The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory

THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FACTORY

The first historical romance novel by Charity Barger "The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory" is now for sale. Journey with us as we travel back to 1911, where a young factory work falls in love with her boss' nephew. Their relationship is filled with obstacles as they try to overcome the pressures from their family, friends and society. However, when a fire breaks out at the factory, they are faced with the biggest obstacle of all. Buy your copy today!

School lesson inspires book
Former local publishes historical romance

SUBMITTED PHOTO Charity Allen Barger, a 1999 graduate of Collinsville High School and current Florida resident, recently published a fictional romance based on a true life historical event she first read about during her junior year. The book "The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory," based on a 1911 New York fire that killed 146 people, is currently available online.

By Mike Terry
Sunday, October 12, 2008 3:18 AM CDT

Most adults, even those with a good memory, would probably

struggle to recall the details behind the many lessons they learned and the piles of homework they completed during their time in high school.

But not Charity Allen Barger, a 1999 graduate of Collinsville High School. In fact, she was so intrigued by a small paragraph she read in her history textbook one day, that it became the inspiration for a new fictional romance she recently self-published.

It was during her junior year, while skimming through the pages, that Barger first came across the tale of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. In 1911, the factory was the site of a giant fire that claimed the lives of 146 people.

The tale grabbed her attention and soon, she found herself spending all of her extra time in the library researching the topic to learn more. A year later during her senior year, she used that research on another school assignment, constructing a short story for her creative writing class.

"(Teacher Mark Schusky) loved it and suggested that I make the short story into a book," she said in e-mail interview.

It took her nearly 10 years for that plan to become reality, but last month it finally happened when Barger released a fictional romance based on the actual events of the fire.

"A lot having to do with the factory is true, but the characters are all fictional," she said.

The main characters in the story, Susan and David, were created from a true-life account taken from an eyewitness, who watched a couple step onto the ledge of the 10-story burning building, hug and kiss each other, and hold hands and step off.

"I wanted to know more about this couple," she said. "I wanted to know who they were, how they got there and, more importantly, what they meant to each other. Of course, there was nothing more than this small account, so I wrote a story about who they could have been and what could have happened."

Barger moved to Collinsville at the age of 11, and has since moved to Florida where she has worked mostly in film making, both as an actress and as a director. Originally, she said she envisioned the story as perfect for a screenplay.

Along with headlining as Peter Pan at Miner's Theater in 2006, Barger was in a movie called "Manifests of the Heart" which was filmed in Collinsville, along with "Jealousy" which was filmed in Bethalto and "Kingshighway" which was filmed in Fairview Heights and St. Louis.

While growing up, she said she never really considered a future as an author, but loved poetry and often used writing to vent or daydream, depending on her emotions.

"The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory" is currently available at lulu.com, along with much of the poetry that Barger wrote when she was a teenager.

In addition, she is hoping to have another book, "A Tendency Towards Love" published next year, along with another 10 or so currently in various stages of completion.

"The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory" is available on online stores.

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The Official Site of Charity Barger