United States History Commons^™

Manassas: Heat Of The Moment, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

Before I go any further, I need to make something clear: they tried. Oh, they tried so hard. The deck was stacked against them and they gave it the old Harvard try. Heat, a weekday and more... They tried so valiantly. But they came up short. [excerpt]

Champions, Cheaters, And Childhood Dreams: Memories Of The Soap Box Derby, Revised Edition, Melanie Payne

University of Akron Press Publications

From 1934 to the 1970s, the All-American Soap Box Derby pushed thousands of youths to use their curiosity, ingenuity, and determination to become the most famous kid in America. Through first-person accounts, Champions, Cheaters, and Childhood Dreams chronicles a history of the race from a hillside in Dayton to the corporate-sponsored, star-studded event it would become in the 1950s and 1960s. The influence of the Great Depression, World War II, the Civil Rights and feminist movements, Vietnam, and Watergate helped shape and transform the race from a simple amateur event into an American icon. The revised edition has been updated …

How I Saw It: My Photographic Memory Of The Soap Box Derby, Jeff Iula, Bill Ignizio

University of Akron Press Publications

Jeff Iula grew up around the Soap Box Derby. His memories of the race events over the past forty years are a treasure trove of the history of the gravity race, but also other aspects of the the Derby Downs race that are rarely covered. Aided by writer, Bill Ignizio, Iula has delved into his collection of Derby memorabilia to identify the most compelling images of cars and contestants, programs and tickets, and celebrities and ceremonies. This collection is unique and informative. A must for Soap Box Derby fans.

Morningstar, Jane (Hines), 1904-1989 (Sc 2466), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2466. Miscellaneous letters and postcards to Jane (Hines) Morningstar, Bowling Green, Kentucky. Includes a satirical pledge to the Democratic Party and clipppings relating to Morningstar's father-in-law, Robert Morningstar.

Hayden, James H., 1843-1937 (Sc 2464), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2464. Letter, 21 September 1926, from James H. Hayden, Glasgow Junction, Kentucky, to Bob Morningstar, commenting on the marriage of his son, Roy Ballenger Morningstar.

Early Historical Aspects Of Adult Literacy: Particularly In Rowan County, Kentucky And How Adult Education Is Linked To Morehead State University, Joy F. Cecil, Jackie Mccleese

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

An applied project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Education Specialist at Morehead State University by Joy F. Cecil and Jackie McCleese on July 18, 2011.

A Small City's Big Scandal: Municipal Corruption, Progressive Reform, And The Grand Rapids, Michigan Water Scandal, 1900–1906, Brian F. Sarnacki

Department of History: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

At the turn of century the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan began debating plans for expanding its water supply. These debates quickly spawned corrupt dealings, which in turn produced the city’s water scandal. The city’s first genuine scandal, the water scandal marks a turning point in the city’s history. The fact that the rather ordinary bribery scheme became a scandalous event reveals the city had adopted enough of the Progressive ethos to punish corruption. The water scandal stands as the tipping point of municipal politics in Grand Rapids between Gilded Age politics rooted in personal connections and Progressive politics centered …

Locks And Cash: Whose Black History? (Part 2), John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

A few weeks ago, the Hanover Evening Sun ran an article on the Lincoln Cemetery in Gettysburg and the locks which hang on its gates. This is by no means a new item of interest. The locks have girded the gates of the cemetery for three years. Still, the article (no longer on the Evening Sun's website but archived here in a PDF) raises a few interesting questions about the delicate balance between preservation and interpretation. [excerpt]

Freight Depot - Bowling Green, Kentucky (Mss 376), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 376. Account books, “time books” for railroad employees, conductor’s book, receipt book and other miscellaneous records found in the freight depot at Bowling Green, Kentucky. Includes a Civil War-era “Individual Collection Register” with entries that indicate a Georgia provenance.

Beyond The Battlefield: A Simple Matchbook And A Rabbit Hole, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

A couple months ago, at the annual spring Gettysburg antique show, I found a small display of Civilian Conservation Corps items. Pennants and coins, matchbook covers and pins all displayed on a piece of foam-core. One caught my eye. For $10, I became the proud owner of a matchbook cover, never used, from a CCC Camp in Gettysburg. Company 1355 was stationed at Camp NP - 2 - Pa., now known as the Boy Scout / youth camping area at McMillan woods. I was thrilled. [excerpt]

Tosh, Ted Rockwell (Sc 2462), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and full text of manuscript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2462. Compact disc with electronic copy of "Benjamin Helm Bristow," a biography of the Elkton, Kentucky native, state senator and U.S. Solicitor General by Ted Rockwell Tosh. The 494-page biography includes bibliography and index.

