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National Peace Jubilee, 1869, 1919

 Series

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

Collection documenting the life and music career of the nineteenth-century Irish-American band leader, conductor, and cornetist P.S. Gilmore. It also highlights the activities of the Patrick S. Gilmore Society, founded by Michael Cummings in Boston in 1968 or 1969. Materials assembled by Michael Cummings include correspondence, concert programs, Gilmore's cornet, photographs, lithographs, audio and visual recordings, and newspaper and magazine articles. Much of the material pertains to two large-scale musical events arranged by Gilmore—the National Peace Jubilee of 1869 and the World's Peace Jubilee of 1872—both held in Boston, Massachusetts. Materials on Gilmore and the Peace Jubilees are a mixture of original nineteenth-century items and reproductions created during Cummings's research.

Dates

  • Creation: 1869, 1919

Creator

Access Note

Collection is open for research.

Historical Note

After the end of the U.S. Civil War, P.S. Gilmore organized a massive concert to benefit war widows and orphans of the Civil War and to celebrate the peace of war’s end. The National Peace Jubilee (June 15-19, 1869) was considered a huge success. A coliseum, called “The Grand Coliseum”, was specially built in Boston for the National Peace Jubilee with seating for 30,000 audience members, 10,000 chorus members, and a 1,000 piece orchestra. It was by far the largest structure of its kind in Boston at that time.

Full Extent

6.25 Linear Feet (5 containers)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Repository Details

Part of the John J. Burns Library Repository

Contact:
John J. Burns Library
Boston College
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill MA 02467 USA
617-552-4861