Union

Kate Mullany National Historic Site

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Happy Labor Day! The beautiful cast iron stove above was made in Troy, NY, near Albany at the eastern end of the Erie Canal, but the site recognizes a different type of iron work: ironing the popular detachable collars that were invented almost 200 years ago by a Troy housewife. The ladies who ironed the collars were mistreated and poorly paid, so, despite the Civil War, they went on strike. The ringleader was the 19 year old, irrepressible Irish American Kate Mullany, who quipped, “don’t iron while the strike is hot”. Successful, her groundbreaking all-female Collar Laundry Union persisted long after the strike, unlike earlier women’s labor organizing in Lowell. After leading that union, Mullany earned national recognition and responsibilities, breaking many other glass ceilings in the American Labor Movement.

Teacher, labor leader and executive director of the affiliated site, Paul Cole has similarly rallied the people to support his efforts to save this important historic home and legacy for the American people, who too often are taught neither their own labor history nor women’s history. He was kind enough to take time to give me a personal tour, including the restored 1860s era rooms on the top floor. I highly recommend folks who are interested in our rights as Americans contact the site to schedule a tour by appointment. Hopefully this important park will be elevated from NPS affiliate to a full park unit soon.

Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield

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Here’s the creek. It’s quite pretty, and there used to be a mill here. I saw a bald eagle nearby.

Alright. An important Civil War battle was fought here. To appreciate the story, you need to understand that Missouri was an important strategic state, with a neutral populace and a pro-slavery governor, which President Lincoln very much wanted on the Union side. Lincoln asked Missouri for troops, and the governor refused and plotted to seize the arsenal in St. Louis to help the confederates.

The arsenal’s Captain, Nathaniel Lyon, however, had already secretly moved the weapons to Illinois. After being promoted, Lyon took the state capital and forced the governor to retreat to southwest Missouri, where Wilson’s Creek is. In the summer of 1861, General Lyon marched his forces here, attempting a surprise attack. But the confederates had assembled a larger force. On August 10th, here on Bloody Hill, the forces engaged brutally for five hours. Lyon fought aggressively, was wounded twice in action and was killed leading a countercharge that morning, becoming the first Union general killed. The Union army retreated, but Missouri remained in Union control, despite many guerrilla battles to retake it.