Scott Tobacco Company - Bowling Green, Kentucky (Sc 1240), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1240. Correspondence, primarily between W. H. Mason, president of Scott Tobacco Company, and T. H. Baird, Adairville, Kentucky, concerning dividends, indebtedness, capitalization and other company matters. Includes correspondence of Baird relating to mail service from Adairville.

Baird, Charles C., 1911-2006 (Sc 2463), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2463. Phonograph record with recorded letter from Charles Baird to Tom Baird in care of Scott Tobacco Company, Bowling Green, Kentucky. Mailing envelope is postmarked San Francisco, California and labeled: "This is a recorded message from your Man in Service." Both phonograph and cover note: "Courtesy of Pepsi Cola" and contain the company logo.

Morningstar, Jane (Hines), 1904-1989 (Sc 2465), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2465. Miscellaneous letters to Jane (Hines) Morningstar, Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Davis, Anne Pence, 1901-1982 (Mss 373), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 373. Correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks, publications and associated material relating to the literary career of Anne Pence Davis, a poet, reviewer, novelist, and author of juvenile fiction who grew up in Bowling Green, Kentucky and lived in Wichita Falls, Texas after her marriage.

Richards, Frances, 1893-1991 (Mss 368), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid for Manuscripts Collection 368. Letters written to Frances Richards, a faculty member in the English department of Western Kentucky State Teachers College (now Western Kentucky University) by students during their military service in World War II. Correspondents include both men and women in all branches and theaters of war, and some family members. This collection contains more than 700 items, a small sampling of which can be viewed by clicking on "Additional Files" below.

2011 O'Callahan Society Newsletter, O'Callahan Society, College Of The Holy Cross

O'Callahan Society Newsletters

This annual newsletter of the O'Callahan Society includes articles about the reinstatement of NROTC at three Ivy League universities, updates for the HC NROTC Unit, and plans to recognize the 70th anniversary of the NROTC Unit at Holy Cross.

South Union Messenger (Summer 2011), Kentucky Library Research Collections

South Union Messenger

No abstract provided.

Longhunter, Southern Kentucky Genealogical Society Newsletter Volume 34, Number 2, Kentucky Library Research Collections

Longhunter, Southern Kentucky Genealogical Society Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Traces Volume 39, Number 2, Kentucky Library Research Collections

Traces, the Southern Central Kentucky, Barren County Genealogical Newsletter

Traces, the South Central Kentucky Genealogical Society's quarterly newsletter, was first published in 1973. The Society changed its name in 2016 to the Barren County Historical Society. The publication features compiled genealogies, articles on local history, single-family studies and unpublished source materials related to this area.

America's First Secession: The Lost State Of Franklin Fell Just Short Of Admission To The Young Union, Kevin T. Barksdale

History Faculty Research

On Dec. 14, 1784, a small assemblage of Tennessee Valley leading men met at a rustic courthouse in Jonesboro, N.C. under a darkening cloud of political uncertainty, 28 western political and economic leaders voted overwhelmingly to declare their communities' independence from their parent state of North Carolina and to form America's 14th state- Franklin.

La Follette’S Autobiography: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, And The Glorious, Nancy Unger

History

La Follette's Autobiography: A Personal Narrative of Political Experiences is a remarkable primary document of the Progressive Era. Originally published in 1913, it remains in print today and has the dubious honor of being one of Richard Nixon's three favorite books. It illuminates the crucial role that La Follette's home state of Wisconsin played in molding La Follette as a man and as a politician, thereby influencing his national progressive agenda; but it also reveals much more.

Cumberland & Ohio Railroad Company (Mss 2), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 2. Correspondence and papers concerning the planning and building of the Cumberland & Ohio Railroad in Allen County, Kentucky. Chief correspondents include Gilbert Marshall Mulligan, William J. McElroy, Preston Hopkins Leslie, John J. Gatewood, Zachary F. Smith, and Woodford H. Dulaney.

