FAYETTEVILLE — March is Women’s History Month, and it also is the month where a lot of history happened at the Fayetteville Arsenal.
In combining both observances, the Museum of the Cape Fear, in partnership with the Cumberland County Headquarters Library, will present “Hoop Skirts and Gunpowder: A Woman of the Fayetteville Arsenal,” on March 10 at 2 p.m. in the library’s Pate Room. Admission is free.
When the Civil War broke out men were needed on the front lines, but there also was a need for ammunition with which to fight the war. So, the country looked to new workers — women. Believing that women would be more likely to obey then boys, Col. John Symington of the Alleghany Arsenal in Pittsburg, wrote, “I have discharged all the boys at work in that portion of the laboratory and will supply their places with females.”
“Hoop Skirts and Gunpowder: A Woman of the Fayetteville Arsenal” is a one-woman show by Lee Ann Rose, of Williamsburg, Va. The presentation will include describing what women did in the arsenals, the jobs women performed in the Civil War, and comparisons between the freedoms and dangers arsenal workers had with the continued responsibility of domestic life.
“It’s inspiring to see how adaptable and strong women in history are, especially in a time of war,” Rose said. “How they take on new roles with such ease and pride. From the camp follower in the Revolution, to the arsenal worker in the Civil War, to the Signal Corp operator in WWI, and Rosie the Riveter in WWII.”
Rose has been doing character interpretation for more than 25 years. She worked for Col. Williamsburg and now, along with her husband, Bill, runs their company of historical interpretation and education called Shades of Our Past, LLC.
“I am honored to bring stories of women whose lives have yet to be brought to light and to fill in the fabric of our nation’s history,” Rose said.
For more information about the Museum of the Cape Fear, go to the website www.museumofthecapefear.ncdcr.gov.
