First Lady of Pennsylvania Katherine Wilson Curtin’s 1880s Dress
A Rare Glimpse at Katherine Wilson Curtin’s Historic Dress
Volunteers from the Katherine Wilson Curtin Tent 62, Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War were instrumental in the conservation of Katherine’s French-made purple velvet and satin dress ensemble. The dress was on loan from the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg for conservation by Tent 62, under the mentorship of Shippensburg University’s Fashion Archives and Museum.
The dress was on display in the Centre Furnace Mansion for the pubic to view for a brief time in December 2024 in conjunction with a presentation as part of the annual Central Pennsylvania Civil War Round Table and Centre County Historical Society joint meeting. The video from this presentation is sponsored by the Central Pennsylvania Civil War Round Table, Centre County Historical Society, and the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau and may be viewed in the video below.
According to the Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village website, Katherine Irvine Wilson (1821-1903) married Andrew Gregg Curtin (1815-1894) on May 29, 1844. She was the daughter of a country doctor, Dr. William Irvine Wilson (1793-1883) and Mary Potter Wilson (1798-1861). Katherine’s mother, Mary Potter Wilson, was the daughter of General Judge James Potter (1767-1818). Katherine’s great-grandfather was Revolutionary War Colonel — then Brigadier General — James Potter (1729-1789), a Scots-Irish immigrant who had arrived in America in 1741.
