Book Notes
Connected Thoughts: A
Reinterpretation of the Reorganization of Antioch
College in the 1920's. By Stephen R. Herr. (Lanham, Maryland: University
Press of America, 1997. xii + 282 p.,
tables, endnotes, bibliographic essay, in-
dex.) In the long history of Antioch
College, two presidents have been revered:
Horace Mann for his liberal educational
policies in the 1850s which introduced
females and minorities, and Arthur E.
Morgan for his work-study concept in the
1920s. The work-study "co-op"
program was instituted in the fall of 1921; stu-
dents were divided into two divisions,
with one "div" attending classes on campus
while the other worked at various jobs
related to academic studies (or simply to fi-
nance a college education). The
divisions reversed roles after several weeks. With
a few interruptions, the co-op program
continues today. Morgan was also inter-
ested in college-backed student projects
that could develop into small industries.
Connected Thoughts summarizes several work-study programs initiated in the
nineteenth century, particularly in the
colleges established by the American
Missionary Association for black
students, and the co-op program in engineering
established at the University of
Cincinnati in 1906, which was the pioneering ef-
fort of Herman Schneider and of national
importance in higher education.
Antioch, like many other small private
colleges, was suffering from a lack of
students-and income-in the early
twentieth century. By 1919 Morgan had writ-
ten extensively concerning education. He
was elected to the Antioch board of
trustees on the basis of his work-study
plan and his involvement with the progres-
sive Moraine Park School in Dayton. On
viewing the campus, Morgan told his
wife that Antioch was ". . . near
dead, so we could do what we want with it" (p. 47).
Morgan became president of Antioch in
July, 1920. He proved to be tireless in
public relations and sold the
"new" concept of work-study nationwide through
speeches and articles, often promising
more than the program, or the college fac-
ulty, was capable of delivering. Connected
Thoughts provides an in-depth study
of Morgan's educational theories,
whether borrowed or original, and their imple-
mentation. It is Herr's contention that
Morgan was a "coordinator"" rather than
an "innovator" of the
work-study program, and he documents the various individ
uals and groups that helped to shape the
program, the often hard-pressed faculty,
the board of trustees, local residents,
and nationally prominent educators and in-
dustrialists.
Ohio Historical Society Donald A.
Hutslar
Ohio and Its People. Second Edition. By George W. Knepper. (Kent: Kent
State University Press, 1997. xiii +
532p.; illustrations, appendices, bibliogra-
phy, index.) The second edition of
George Knepper's state history is brought up
to date by adding a final chapter on the
1990s. In his new preface, the author
sounds a strong note of optimism for
Ohio's future. This positive outlook re-
sounds through the new chapter, perhaps
best exemplified by several of the sec-
tion headings such as "Erasing the
Rust" and "Ohio's Cities-Looking Good."
Knepper uses a similar framework to that
established in the final chapter of the
first edition, "Ohio in the
Post-Industrial Age," to examine the present decade.
After a discussion of state politics, he
covers eleven components of Ohio's econ-
Book Notes 117
omy and society:
location; natural resources; capital; energy; labor; technology;
entrepreneurship;
social and political climate; environment; education; and crimi-
nal justice. In nearly
all of these he sees the state as representative or typical,
providing details on
state manifestations of nation issues. Ending as he began,
the author concludes
with "A Bit of State Pride" that assesses Ohio's current
"positive environment."
Ohio Historical
Society
David A. Simmons
Legacy of the Land:
Agriculture's Story to the Present. By
Hiram M. Drache.
(Danville, Illinois:
Interstate Publishers, Inc., 1996. xxv + 494p.; illustrations,
references, index.)
This is an excellent summary of the history of the agrarian el-
ement in American
Society. It mentions practically every political, social, eco-
nomic and
technological development since colonial times. It is well organized
and the text is
accompanied by useful photography, drawings, and graphs. The
coverage, however, is
extremely superficial, so this book has limited value. It
might be used as a
textbook for students in survey classes or as a reference work,
but beyond that it
will be of little use to specialists in the field of agricultural his-
tory.
Midwestern State
University Kenneth
E. Henrickson, Jr.
Ohio in Historic
Postcards: Self-Portrait of a State. By
H. Roger Grant. (Kent:
The Kent State
University Press, 1997. x + 257p.; illustrations.) This pictorial
treatment of Ohio
history is divided into two parts: an introductory context and an
album of postcards.
