Manassas Museum Book Talk: The Washington Arsenal Explosion

The deadly explosion that took the lives of the women at Fort McNair is the subject of The Washington Arsenal Explosion, Civil War Disaster in the Capital – a free book talk.  Join Erin Bergin Voorheis, the author’s wife and editor, as she talks about her late husband’s book on Sunday, March 10 at 2 p.m. at the Manassas Museum. 

On June 17, 1864, dangerous working conditions and a series of unfortunate events led to the deadly explosion of a Federal arsenal at Fort McNair, where young women made cartridges to assist the war effort. Author Brian Bergin wrote about the little-known event, detailing the poor working conditions, the investigation into the avoidable events leading to the tragedy, and the reaction of a community already battered by the Civil War. The women lived in the close-knit poor Irish neighborhood called the Island; and when they died, their funeral was one of the largest ever seen in that district.

Brian Bergin had a deep fascination for history and story-telling. To better understand historic places and people, he recreated Lewis and Clark’s journey from Missouri to Oregon, biked the C&O Canal from Cumberland, Maryland, back to his home in Arlington, Virginia; and hiked in Shenandoah National Park to learn about the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Erin Bergin Voorheis is a freelance technical writer and editor. The Washington Arsenal Explosion, Civil War Disaster in the Capital is available at Echoes, The Manassas Museum Store.