Review Of Prairie Republic: The Political Culture Of Dakota Territory, 1879-1889 By Jon K. Lauck, Mark S. Joy

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

The Dakotas are often an overlooked and underexamined part of the United States. No one seems to know whether the region is part of the Midwest or the "Real West," and so it often falls between the historiographical cracks. In this excellent study, Jon Lauck examines the political culture of the eastern region of South Dakota in the last decade before statehood. This period has been neglected by recent scholars, in part because it was often assumed that the standard work, Howard Lamar's Dakota Territory, 1861-1889: A Study of Frontier Politics, published in 1956, had said the last word …

Review Of The Nebraska Dispatches By Christopher Cartmill, Kyle Carsten Wyatt

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

The quest for home is an admirable one with seemingly universal appeal. That a New York City playwright would chronicle his experiences reconnecting with his Nebraska roots is something that, normally, we might applaud. Before buying this book, however, ask yourself if you care to read a comparatively privileged writer wax poetic as he parallels what amounts to be a modern existential crisis with the forced removal, military arrest, and government exploitation of a nineteenth-century Ponca father.

Review Of Proving Up: Domesticating Land In Us. History By Lisi Krall, Richard Edwards

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Lisi Krall seeks to place homesteading and later public-land policies in the larger context of American efforts to digest the huge western land mass that the United States came to control through purchase and conquest. She employs an evolutionary economics framework to explain why things turned out the way they did.

Krall begins her book with a startling personal anecdote: in 1920 her grandfather, a young Wyoming homesteader, was shot and killed by a neighbor in a dispute over water rights. The dire consequences of his murder for the family's subsequent generations connect Krall intimately to the struggles of homesteaders.

Review Of Art Of West Texas Women: A Celebration By Kippra D. Hopper And Laurie J. Churchill, Michael R. Grauer

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Texas historians, acknowledging women as art pioneers in Texas, rely on the old saw that while men were settling the state, women led the charge for cultural pursuits. Groups of women-trained artists among them-began organizing art activities in all parts of the state in the early 1880s on the heels of settlement, recognizing the importance of an appreciation of aesthetics and beauty to the development of a significant culture. Since most public school teachers in Texas were female, teaching art and bringing art to students were natural developments; women also founded Texas's first public art museums.

While scholars have acknowledged …

Review Of Dammed Indians Revisited: The Continuing History Of The Pick-Sloan Plan And The Missouri River Sioux By Michael L. Lawson, Roxanne T. Ornelas

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

George Santayana cautioned that "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." In Michael L. Lawson's Dammed Indians Revisited: The Continuing History of the Pick-Sloan Plan and the Missouri River Sioux, we are given a telling of one of our nation's greatest engineering blunders. Lawson enlightens us with a historical account of governmental mismanagement of almost unbelievable proportion. This revised volume is based on Lawson's 1982 book Dammed Indians: The Pick-Sloan Plan and the Missouri River Sioux, 1944- 1980; Dammed Indians Revisited picks up where he left off.

Review Of Experiments In A Jazz Aesthetic: Art, Activism, Academia, And The Austin Project Edited By Omi Osun Joni L. Jones, Lisa L. Moore, And Sharon Bridgforth, Harvey Young

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

The Austin Project (tAP) is a performing arts initiative that began at the University of Texas at Austin in 2002. Consisting almost exclusively of women of color and produced by Omi Osun Joni Jones, tAP created opportunities for artists, amateur and professional, to collaborate, improvise with one another, and develop a variety of spoken word performances reflecting their subjectivity and experiences. Experiments in Jazz Aesthetic functions as both a sourcebook, containing representative fragments of writings developed by tAP between 2002 and 2006, and as an anthology of new works by prominent performance artists Sharon Bridgforth, Robbie McCauley, and Laurie Carlos, …

Review Of Beyond The American Pale: The Irish In The West, 1845-1910 By David M. Emmons, William H. Mulligan Jr.

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

David Emmons's book on the Butte Irish (1989) helped begin a scholarly reassessment and investigation of the Irish experience in America, expanding it well beyond East Coast Irish communities and a few others in the Midwest. It had a significant impact on other scholars, myself included. His new book, which deals with the Irish experience in the "West," therefore, has been much anticipated. Beyond the American Pale will not disappoint those who have waited for Emmons's take on the larger picture of the Irish in the "West," although it may not be what many expect.