To Petersburg with the Army of the Potomac: The Civil War Letters of Levi Bird Duff, 105th Pennsylvania Volunteers
By Levi Bird Duff, Edited by Jonathan E. Helmreich
www.mcfarlanpub.com (800)-253-2187
The correspondence between Levi Bird Duff and his wife Harriet presents an extraordinary look into the emotional and physical challenges facing a young soldier and his family during the Civil War. Duff served as a soldier in the Army of the Potomac from 1861 to 1864. His letters show an advanced level of “literacy, descriptions and continuity, the strength of opinions expressed and their source” a young private who rose through the ranks of the army and express the difficult decisions many soldiers had to make “between the conflicting calls of duty and affection.”
A Country Storekeeper in Pennsylvania: Creating Economic Networks in Early America, 1790 – 1807
By Diane Wenger
(University Park, PA: Penn State University Press 2008)
280 pps., hardcover $55.00
In the early days of America, the general store was a small-town staple that has all but disappeared from towns and cities. In A Country Storekeeper in Pennsylvania, Diane E. Wenger analyzes the records of Samuel Rex, a small town shop owner in Schaefferstown Pennsylvania. These records provide “the means for contesting the established model of how early American commerce functioned.” In Wenger’s detailed account of Rex, she has given the early American shopkeeper a “much broader historical” historical context as she uses his records to exemplify a model of early American commerce and small town trade.
Ukrainians of Western Pennsylvania
By Stephen P. Haluszczak
(Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing 2009)
128 pps., softcover $21.99’
Local historian Stephen P. Haluszczak’s latest work was written in the hopes that “readers will develop a better understanding of the Ukrainians who immigrated to the region.” This book is a testament to the hardworking past to the Ukrainians, and their individual achievements, which built upon the “strong and colorful Western Pennsylvania” community. Haluszczak uses the imagery of the worker bee in order to illustrate the ways in which communities were set up, and how immigrant families were able to preserve their rich heritage throughout all four waves of Ukrainian immigration to the United States.
Postcard History Series: Pittsburgh 1900-1945
By Michael Eversmeyer
(Charleston, SC : Arcadia Publishing 2009)
127 pps., softcover $21.99
The history of Pittsburgh has been preserved in many ways: architecturally, in archives, museum exhibits, heritage festivals, and in many more varieties. One outlet that is explored in this book is the postcardmania that overtook the region between 1900 and 1945. Eversmeyer explores the cultural history of Pittsburgh using this phenomenon as the basis for showing the city to “illustrate the power, wealth, and beauty of the city. . . during its era of industrial greatness.”
Images of America: Pittsburgh 1758-2008
By The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
(Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing 2008)
127 pps., softcover $21.99
Images of America constructs Pittsburgh’s “evolution from strategic fort in the wilderness to bustling industrial workshop to high-tech center for universities and health care.” This book was prepared from and earlier book A Pittsburgh Album which commemorated the city’s bicentennial and following this tradition, Pittsburgh 1758-2008 was published to make the city’s 250th birthday. This photo story helps to tell the history of Pittsburgh through images that connect all aspects of Pittsburgh life and culture, from immigration, food, and churches, and clubs, no aspects of the traditions of Pittsburgh are forgotten.
Norvelt: A New Deal Subsistence Homestead
By Sandra Wolk Schimizzi with Valeria Sofranko Wolk, Introduction by Michael Cary
(Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2010)
127 pps. Softcover $21.99
In 1934, the town of Norvelt, named for Eleanor Roosevelt, was established as a U.S. government New Deal Community. Located in Westmoreland County, the new town was situated on a plot of 1,500 acres of prime farmland. The federal government constructed 250 homesteads of varying size and families were selected from a pool of over 1,850 applicants. The town boasted self-sufficiency through co-op programs designed to foster economic growth and keep revenue in the community. Neighborhood activities brought everyone together for dances, meetings, and social events. This remarkable collection of photographs shows the towns formative history and shares the experience of the hundreds of families who found new hope in Norvelt during the Great Depression.
This American Courthouse: One Hundred Years of Service to the People of Westmoreland County
Michael D. Carey, D.A. and Timothy Kelly, Ph.D., eds.
(Latrobe: Saint Vincent College Center for Northern Appalachian Studies, 2007)
131 pps. Hardback $28.00
This American Courthouse delves into the architectural, social, and legal history of the judicial system of Westmoreland County. A collection of individual essays, the book looks at early law practices, courthouse construction, the changing role of judges, architectural style, and the history of the Westmoreland Bar Association. Colorful illustrations and a sizeable photograph collection augment the text and complement the already intriguing text of the book.
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