The initial section outlines the history of the medium from
the first picture
postcards produced for the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893
through the
introduction of the "real" photo card in 1902 to the "Golden
Age" of
postcard production
and collecting between 1905 and 1915. The album is divided
into ten segments:
landscapes; commercial structures; public buildings; monu-
ments and memorials;
religion; education; transportation; industry; Ohioans at
work; and Ohioans at
play. Scattered through the album captions are generaliza-
tions about Ohio
history and tidbits gleaned from the card messages.
Ohio Historical
Society David
A. Simmons
The French and
Indian War in Pennsylvania 1753-1763: Fortification
and
Struggle During the
War for Empire. By Louis M. Waddell and Bruce D.
Bomberger.
(Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission,
1996. viii + 112p.;
illustrations, fort and site inventory, annotated bibiliogra-
phy, index.) This
slender paperback volume is a historic preservation planning
document prepared for
the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. It
attempts to provide a
context for evaluating standing structures and archaeological
sites from the war
era. The first section is a concise synthesis of past and current
scholarship on French
and Indian War sites in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Because of the need to
tie into actual structures or sites, much of this context is ex-
tremely site specific.
Inherent in this type of study is also an assumption that
these sites are worthy
of preservation for their educational value as well as for
118 OHIO HISTORY
their potential contribution to
scholarly research. Along those lines, brief rec-
ommendations for future research are
provided as a conclusion to this portion. The
second section, based entirely on a
literature search that has not been field-tested,
is an inventory of 112 fort and camp
sites with a brief description, listing of
sources, general location (since exact
locations are not always known and are also
privileged information due to a fear of
unauthorized excavations), and interpreta-
tive notes. Scattered throughout is a
sampling of the many contemporary maps,
plats and drawings, and archaeological
excavation results from these sites.
Ohio Historical Society David A. Simmons
Wisconsin in the Civil War: The Home
Front and the Battle Front, 1861-1865.
By Frank L. Klement. (Madison: The State
Historical Society of Wisconsin,
1997. ix + 141p.; illustrations, maps,
select bibliography, index.) Written at the
request of the state historical society,
Wisconsin in the Civil War is a revised and
expanded version of Klement's highly
popular history of Wisconsin's role in the
Civil War which first appeared in the Wisconsin
Blue Book. Illustrated with more
than a hundred photos and detailed with
many helpful maps, Klement's book offers
a comprehensive study in a chronological
narrative style. Wisconsin in the Civil
War is a valuable addition to the history of Wisconsin and
will be welcomed by
general readers and scholars alike.
Ohio Historical Society Laura
Russell
Stonemasons of Muskingum County,
Ohio, in the 1800's. By Betty W. Acker
and Nettie G. Watson. (Zanesville,
Ohio: Muskingum County Genealogical
Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical
Society, 1997. iii +212p.; illustrations.) This
is a remarkable effort by amateur
historians to inventory comprehensively all the
stone structures in the county,
including both those demolished as well as still
standing. To the expected array of
public buildings, churches, canal structures,
bridges, and houses is even added pig
pens, fence posts, and watering troughs.
Introductory sections on tools and
techniques and appendices on stonemasons in
the 1850 census and stone buildings in
neighboring counties further embellish the
study.
Ohio Historical Society David A.
Simmons
American Country Building
Design: Rediscovered Plans for
19th-Century
Farmhouses, Cottages, Landscapes,
Barns, Carriage Houses & Outbuildings. By
Donald J. Berg. (New York: Sterling
Publishing Company, 1997. 160p.; illus-
trations, bibliography, index.) Aptly
summarized by the author in his introduc-
tion, nineteenth century technological
changes revolutionized farming and most
other trades, and in so doing thousands
of new towns and villages. The changes
were mirrored in the buildings of the
time, particularly as seen in the shift from lo-
cally fabricated, mortise and tenon
structures to mass-produced, typically balloon
frame barns and houses of the late 19th
century. This profusely illustrated soft
cover volume, a compilation of drawings,
excerpts and plans from 19th century ru-
ral guidebooks and agricultural
journals, focuses on the picturesque influence.
