Roebling Museum

From Company Member Carol: Yesterday we took a trip to Roebling, New Jersey in order to visit the Roebling Museum and learn more about Emily and her family. For me, this was a chance to learn more about Emily as a person instead of as an engineer. I was also excited to get out of the city and do some hands-on research instead of just reading about the Roeblings. In addition, being the techie I am, I hoped to find inspiration for set and costumes. Though Emily lived in Trenton, the town of Roebling gave us a good idea of how the people lived at the time.

In the museum, we got to see a bunch of Roebling artifacts, including steel, tools, identification badges, and even a piece of “Roblingite,” which was named after Emily’s husband, Washington Roebling, because of his love of minerals and extensive mineral collection.

We also got the chance to just be together and take in the beauty and history of the town. We learned that 70% of the people living in the town are descendents of either John Roebling or the workers of the Roebling company. I found this bit of information really powerful because it made me realize that Emily, John, and Washington were all real people, and even though logically I knew they were real, this trip made me realize that this isn’t just about the Brooklyn Bridge; it’s also about people who loved, cried, suffered, and laughed.

All in all, even though this trip made me excited to continue writing and really helped me with the writers block I was having with my scene, it gave me so many new ideas I want to add to the show.  I am especially excited for the rest of this journey as we continue building Emily Warren.

Want to know more about the Roebling Museum?  Visit their website for upcoming events at: http://roeblingmuseum.org/