Includes bibliographical references (p. 237-253) and index.
Contents
Introduction: a country storekeeper and his network of relationships -- Beyond "wild forest people": Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania -- The Rex Store and its local customers -- Feeding the furnaces: the iron community and the Rex Store -- "Orders thankfully received, and carefully executed": Rex and the Philadelphia merchants -- A life of "comparative ease" -- Epilogue: Rex's network and its significance.
Summary
"Examines the role that country storekeeper Samuel Rex of Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania, played in the society and economy of the mid-Atlantic region from 1790 to 1807. Studies consumption patterns of one typical Pennsylvania-German community"--Provided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references (p. [419]-478) and index.
Summary
"They began their existence as everyday objects, but in the hands of award-winning historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, fourteen domestic items from preindustrial America-ranging from a linen tablecloth to an unfinished sock-relinquish their stories and offer profound insights into our history.In an age when even meals are rarely made from scratch, homespun easily acquires the glow of nostalgia. The objects Ulrich investigates unravel those simplified illusions, revealing important clues to the culture and people who made them. Ulrich uses an Indian basket to explore the uneasy coexistence of native and colonial Americans. A piece of silk embroidery reveals racial and class distinctions, and two old spinning wheels illuminate the connections between colonial cloth-making and war. Pulling these divergent threads together, Ulrich demonstrates how early Americans made, used, sold, and saved textiles in order to assert their identities, shape relationships, and create history." [from the publisher]
Chapters: Cultivating the Garden : The invention of Lancaster County -- Pride and Progress : Education, Literacy , and The Little Red Schoolhouse -- Dutch Country : The Amish and Tourism -- Domain of Abundance : Food and Farming -- The Landscape of Progress : Urbanization and Planning -- Preserving The Garden : Development and Farm Preservation -- Epilogue : The Harvest -- Appendix : Farms and Population Of Lancaster 1900 to 2000
Summary
It is the tension between rural tradition, progress, and urbanization that lies at the core of Garden Spot. David Walbert examines how twentieth century American culture has come to define and appreciate rurality, and how growth and economic expansion can co-exist with preservation of the traditional ways of life in the region. Will small farms fail in a culture that has increasingly come to value productivity over quality of life? What impact will further development have on maintaining this region's character? Can rurality and progress co-exist in the 21st century?A vivid portrayal of the land and people, residents and outsiders alike, Garden Spot narrates the history of this region and considers the challenges Lancaster County and its people face in order to preserve their unique place. [from the publisher]
Chapter 8 is titled "The Old Order Amish Community 50 Years Later" and focuses on the dramatic changes that took place in the last 50 years among the Lancaster County Amish.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 179-186) and index.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 357-361).
Summary
Examines how the spiritual beliefs and vision of America's founders shaped the country's history and culture and assesses the influence of the spiritual traditions of African slaves, Native Americans, and early mystical communities on colonial America.
"An eclectic mixture of autobiography, U.S. intellectual history, philosophical inquiry, and spiritual wonderment, this extended meditative essay examines "America as an Idea" by uncovering the latent wisdom of many of its shining lights: Benjamin Franklin, William Penn, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Walt Whitman. Needleman, a philosophy professor and author of Money and the Meaning of Life, reinterprets the lives of each of these leaders in the context of their strong spiritual beliefs and their contributions to unifying a deeply divided body politic. The author liberally quotes classical philosophers, historians, biographers, and the subjects themselves, and he often interjects his own life experiences and spiritual beliefs into his loosely structured narrative. Needleman also tackles what he considers to be America's two most grievous historical blemishes: the murder of Native American culture and slavery and suggests how America should confront these wrongs." [from the "Library Journal"]
Includes bibliographical references (p. [165]-207) and index.
Summary
"Sweet Land of Liberty reawakens the Revolution in Northampton County ( PA.) with sketches of men and women caught up in it. Seldom is this story told from the vantage point of common folks, let alone those in the backcountry. In Fox's hands, we see in these individuals an altogether more disturbing Revolution than we have ever reckoned with before...Fox's account will startle many readers for whom the Revolution symbolizes the high-minded pursuit of liberty... When the Revolution broke out, militias took control. Frontier justice replaced the rule of law as zealous patriots preoccupied themselves not with fighting the British but with seizing local political power and persecuting their pacifist neighbors."
Originally published: Ann Arbor, Mich.: UMI Research Press, 1990.
Includes bibliographical references (p. [297]-302] and index.
Summary
The essays cover folk religion, folk medicine, sectarian costume, traditional cookery, and the folklife of the Pennsylvania Dutch, specifically Harvest Home, witch tales, Fraktur, and sauerkraut for New Year.
The Manchester townships, Manchester, West Manchester and East Manchester : and that portion of Hellam Township outside of the Manor of Springettsbury, York County, Pennsylvania
American Association for State and Local History book series
Notes
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents
Introduction: The past as context -- Creating a place -- The power of place -- Sharing the story -- Making connections -- Contemplating change -- The call of wildness -- Sustaining the future -- Touring a culture -- A wonderful place -- Under construction.