Book Notes 119
Much more than farmhouses, which are
amply profiled, Berg's study encompasses
barns, carriage houses, farmstead plans,
and neighborhoods, with a brief conclud-
ing look at whether there is such a
moniker as an "American style." Students of ru-
ral landscapes will appreciate the
bibliography. Valuable because of its numerous
19th century plan books and rural
magazines excerpts under one cover, American
Country Building Design will serve as a handy shelf reference for the
architectural
reader.
Ohio Historical Society Stephen C.
Gordon
Other books received by Ohio History which
might be of interest to our readers:
Exploring the Unknown: Selected
Documents in the History of the U.S. Civil
Space Program. Volume II: External Relationships. Edited by
John M. Logsdon
with Dwayne A. Day and Roger D. Launius.
(Washington, D.C.: National
Aeronautics and Space Administration,
1996. xxxvi + 636p.; glossary essays,
documents, biographical appendix,
index.)
A Geography of Ohio. Edited by Leonard Peacefull. (Kent: The Kent State
University Press, 1996. vi + 340p.;
illustrations, maps, references, index.)
Aiming at Targets: The Autobiography
of Robert C. Seamans, Jr. By Robert C.
Seamans, Jr. (Washington, D.C.: The NASA
History Office, 1996. ix + 291p.;
illustrations, notes, appendices,
index.)
Thomas Taggart: Public Servant,
Political Boss, 1865-1929. By James
Philip
Fadely. (Indianapolis: Indiana
Historical Society, 1997. xii + 267p.; illustra-
tions, notes, bibliography, index.)
Life on the Ohio: Captain James
Coomer. By James Coomer. Edited by
Rita
Kohn and William Lynwood Montell.
(Lexington: The University Press of
Kentucky, 1997. xix + 179p.;
illustrations, glossary.)
Written on the Hills: The Making of the Akron Landscape. By
Frances
McGovern. (Akron: The University of
Akron Press, 1996. xvi + 241p.; maps,
illustrations, notes.)
Voices from Vietnam. Edited by Michael
E. Stevens. (Madison: The State
Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1996.
xiv + 255p.; illustrations, glossary,
suggestions for further reading, index.)
Ohio Marriages: Extracted from The
Old Northwest Genealogical Quarterly. Edited
by Marjorie Smith. (Baltimore, Maryland:
Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc.,
1997. 350p.) REPRINT.
The Saintly Scoundrel: The Life and
Times of Dr. John Cook Bennett. By
Andrew
F. Smith. (Champaign: University of
Illinois Press, 1997. xiii + 271p,; illus-
trations, notes, selected bibliography,
index.)
Genealogical Research in Ohio. By
Kip Sperry. (Baltimore, Maryland:
Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc.,
1997. xii + 303p.; illustrations,
chronology, notes and references,
bibliography, indices.)
Days of Gold: The California Gold
Rush and the American Nation. By
Malcolm J.
Rohrbough. (Berkeley: University of
California Press, 1997. xv + 353p.; il-
lustrations, maps, historians and
sources, notes, index.)
The Captain from Nantucket and the
Mutiny on the Bounty. A Recollection of
Mayhew Folger, Mariner, who
Discovered the last Mutineer & his Family on
Pitcairn's Island: together with Letters & Documents never previously
120 OHIO HISTORY
Published. By Walter Hayes. (Ann Arbor, Michigan: The William L.
Clements
Library, 1996. 143p.; illustrations,
notes, selected bibliography.)
James A Garfield: A Bibliography. Compiled by Robert O. Rupp. (Westport,
Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1997.
xxvii + 185p.; notes, chronology, index
to authors, index to subjects.)
Wallops Station and the Creation of
an American Space Program. By Harold
D.
Wallace, Jr. (Washington, D.C.: NASA
History Office, 1997. xiii + 167p.; il-
lustrations, appendices, note on
sources, selected bibliography, index.)
Way Station to Space: A History of
the John C. Stennis Space Center, By
Mack
R. Herring. (Washington, D.C.: NASA
History Office, 1997. xvii + 484p.; il-
lustrations, chronology, index.)
American Locomotives: An Engineering History, 1830-1880. Revised and
Expanded. By John H. White, Jr. (xxvi + 593p.;
illustrations, note on sources,
appendices, bibliography, index.)
The Natural History of the Long
Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, 1819-1820.
By Howard Ensign Evans. (New York:
Oxford University Press, 1997. xii +
268p.; illustrations, appendices,
bibliography, index.)