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,” said Mowday. “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.

His 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 at 450 Exton Square Parkway. To register for the first session on May 8 at 6 PM, visit here.

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, will take place on Thursday, July 20 at 6 PM. The talk will highlight some of the Chester County connections to the pivotal battle of the Civil War. To register, visit here.

“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 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 Chadds Ford artist, Karl J. Kuerner, 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 talk will be on the battle of Brandywine and Lafayette on Wednesday, September 13, at 6 PM. To register, visit here. 

“For too many, the battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777, and the importance of Lafayette at Brandywine has been lost,” he 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. 

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.

Learn more at the Chester County Library.