New Espy Post curator looks to build on past

“A capacity, and taste, for reading, gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others. It is the key, or one of the keys, to the already solved problems. And not only so. It gives relish, and facility, for successfully pursuing the [yet] unsolved ones.” — Abraham Lincoln

I thought this quote from Abraham Lincoln — whose 212th birthday we celebrate Feb. 12 — was particularly relevant. You see, I’ve been reading a lot lately. More on that in a minute. But I’d like to talk about those problems already solved, and those yet unsolved.

A few months ago, I received a call from Diane Klinefelter, curator and social historian at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall. Diane had decided it was time to retire and spend more time with family, and more time researching and writing. She hoped I might consider taking over the position.

That was an easy decision. I had worked for Diane a decade ago while pursuing a master’s degree. She’s remained a constant friend and mentor, even when a new job took me away from Pittsburgh. I couldn’t shake the ambiance of the building and the warmth of the people, and would always poke my head in if I was in the neighborhood. So I was only too happy to take up Diane’s offer to come back to ACFL&MH.

The problems solved at the ‘Carnegie Carnegie’ under Diane’s tenure are innumerable. She oversaw the restoration of our national treasure, the Captain Thomas Espy Grand Army of the Republic Post. Tomorrow, Feb. 12 marks the 11-year anniversary of the Post room rededication. Since then, Diane has spearheaded the preservation of the irreplaceable artifacts entrusted to ACFL&MH by the Civil War veterans themselves. She has built one of the finest Civil War research collections of any comparable public library. Diane has championed the Espy story near and far, and brought scores of visitors not just to the library, but to Carnegie as well. Most recently, Diane has hosted a popular “Second Saturday” Civil War lecture series, bringing seasoned authors and historians to the hilltop. And that doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of the problems Diane has solved.

And so you may be asking yourself — as someone recently asked me — why am I there? Hasn’t Diane already done it all? That’s a fair question, but that’s also where the problems unsolved come in. There remain artifacts in need of preservation — textiles, battlefield maps, precious wartime flags. There remains much work to be done to understand these men of the Espy Post — who they were, their experiences during the Civil War and after, what stories they have to tell us. I look forward to digging into those stories, and because Diane has promised to stay on in a volunteer capacity, I’m anxious for her to flex her research muscles.

The other problem unsolved is maintaining ‘the buzz.’ Would you believe that places like the Espy Post existed in more than 10,000 locations? With almost every one of them now gone, the Espy Post is considered by scholars to be the most intact remaining example of a Grand Army of the Republic post. And in spite of the national media blitz during the room’s restoration and more than a decade of publicity, there are many people in Pittsburgh — many people right here in Carnegie — who don’t know what a treasure we have on the hill. I look forward to meeting and solving these problems, and building on Diane’s strong foundation.

And so, as I return to ACFL&MH, I’ve been reading, immersing myself back into the history of the Espy Post, its veterans and its artifacts. I look forward to sharing these stories with you, both on social media and at the library. Tours of the Espy Post resumed on Feb. 6. Our wonderful crew of docents staff the room each Saturday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. If you haven’t visited the Espy Post, or if you are anxious to get out of the house after the past year of quarantining, I invite you to stop by for an enlightening (and socially distanced) tour. Masks are required at the Espy Post and throughout ACFL&MH.

We hope that our Second Saturday Lecture Series will resume in-person later this year. In the meantime, we have some terrific historians lined up for Zoom lectures, including Feb. 13, when Ulysses S. Grant portrayer extraordinaire Ken Serfass will present on Grant and Civil War railroads. Watch our website and social media for information and announcements of future speakers.

With thanks for Diane’s many years of steadfast dedication to ACFL&MH, I look forward to seeing you on the hill and tackling those problems unsolved.