Library Hours
Mon, Tues, Wed: 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Thursday & Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Library Hours
Mon, Tues, Wed: 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Thursday & Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Author Matthew Algeo will discuss his newest book, New York’s Secret Subway: The Underground Genius of Alfred Beach and the Origins of Mass Transit.
**PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A VIRTUAL PROGRAM THAT WILL TAKE PLACE VIA ZOOM. Registrants will receive a link to access the Zoom Webinar via email.**
We are so excited to welcome author Matthew Algeo to our virtual stage! He will be discussing her latest book, "New York’s Secret Subway: The Underground Genius of Alfred Beach and the Origins of Mass Transit" - a book that will captivate readers and provide historical context for today’s clashes between public interests and powerful business and political groups. Algeo tells this amazing true story in full for the first time, and although it took place more than a century ago, it will at times sound surprisingly familiar. It's guaranteed to be a fascinating conversation and we hope you can join us for it!
Note: This program will be recorded and a link will be sent to all registrants soon after the program. It will be available on YouTube for one month.
Presented in partnership with the Ashland Public Library.
About New York’s Secret Subway:
In the nineteenth century, Manhattan’s streets were so choked with pedestrians, horses, vehicles, and vendors that a trip from City Hall to Central Park could take hours. Alfred Beach had the perfect solution: build a giant pneumatic tube underneath Broadway from the Battery to Harlem. Air pressure would shoot passengers up and down the island in clean, quiet carriages. But Beach was up against the operators of the horse-drawn streetcars and the politicians in their pay, most conspicuously William M. Tweed, the notorious “Boss” of Tammany Hall.
New York’s Secret Subway: The Underground Genius of Alfred Beach and the Origins of Mass Transit tells a classic story of good versus evil, pitting the mild-mannered Beach, a visionary inventor and entrepreneur, against the oafish tyrant Tweed, the exemplar of corruption in the Gilded Age. It also tells the story of one of the most astonishing feats of engineering in American history, the surreptitious creation of the nation’s first operational subway.
New York seemed destined to become the second city in the world with a comprehensive subway system, after London. Unfortunately, political lethargy and greed would conspire to deny the city a subway for another thirty years. Yet Alfred Beach still proved conclusively the feasibility of underground railways in Manhattan, and paved the way for modern mass transportation systems.
About Matt:
Matthew Algeo writes about interesting stuff. Or, as his mom liked to say, Matthew is an award-winning journalist and author.
His latest book is New York's Secret Subway: The Underground Genius of Alfred Beach and the Origins of Mass Transit.
He is the author of seven other books, including Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip, which the Washington Post named one of the best books of 2009. In addition to reporting and writing, Matthew has held jobs as a convenience store clerk, a Halloween costume salesman, and a hot dog vendor in a traveling circus. His current gig is hosting Morning Edition on Kansas Public Radio. Matthew holds a degree in folklore from the University of Pennsylvania. His wife, Allyson, is a retired U.S. Foreign Service officer. They have lived in Bamako, Rome, Ulan Bator, Maputo, Sarajevo, and Gaborone. They now live in Lawrence, Kansas, with their daughter Zaya.
AGE GROUP: | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Virtual | Lecture | History & Genealogy | Author event |
The Wilbraham Public Library provides resources and opportunities for community learning, recreation, and making connections.
