1812, Golf, and Comics (November 15 at 3pm in the Library Rare Book Room)

  • November 12, 2012

Two hundred years ago this winter, soldiers from both the regular army and various militias gathered in Western New York to storm the gates of Ontario. While their leaders squabbled about tactics, many of these soldiers died--without shelter, without winter clothes--in the Buffalo camp known as "Flint Hill."

This history comes surging to life every time someone uses a nine-iron, as the remains of 300 of these soldiers are now interred in a mass grave in Delaware Park, where the residents of Buffalo jog, play soccer, and golf. This close connection to our nations' (the USA and Canada) past caught the attention of Stephanie Cole, a Buffalo resident, attorney, and comic book fan.  She spent the summer researching the question: how does a soldiers' memorial become a golf course?

The answer is in the pages of "Buffalo's 300," the comic book she created to link the results of her research. As the pages go back and forth in time, they show how the war affected Buffalo's early pioneers, the local tribe of Senecas, and the soldiers who came from Virginia and Maryland to fight a war in the cold. They also show how a little political corruption can have a ripple effect over the course of a century.

Please come join us for discussion and show of how this story came to light. The presentation will be held at 3pm on November 15 in the Library Rare Book Room, which is located on the second floor of the Library to the left.