Re: (rshsdepot) Book: "When the Railroad Leaves Town: American Communities in the Age of Rail Line Abandonment, Eastern United States."

[Seth Bramson <sbramson_@_bellsouth.net>]

Your friend Seth was the proofreader for Dr. Schweiterman for this very
momentous and important book.

However, Dr. S. teaches at DePaul in Chicago, Jim; I THOUGHT they were
publishing it.  (I got a copy several weeks ago; guess I should have looked at
the imprint!)  Even though my name appears only in the Florida cities, I did,  I
am honored to say, do the proof reading for the entire piece.  What a great
experience (especially of the learning variety) that was.

I commend the book strongly and heartily to you!

Jim Dent wrote:

> Truman State University has released the book "When the Railroad Leaves
> Town: American Communities in the Age of Rail Line
> Abandonment, Eastern United States."  I received a copy in the mail
> yesterday.  Below is the announcement about the book that was on the list
> back in April...
>
> Truman State University (Kirksville, MO) is the publisher of a new book that
> may be of interest to depot fans.  The website provides the
> following synopsis...
>
> When the Railroad Leaves Town: American Communities in the Age of Rail Line
> Abandonment, Eastern United States
> by Joseph P. Schwieterman
> Forthcoming 2001
>
> http://www2.truman.edu/tsup/books/info/w/when.html
>
> Railroads once spread across the American landscape, radiating from towns
> like spokes on a wheel. They were the backbone of the municipal economy and
> essential to commercial and civic life. In thousands of communities,
> however, this remarkable era has ended. With technological innovation, the
> changing needs of industry, and rising competition from other modes of
> transportation, the nation's railroads have eliminated more than 130,000
> miles of routes–over half of their total mileage since 1916.
>
> When the Railroad Leaves Town: American Communities in the Age of Rail Line
> Abandonment considers the rise and fall of rail service in 64 eastern U.S.
> communities distinguished by their notable railroad histories or unusual
> experiences with rail line abandonment. It tells the story of transportation
> providers struggling to survive in a changing economy only to surrender to
> the relentless forces of the marketplace. In many communities, the
> withdrawal of the railroad had unexpected consequences; in others, it
> forever altered the rhythm of daily life.
>
> Using an interdisciplinary approach drawing upon the fields of history,
> geography, and urban planning, the book illuminates some of the dominant
> forces that led to the development of steam and electric railroads as well
> as the economic and political factors eventually accelerating their decline.
> Illustrated with maps and photographs depicting rail lines at their zenith
> as well as their abandoned remnants today, it provides a vivid portrait of
> an industrial saga that has touched the lives of millions of Americans.
> Prepared with the cooperation of more than 100 town and railroad historians,
> this book features places last served by carriers predominantly on the
> Atlantic side of an imaginary line that once separated America’s eastern and
> western railroad systems.
>
> US communities listed in alphabetical order by state:
>
> AL: Tuskegee
> AL: Valley
>
> CT: East Hampton
>
> DE: Smyrna
>
> FL: Boca Grande
> FL: Inverness
> FL: Key West
> FL: Miami Beach
> FL: Palm Beach
>
> GA: Fort Oglethorpe
> GA: Thalmann
>
> IL: Harrisburg
> IL: Warrenville
>
> IN: Crown Point
> IN: Dunreith
> IN: Greenfield
> IN: Liverpool
>
> KY: Morehead
>
> LA: Covington
>
> ME: Ellsworth
>
> MD: Annapolis
> MD: Monkton
>
> MA: Lexington
> MA: Marblehead
>
> MI: Cheboygan
> MI: Reed City
> MI: South Haven
> MI: Troy
>
> MS: Fayette
>
> MO: Florissant
> MO: Kirksville
>  NH: Derry
> NH: Keene
>
> NJ: Blairstown
> NJ: Caldwell
> NJ: Marlboro
> NJ: Ocean City
>
> NY: Amherst
> NY: Gloversville
> NY: Roscoe
> NY: Saranac Lake
>
> NC: Boone
> NC: Franklin
>
> OH: Bradford
> OH: Cheviot
> OH: Oberlin
> OH: Westerville
> OH: Xenia
>
> PA: Hellertown
> PA: Ligonier
> PA: Newtown
>
> RI: Bristol
> RI: Coventry ("Washington")
>
> SC: York
>
> TN: Monterey
>
> VT: Springfield
>
> VA: Blacksburg
> VA: Herndon
> VA: McKenney
>
> WV: Marlinton
> WV: Salem

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