Good news everyone!
The arrrrrchives are having another event that includes free food and awesome history stuff. Don’t be afraid to approach them! I’ve seen dozens of kids watch us as we ate cake and put on happy-birthday hats… what a said non-free-food world they live in.
“The Rebels, the Russian and the Railroad: The Life and Times of Frank Thomson”
The University Archives presents the exhibition “The Rebels, the Russian and the Railroad: The Life and Times of Frank Thomson” now through Friday, August 20, 2010 in W.W. Hagerty Library (33rd and Market Streets). An opening reception for the exhibition will be held on Wednesday, June 30 from 4 to 6 p.m. Complimentary refreshments will be served.
Frank Thomson (1841-1899) spent his life working for the railroads, beginning as an apprentice and eventually working his way up to president of the Pennsylvania Railroad (the sixth president in the railroad’s history). During the Civil War, he enlisted in the military and served as the chief assistant to Colonel Thomas A. Scott, assistant secretary of war for military railroads. After completing his military service in 1864, Thomson went on to become the manager of transportation of the Pennsylvania Railroad. He was in charge of the visit of Russian Grand Duke Alexis and his entourage; the Grand Duke’s tour across the United States and Canada from 1871 to 1872 was the largest official visit by Russia at the time.
Thomson’s life chronicles the strategic significance of the railroads during the Civil War and the sustaining importance that the railroads have played in American history and politics. This exhibition tells Thomson’s story through his own words, documents and photographs.
The reception and exhibition are free and open to the University community. For more information, email archives@drexel.edu, call 215-895-1757 or visit http://library.drexel.edu/