, triggered by a lockout and a dispute over wages and union recognition. The confrontation escalated into a bloody battle between striking workers and the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, hired by management, resulting in deaths and injuries on both sides. The strike ultimately failed, leading to the defeat of the union and the end of the skilled steelworkers’ union, but it became a pivotal moment in American labor history, highlighting the brutal tactics used by both workers and owners.
Amalgated seal. photo courtesy of “Rivers of Steel” Barge burning near Homestead Mill. Photo courtesy of Rivers of Steel.Pennsylvania National Guard near Homestead Mill. Photo courtesy of Rivers of Steel. Strikers from Homestead Mill. Photo courtesy of Rivers of Steel.Harpers Weekly front page cover of the Homestead Strike. Photo courtesy of Rivers of Steel.
On this episode I am joined by Darin and Mary from the “Civil War Breakfast Club Podcast” and Author Rob Hilliard ( A season on the Allegheny and In Freedom’s Shadow.) We discuss the Battle of Gettysburg for the 162nd Anniversary.
On May 31st, 1889. the South Fork dam broke releasing a wall of water hurtling down the valley to Johnstown, PA. On this episode I am once again joined by Elizabeth Shope from the Johnstown Flood National Memorial. We discuss the South Fork fishing and hunting club who was the owner of the lake at the time of the disaster. We discuss some of the powerful members like Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick. We also discuss the fate of the club in the weeks and months following the Flood.
South fork club Cottages along the lake shore . Photo from Johnstown Flood National Memorial.Lake Conemaugh after the dam gave away. Notice the South Fork club house in the distant background. Photo from Johnstown Flood National Memorial.
Today I am joined by Darin and Mary from the Civil War Breakfast Club podcast. We spent our time talking about obscure, Unknown, Interesting, And even funny stories from the American Civil War!
Robert B. O’Connor is the author of the extraordinary new WWII novel “Jeep Show – A Trouper at the Battle of the Bulge.” His previous book was the non-fiction “Gumptionade – A Booster for Your Self-Improvement Plan.” Two radically different books, both about morale.
As a young man, Robert was Phi Beta Kappa at Kenyon College, a marketing executive at Procter & Gamble, then co-owner of an advertising agency. By his own account, he took a hard fall.
As he was helped up off the mat, Robert came across a quote from the nineteenth-century British biologist Thomas Huxley: “Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not.” Robert wrote Gumptionade to help himself and his readers recognize what needed to be done in their lives, and how to do it.
In 1967, promoter and impresario Jim Hetzer, the inspiration for the protagonist in “Jeep Show,” convinced Oxydol detergent to sponsor a circus. The result was a marketing disaster, humorous in retrospect.
In 1944, Hetzer enlisted in the Army and was assigned to the Morale Corps as an Entertainment Specialist. He was attached to a Jeep show squad in the European Theatre of Operations.
Jeep shows were small variety shows done for combat troops in forward areas too dangerous for the USO or the Red Cross. Hetzer often worked with Private Mickey Rooney.
Jim Hetzer’s story inspired O’Connor to write Jeep Show, now a BookLife Editor’s Choice selection. Kirkus reviews wrote: “It seems odd to call a World War II novel ‘delightful,’ but that’s exactly what you get with O’Connor’s mix of history and fiction as battles rage on and enlisted men entertain the troops.”
“It seems odd to call a World War II novel ‘delightful,’ but that’s exactly what you get with O’Connor’s mix of history and fiction as battles rage on and enlisted men entertain the troops.” – Kirkus Star, Kirkus ReviewsRobert B. O’Connor, Author of Jeep Show – A Trouper at the Battle of the BulgePrivate First Class Mickey Rooney entertaining an audience of Infantrymen of the US 44th Infantry Division
In this episode, we revisit the tragic car crash of Fred Duesenberg, co-founder of the luxury car brand Duesenberg. On July 2, 1932, Fred’s life was cut short in a devastating accident on a Pennsylvania highway. We explore the events leading up to the crash, its aftermath, and how it impacted the future of the Duesenberg brand. Tune in for a fascinating look at the life and legacy of Fred Duesenberg.
On this special 20th episode, I invited back several familiar faces to join me and discuss how they became interested in History and why History is so important. Elizabeth Shope from the Johnstown Flood National Memorial, Sarah Goodman from the Drake well Museum, Corey Adkins from the Great Lakes shipwreck museum and Rob Hilliard author of ” A season in the Allegheny” and ” In Freedoms Shadow”.
As one of the most iconic monuments, Mount Rushmore, carved from South Dakota granite, draws more than 2 million visitors each year. I’m joined by Kaylynn Howard to explore the history and purpose behind this massive portrait of former presidents.
Mount Rushmore at night. Photo courtesy of Scott Byrd.Photo courtesy of Scott Byrd.
On this episode we explore four toys that were invented purely by accident. These toys include the Slinky, Silly Putty, Play-Doh, and the Super Soaker. Thanks to the inventor’s that had an open mind and realization that their mistakes might just be useful our History has been graced by these timeless toys!
Arlington National Cemetery, located in Arlington, Virginia, has a rich and poignant history. It began as the estate of George Washington Parke Custis, the adopted grandson of George Washington. The estate was called Arlington House. Freedman’s Village was an important settlement established during and after the American Civil War. Located in Arlington. The village was established by the U.S. government as part of a broader effort to assist newly freed slaves transitioning from slavery to freedom. It was part of the larger Freedmen’s Bureau initiative, which aimed to provide relief, education, and employment opportunities to freed people.Dr. Allison S. Finklestein serves as Senior Historian at Arlington National Cemetery. She earned her Ph.D. in U.S. History from the University of Maryland, College Park, where she also studied historic preservation. Her first book, “Forgotten Veterans, Invisible Memorials: How American Women Commemorated the Great War, 1917-1945”, was published by the University of Alabama Press in 2021 and released in paperback in September 2023. It won the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference’s 2022 Arline Custer Memorial Award for best book. From 2017 to 2018 the Arlington County Board appointed her as the Chair of the Arlington World War I Commemoration Task Force
Freedman’s Village, Arlington i.e., Alexandria, Va . United States Virginia Alexandria, None. [Photographed between 1862 and 1865, printed between 1880 and 1889] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2014645761/.
History from the Homestead 