And Yes, He Does Get to Punch Somebody

Found a shrink-wrapped video of RKO Pictures’ Fighting Father Dunne (1948)  starring Pat O’Brien, the story of how Father Peter J. Dunne (d. 1939) in the early 1900s founded a home for homeless newsboys and cleverly obtained a building, money, beds, a housekeeper, and a pony to keep it going, by sweet-talking and hiring lots of Irish-born people. It’s a good movie except for its ending, which is probably entirely fictional.

The references to St. Louis locations are correct, and then-Archbishop Glennon is portrayed as having a severe manner but a big heart. The movie indicates that the newspapers were supposed to be caring for their newsboys. But they weren’t.

Father Dunne’s Newsboys Home and Protectorate expanded to include a camp. The Archdiocese of St. Louis can tell me only that the camp was established in 1941, the same year the property was acquired, two years after Father Dunne’s death. Boys first came to camp here on August 8, 1941, according to a letter held by the Archdiocese. A dorm was built and dedicated in 1957. The Archdiocese has no further information, nor do they have photos, maps, or other images. But I have some images.

Pat O'Brien does NOT wink like that in the movie.

The Artifacts

Today I brushed the dirt and moss from the artifacts I took from the dig, and what I thought was a belt made of webbing is not a belt. That is not a belt buckle. It's a flat hook, 1/4" thick and very weighty. This is a flat hook ratchet strap, used for securing cargo. The entire length, from the fraying on its opposite end to the outer edge of the hook, is 32.5 inches.

Here is the cleaned "hinge," looking inside it. I am stymied, having very little familiarity with hardware. Could the hollow end have been a latch or something? If you know, please post.

It's just more mystery. I'm waiting for the soil to be diggable again. Patrick has a metal detector which could be a great help. Waiting also for the Archdiocese of St. Louis to send me information about Father Dunne's Camp, and I found and ordered a VHS of the RKO film Fighting Father Dunne (1948) so I can at last see the Father Dunne movie. I'm going to have to refer to this particular Father Peter J. Dunne as Father Dunne (d. 1939), because there are at least two other priests, more recent, with the same name.