Images(4)

Suitcase

Object number2017.40.1

Manufacturer Eagle Lock Corporation

Datec. 1927

OriginTerryville, CT

MediumMetal; Tape

Credit LineGift of Donna Rosenwasser

DescriptionRectangular black metal suitcase. Exterior has black surface treatment using unknown material. Fastened along edges with rivets and reinforced at corners with riveted metal plates. Lid has three hinges along back and three brass latches along front. Handle on front center has been repaired with wire and black electrical tape is wrapped around handle. Interior is lighter in color and appears painted/washed. Interior bottom has black metal bracket in each corner where a removeable tray(?) was originally, but tray is not intact.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth: 8.75 × 26.75 × 16.5 in. (22.2 × 67.9 × 41.9 cm)
InscriptionsStencilled text on front side "BUNDY"(?), proper right short side "FATHER COX'S / PILGRIMAGE / 27", and on proper left short side "FATHER COX'S"; text is difficult to read due to surface condition.

Underside of lid has hand-etched text "...FUNDAKOWSKI / LAWRENCEVILLE... / PITTSBURGH PENNA."
MarksText on central latch "EAGLE LOCK CO. / USA / TERRYVILLE CONN" and lockplate "PULL DOWN".
Historical NotesThis suitcase is from one of the many religious pilgrimages led by Father Cox to sacred sites in Europe. Cox led these tours from the 1920s through the 1950s. The 1927 pilgrimage was called the “largest ever to leave this country” by the local paper with around 150 participants. The party took the train to Montreal, Canada, and from there took a steamer to Liverpool. From Liverpool they traveled through Rome and Paris. They stopped at the Lourdes Shrine in Lourdes, France in the hopes of healing an elderly pilgrim who was unable to walk for 25 years. Donor Donna Rosenwasser's father-in-law received the suitcase as payment for a law case, so it is unknown who used it during the pilgrimage.

Related person Father James Renshaw Cox (1886 - 1951)

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