Imagine Studs Terkel in coffee table book format with gorgeous photographs, and you have Patapsco: Life Along Maryland’s Historic River Valley.
Writer/folklorist Alison Kahn and photographer Peggy Fox have compiled and created a narrative documenting nearly one hundred years of history in five villages along the Patapsco River Valley. Through essays, photos, and fascinating oral history accounts, the two authors vividly render the life, cultures, and peoples of the villages of Oella, Ellicott City, Elkridge (whose original name, dating back to 1700s, was Elk Ridge Landing), Relay, and Daniels.
The book features reminiscences from people of all walks of life: mill workers born in the first quarter of the twentieth century, teachers, principals, dairy farmers, business owners, doctors, police chiefs, politicians, office workers, homemakers, and more. These village inhabitants of diverse ethnicities and religions include descendants of slaves, immigrants and children of immigrants, and a descendant of the founders of Ellicott City and Clarksville, former state senator James “Jim” Clark.
History buffs, fans of memoir or oral narratives, and anyone who lives or has lived in Central Maryland will find much to savor here.
Ali Kahn and Peggy Fox discuss their book at Elkridge Branch on Saturday, December 5 at 1:00 pm. Register online, by phone, or at the branch. Books will be available for purchase and signing.