Chester County Library Partners with Author Bruce E. Mowday on Three Book Talks

March 28th, 2023

March 28, 2023

 Chester County Library partners

with author Bruce E. Mowday

to present three book talks in 2023

First presentation scheduled for Monday, May 8 on Mowday’s true crime books

 

          EXTON _ Chester County Library is partnering with author Bruce E. Mowday to present three talks on his county history books during 2023.

“I’m so pleased that the county library is providing a venue for my talks on Chester County history,” Mowday said. “I feel especially honored each time I walk into the Exton library and see my name listed on the wall with so many legendary authors from our rich literary heritage. I’m so glad Pam Marquette, the library Adult Program Coordinator, worked with me to schedule these talks.”

Mowday, a former award-winning journalist for the West Chester Daily Local News, has authored more than 20 books on history, true crime, business and sports. He was previously named a “Literacy Hero” by the West Chester library. For more information on Mowday and his books, see www.mowday.com.

Mowday’s presentations at the Exton library will be based on his books on true crime, Gettysburg and the battle of Brandywine and Lafayette. All of the talks will be in the Struble Room of the Chester County Library, 450 Exton Square Parkway, Exton. Reservations are requested.  For the first session on May 8 at 6:00 p.m., go to https://ccls.libcal.com/event/10423803.

The first talk will highlight Mowday’s latest book, Small-Town Cops in the Crosshairs: The 1972 Sniper Slayings of Policemen William Davis and Richard Posey, published by Schiffer Publishing of Atlgen.

“Kennett Square, and every small town in America, lost its innocence in the early morning hours of November 15, 1972, when policemen William Davis and Richard Posey were murdered outside the borough’s police station,” Mowday said. “The county was stunned that such a cold-blooded assassination could take place.”

Mowday’s book details the murders and the police investigation that led to the arrest and conviction of Ancell Hamm, a member of the notorious Chester County Johnston gang. “I was so pleased that members of the Davis and Posey families talked about the loss of their family members. It was so difficult for them to talk about that sad day of their family history.”

The second talk, Three Views of Gettysburg, by Mowday will take place on Thursday, July 20 at 6:00 p.m. The talk will highlight some of the Chester County connections to the pivotal battle of the Civil War. To register, go to https://ccls.libcal.com/event/10468569.

“I never thought I would write a book on Gettysburg, one of the most written about events in our nation’s history. Now I have three books on Gettysburg,” Mowday said. “An ancestor was wounded during the second day of the battle, July 2, 1863. I visited Gettysburg many times over the years. One day I was at the angle, where Union troops, defended the famous Pickett’s Charge. I realized all of the books about Pickett’s Charge were written from the Southern viewpoint. My publisher agreed that a book on the Northern troops was needed. The result was my Pickett’s Charge: The Untold Story.”

As Mowday was completing the manuscript for Barricade Publishing of New York, he talked with a Coatesville High School classmate, Greg DePedro, owner of the Coatesville Flower Shop. DePedro mentioned that a relative was the curator of the J. Howard Wert Gettysburg collection, the largest private collection of Gettysburg artifacts. The curator, Craig Caba, allowed some of the artifacts from the collection to be used as illustrations in the book.

Caba then approached Mowday about doing a book on the whole collection and the Wertz family. Mowday agreed and Schiffer Publishing published J. Howard Wert’s Gettysburg. The book contains many of the thousands of items from the collection, including a letter from noted Kennett Square author Bayard Taylor and Taylor’s brother’s pipe. Charles Frederick Taylor was killed at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863.

Emotional Gettysburg is the third book by Mowday, published by Regent Publishing of California. Mowday wrote essays to go with original paintings by noted Chadds Ford artist, Karl J. Kuerner. Kuerner is the only artist to be personally taught by Andrew Wyeth and his sister. “Emotional Gettysburg is a wonderful book that goes beyond the Civil War battle,” Mowday said. “Readers have commented they never will look at Gettysburg the same way after reading the book.”

Caba and Kuerner, depending on availability, may join Mowday at the Chester County Library talk.

The third Mowday talk will be on the battle of Brandywine and Lafayette on Wednesday, September 13, at 6:00    p.m. To register, go to:  https://ccls.libcal.com/event/9877053.

“For too many, the battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777, and the importance of Lafayette at Brandywine has been lost,” Mowday said. “Brandywine was the largest land battle of the American Revolution and the main defense of Philadelphia against the British. The most significant fact was the participation of a 20-year-old Frenchman, Lafayette.”

Mowday, a former President of the Brandywine Battlefield Park Associates, wrote the first book on the battle, September 11: 1777: Washington’s Defeat at Brandywine Dooms Philadelphia. He also authored Lafayette at Brandywine: The Making of an American Hero. Lafayette did so much to help America to win its freedom.

“I’m so glad the date September 13 was open at the library. The anniversary of the battle is September 11 and Lafayette’s birthday is September 6,” Mowday remarked. “Lafayette came to America as a volunteer to be in George Washington’s army when he was just 19 years old and turned 20 just five days before the epic battle of Brandywine.”

Downingtown artist Adrian Martinez allowed his wonderful painting of Lafayette at Brandywine to be used on the cover of Mowday’s book.

Mowday will have books available to be purchased at the library events. To order signed copies of the book, contact Mowday at mowday@mowday.com.

 

Mowday has appeared on numerous television and radio shows, including Counter Culture, a PBS Emmy-winning show, the Discovery ID channel, ReelZ network, C-SPAN, the Pennsylvania Cable Network, Hollywood and Beyond, Our American Heritage, Whatcha Got, Journey into the Civil War, Chronicles of the American Civil War and local television and radio stations.

 

He was a guest on the Massachusetts Historical Society’s Revolution 250. He was featured in the Authors of the American Revolution Congress hosted by Nathan’s Papers. Bruce is a frequent speaker at various civic and historical groups. The Congress of Civil War Round Tables has named Bruce a “5-Star” speaker.  Mowday has hosted his own radio shows, has been editor of magazines and was chairman of the Chester County Historical Society and president of the Brandywine Battlefield Park Associates. He is a former board member of the Valley Forge Park Alliance and the Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau.

 

A member of the American Friends of Lafayette, Bruce is the Chester County Coordinator for the Lafayette Bicentennial Celebration in 2024 and 2025. He is also a member of the county’s 250th committee planning for a celebration of our nation’s founding.