Ohio History Journal

Book Notes

 

 

 

 

The Covered Bridges of Pennsylvania: A Guide. By Susan M. Zacher. (Harris-

burg: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1982. vi + 141p.; il-

lustrations, maps, bibliography, index.) As its title might indicate, this book

functions primarily as a tourist guide to the covered bridges which are found

throughout Pennsylvania. Following a brief introduction to truss types, the

book consists of a list of the 227 extant covered bridges in the state, with the

bridges grouped by region and by county. Though some attempt is made to

characterize the bridges remaining in the various areas, the book's basic

emphasis is upon large, attractive photographs of bridges and directions for

finding them. Factual information such as builder, length, construction date,

and condition is recorded for each bridge. Each bridge is also the subject

of an extremely brief description or history. These narratives range from the

informative to the cryptic and inconsequential which, unfortunately, predom-

inate. Lacking any true historical perspective, analysis of its subject matter, or

interpretation of significance, this book offers a useful illustrated listing of

bridges for travelers wishing to examine them in person and supplies undi-

gested arcana for covered bridge mavens.

Christopher Bensch

 

 

Transportation and the Early Nation: Papers Presented at an Indiana Amer-

ican Revolution Bicentennial Symposium. (Indianapolis: Indiana Historical

Society, 1982. vii + 156p.; illustrations, maps, notes.) Transportation and the

Early Nation is a collection of six papers delivered at the fourth Indiana

American Revolution Bicentennial Symposium. The papers are: "The Trans-

portation Revolution and American Law: Constitutionalism and Public Poli-

cy" by Harry N. Scheiber, "Internal Improvements in National Politics" by

Douglas E. Clanin, "The Ohio River: Pathway to Settlement" by Donald T.

Zimmer, "The Canal Era in the Old Northwest" by Ralph D Gray, and

"Iron Roads in the Old Northwest: The Railroads and the Growing Nation"

by John F. Stover. This book is an excellent overview of early transportation.

Roger Meade

 

 

Benjamin Holt: The Story of the Caterpillar Tractor. Edited by Walter A.

Payne. (Stockton, California: University of the Pacific, 1982. x + 102p.; illus-

trations.) Number 1 of Monograph Series II from the Holt-Atherton Pacific

Center for Western Studies, this slim slip-covered volume manages to cram a

plethora of interesting and unusual photographs and illustrations into a seri-

ous study of an uncommon man and the distinctive community that devel-

oped the caterpillar. Authors Roger T. Barnett, Erling A. Erickson, Leonard

A. Humphreys, Ronald H. Limbaugh, and general editor Walter A. Payne

trace the history of Benjamin Holt and the development of his caterpillar

• 1
 

Book Notes                                                      215

 

farm machinery from the 1800s through World War I, and note their impact

upon America's agricultural and industrial development.

Laura Russell

 

 

Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant. By U. S. Grant. Edited with notes by E.

B. Long. (New York: De Capo Press, Inc., 1982. xxv + 608p.; maps, notes, in-

dex.) This De Capo Press edition of the Personal Memoirs of U. S Grant is an

unabridged republication of Grant's 1885 edition, with a new introduction

by Pulitzer Prize winning biographer William S. McFeely and accompanied

by critical notes by E. B. Long. Called the "greatest work to emerge from the

Civil War," Grant's autobiography is considered by historians to be a mas-

terpiece of autobiography and military history. Written during the last year of

Grant's life-he died of cancer nine days after completing work on the final

proofs-Personal Memoirs briefly tells the story of his Ohio boyhood, his

years at West Point, his marriage to Julia Dent, and his peacetime "failures,"

then concentrates on the overwhelming events of two wars (Civil War and

Mexican War) with a steady, controlled prose which is at the same time ob-

jective and personal in tone. "Unquestionably, it is the finest literary achieve-

ment by an American president, (and is) the most objective, least self-

serving, clearest portrait we have of the trials of leadership." This De Capo

Press edition of Personal Memoirs is a worthy addition to any bookshelf.

Laura Russell

 

A Manual of Archival Techniques. Edited by Roland M. Baumann. (Harris-

burg: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1982. 134p.; illustra-

tions, appendices, bibligraphy.) This up-to-date manual is an important con-

tribution to archival literature because it brings together in a single volume

coverage of most major topics in archives administration. While some read-

ers, mostly professional archivists in large institutional settings, may lament

the decided leaning toward small-shop and manuscript problems, those in

small historical societies will be thankful, and it was for this latter group the

volume was intended.

David Levine

 

 

Federal Land Series: A Calendar of Archival Materials on the Land Patents

Issued by the United States Government, with Subject, Tract, & Name Index-

es. Volume 4, Part 1: Grants in the Virginia Military District of Ohio. By

Clifford Neal Smith. (Chicago: American Library Association, 1982. xx +

395p.; appendix, indexes.) The Federal Land Series, begun in 1972 by Clif-

ford Neal Smith, provides researchers with an accessible index to the archi-

val material on the early U.S. land grants. In the first part of volume four,

Smith summarizes and indexes the land grants Virginia made to its Revolu-

tionary veterans, focusing on those grants in Ohio. Entries specify both war-

rantees and patentees, as well as others who settled the lands, and are com-

plemented by county and township, watercourse, and name indexes. An

• 2
 

216                                                  OHIO HISTORY

 

important tool to genealogists and historians, this series fills a scholarly gap

by systematically indexing for the first time the settlement of the Virginia

Military District in Ohio.

Laura Russell

 

 

Kentucky Fighting Men, 1861-1945. By Richard G. Stone, Jr. (Lexington:

The University Press of Kentucky, 1982. xii + 126p.; sources, index.) A col-

lective portrayal of Kentucky fighting men from the Civil War through World

War II, this book focuses on individuals and the battles in which they

fought in an effort to understand how and why they came to bear arms and

to discover the impact of war upon them. Kentucky Fighting Men is a small

but thought-provoking volume; a fine supplement to the larger, less personal

annals of war.

Laura Russell

 

 

A Portrait Cast in Steel: Buckeye International and Columbus, Ohio, 1881-

1980. By Mansel G. Blackford. (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press,

1982. xviii + 225p.; illustrations, appendices, bibliographic essay, notes, in-

dex.) Professor Blackford's study of Buckeye International, primarily a steel

casting manufacturer, traces the evolution of a locally-owned firm from its

1880s precursors to its 1980 acquisition by conglomerate Worthington Indus-

tries. Given the slim survival chances of any business, Buckeye's longevity is

worthy of study. The author argues that friendships between Buckeye offi-

cials and industry leaders, particularly railroad representatives, combined

with solid engineering expertise and advanced management techniques to

make Buckeye a leading producer of railroad car couplers. Failure to continue

with such innovations and reliance on a single market engendered eventual

stagnation and hard times as American railroads declined. However, at-

tempts to diversify in the 1960s helped to revitalize Buckeye. By the late

1970s at least two firms sought to take over Buckeye. Finally in 1980 Buckeye

was acquired by Worthington Industries. Blackford's research, based upon

both manuscript and oral history sources, is solid; his narrative style is di-

rect and his thesis credible. The "case study" approach helps to fill in the

gaps presently found in the business history literature of small and medium-

sized businesses. Let us hope for more such studies.

Christopher S. Duckworth

 

 

Cities in the Commonwealth: Two Centuries of Urban Life in Kentucky. By

Allen J. Share. (Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 1982. ix +

150p.; illustrations, bibliographical notes, index.) Cities in the Commonwealth

examines the forces that shaped Louisville and Lexington, cities whose

growth has affected the economic, social, and cultural life of Kentucky. Pro-

fessor Share focuses his essays on the themes of promotion ("boosterism")

and rivalry, urban problems and services, cultural life, and the experiences

• 3
 

Book Notes                                                      217

 

of urban blacks. This "essay on urban Kentucky" is a worthy addition to

the University Press of Kentucky's Bicentennial Bookshelf series.

Laura Russell

 

 

Between the Eighties: Tiffin, Ohio 1880-1980. By Myron B. Barnes. (Tiffin:

The Seneca County Museum Foundation, Inc., 1982. 328p.; illustrations, ap-

pendices, index.) Resulting from Mr. Barnes's personal interest in local histo-

ry and his participation in Tiffin's 1976 Bicentennial celebrations, Between the

Eighties has been lovingly researched and, combined with its many fasci-

nating illustrations, is sure to become a reliable sourcebook for Tiffin histori-

ans.

Laura Russell

 

 

Conover Pioneers and Pilgrims: Celebration of a Family. By Elizabeth

Conover Kelley. (Detroit: Harlo Press, 1982. 454p.; illustrations, family tree,

source notes, bibliography, index.) The family history of Wolfert and Neeltje

Van Couwenhoven, a Dutch couple who settled in the new world in 1625,

Conover Pioneers and Pilgrims is the result of Mrs. Kelley's twelve years of

geneaological research. This tale faithfully chronicles her ancestors' pilgrim-

age from Europe to the Americas, and follows the family as it grew and ex-

panded into Ohio and Illinois. In so doing, it reflects through a single fami-

ly's story the movements of a young nation. Conover Pioneers is a story "to

be continued."

Laura Russell

 

 

The Leedom Family. By Sara A. L. Eachus. (Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania:

Dorrance & Company, 1982. xiii + 278p.; illustrations, notes, index.) An im-

pressive and thorough work of geneaological research, The Leedom Family is

the result of Sara Leedom Eachus's desire to understand the role of her fore-

bears in our country's history. Eachus has traced her family from eighteenth

century England to early Pennsylvania, from Redstone country through the

French and Indian war to Adams County, Ohio. In her studies she has in-

cluded such family names as Phipps, Twinings, Edgington, and Clark. This

book represents a useful tool for geneaological researchers.

Laura Russell

 

 

Preservation Comes of Age: From Williamsburg to the National Trust, 1926-

1949. Volumes I and II. By Charles B. Hosmer, Jr. (Charlottesville: Universi-

ty Press of Virginia, 1981. xiii + ¹²91p.; illustrations, notes, bibliography,

chronology, index.) Preservation Comes of Age is a lengthy sequel to

Hosmer's pathbreaking Presence of the Past, which traced the American

preservation movement prior to the establishment of Williamsburg. These

• 4
 

218                                                   OHIO HISTORY

 

two volumes carry the story to the chartering of the National Trust for Histor-

ic Preservation in 1949. The book is an institutional history of the major na-

tional groups involved in historic preservation during the twenty-three years

covered. The book discusses the restoration of Williamsburg, outdoor muse-

ums, and private efforts directed toward a particular house. Nearly one-third

of the book deals with federal historic programs. The study also looks at se-

lected state and local preservation efforts, the growth of professionalism, and

the maturation of preservation theory and technology. The book is painstak-

ingly researched. The author conducted eighty-five taped interviews and in-

cludes 167 pages of footnotes. The study tells well the institutional history of

the most prominent preservation groups and their struggle to preserve part of

America's heritage. The book takes a rather limited view of preservation,

however, being limited mainly to house museums and large urban historic

districts. It also does not adequately place preservation into a larger intellec-

tual framework. Despite these limitations, the book should be the starting

point for preservation histories of the period for years to come.

 

Ray Luce

 

 

Trapped! The Story of Floyd Collins. By Robert K. Murray and Roger W.

Brucker. (Lexington: The University Presss of Kentucky, 1982. 335p; illustra-

tions, maps, diagrams, notes on sources, index.) Reprinted in paperback edi-

tion, this book tells the story of the 1925 attempt to rescue Floyd Collins from

a small Kentucky cave. One of the first media events in American history, the

sixteen days of rescue attempts for the trapped man were fraught with nation-

al hysteria, sensationalism, and suspense. This story is told quite masterfully

by Murray and Bruker as they analyze the press exploitation of the event, ex-

amine the folklore which has since grown around Collins, speculate on the

psychological motives of this solitary caver, and discover new evidence of a

passage which might have been used to save the trapped man. Trapped! will

stand as the definitive study of the Floyd Collins story for many years.

Laura Russell

• 5