Industrial Pioneers: Scranton, Pennsylvania and the Transformation of America, 1840-1902 [Hardcover]

Patrick Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 16, 2010

During the nineteenth century, Scranton served as the face of a rising America and a hub of technology and innovation-between 1840 and 1902, the city of Scranton changed from a lazy backwoods community to a modern industrial society with 100,000 residents. During this time, Scranton's citizens desperately tried to adapt their thinking to keep up with the rapid changes around them, and in the process forged the world views that would define the twentieth century.

Editorial Reviews

Review

My hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania was a cauldron of change and conflict during the period from 1840 to 1900. Patrick Brown's excellent book sheds new light on Scranton's transformation from wilderness to industrial center and the development of our country's earliest labor movements. Perhaps more importantly, it introduces us to the people who drove this process and helps us understand how they thought about their changing world and about themselves. --Robert P. Casey, Jr., United States Senator for Pennsylvania

As a history buff this is a tremendous read, but as President of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO this is an important addition to the literature of the labor industry. If a union leader wants to understand the development of America and our labor movement, this should be required reading. In the microcosm that is Scranton, Pennsylvania, you have the development of America from agricultural village to industrial powerhouse and the turmoil it engendered from the immigrant experience to the growing disparities in income between workers and owners. If you want to see where we've been to understand where we're going, this is a must read. --Rick Bloomingdale, President, Pennsylvania AFL-CIO

Patrick Brown has written a fascinating account of Scranton's emergence as an industrial city in an industrializing nation. This compelling story helps us understand not only the rich history of the city and region, but the processes that transformed America in these crucial years. I highly recommend it. --Joseph A. McCartin, Ph.D., Georgetown University

About the Author

Patrick Brown was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He graduated Magna cum Laude from Georgetown University, where he won the Morris Medal for best senior history honors thesis. He currently teaches high school social studies in the Mississippi Delta through Teach for America.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 142 pages
• Publisher: Tribute Books (June 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982256558
• ISBN-13: 978-0982256558
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,643,426 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Patrick Brown was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He graduated Magna cum Laude from Georgetown University, where he won the Morris Medal for best senior history honors thesis. He currently teaches high school social studies in the Mississippi Delta through Teach for America.

Email Patrick at: [e-mail]

http://www.industrialpioneers.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Book Review - Industrial Pioneers Scranton, Pennsylvania and the Transformation of America, 1840-1902, October 11, 2010

By 

Dad of Divas - See all my reviews

This review is from: Industrial Pioneers: Scranton, Pennsylvania and the Transformation of America, 1840-1902 (Hardcover)

As a person who enjoys history, this book opened my eyes to the vast change that occured within Scranton between 1840 and 1902. It was amazing to me not only how transformational the change was to the city itself, but to the people. The author does a great job at capturing the wonder, issues and concerns that surrounded this change and you can tell that this particular period of time is near and dear to his heart. The book also is filled with great research into a bygone era. If you are a person who enjoys history as well as gaining a better understanding of the underlying causes to the changes that occured (not only in Scranton) but the larger United Stated during the late 19th Century, this book is one that you should grab.

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating History Lesson, October 8, 2010

By 

P. Woodland "Broken Teepee" (Superior, MT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Industrial Pioneers: Scranton, Pennsylvania and the Transformation of America, 1840-1902 (Hardcover)

I developed a love for American history later in life. All through school I just rather tolerated it. I was more fascinated with European history. When offered the opportunity to review this book I took it for two reasons; my husband had family from the area and Scranton reminded me of home. I was born in Philadelphia and every now and then I get homesick for all things back East.

I am glad I did choose to read the book because it was truly interesting. It's not a light read, though. It's one full of detailed information regarding the way people lived in turn of the century Scranton - or what was to become Scranton. The research is very detailed and the small facts are always interesting. I hadn't realized how much of the original iron ore came from New Jersey. Nor had I known the history of the railroads in western Pennsylvania.

This won't be a book for everybody. I think it requires a sincere interest in either the area or in the early days of the industrialization of the coal and steel businesses. That's not to say it isn't a worthwhile book to read. I enjoyed it and my husband now has it in his pile to read.

Mr. Brown has a writing style that is easy to read even when covering statistics and demographics. I thank him for letting me go back East a little bit even if in a different time.

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting to This Hometown Girl!, October 1, 2010

By 

Crazy Cat Lady "CCL" (NY, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Industrial Pioneers: Scranton, Pennsylvania and the Transformation of America, 1840-1902 (Hardcover)

When I was offered the opportunity to read and review this book, I couldn't refuse. Having been born and raised in Scranton, PA, I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity for me to learn more about Scranton's formative years and the industries that shaped it. I was not disappointed! Here's a description of the book taken from the author's website, [...]:

"During the nineteenth century, Scranton was the face of innovation, immigration, industrialization, and a rising America. Scranton was "the electric city" when electricity was the most exciting invention in the world, and a hub of technology and innovation--between 1840 and 1902, the city of Scranton changed from a lazy backwoods community to a modern industrial society with 100,000 residents. During this time, Scranton's citizens desperately tried to adapt their thinking to keep up with the overwhelming changes around them, and in the process forged the world views that would define the twentieth century. As globalization, technology and immigration transform the United States today, this book revisits how the people the forefront of the industrial revolution moved from chaos to a new order, and how they found meaning within a rapidly changing world.

Periods of total societal transformation often provide the best material for historians. The way that Scranton's residents reimagined their value within society in response to the changes around them did not evolve in step with technological and economic progress--rather, those living through these changes slowly and painfully adapted extant modes of thinking in light of their new life circumstances. This book weaves a cohesive narrative that explains how Scranton--and America--went from the personal, egalitarian society of the early days of the republic to the rigidly institutionalized society that endures today.

This book's investigation of the history of Scranton allows the reader to witness the development of the distinct and interrelated ideologies that defined industrial America."

Now, I have to admit, I am not much of a history buff. My least favorite subject in school was always history. That being said, I still found this book to be fascinating! The way Mr. Brown uses a well-known and much-loved poem of the time, The Village Blacksmith by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, as a basis for comparing the ideals of the time and the ever-changing climate in Scranton, in my opinion, was inspired.

I truly enjoyed reading about the ever-changing political, economic, and societal situations that drove the formation of Scranton. From its rather humble beginnings as a small scattering of dwellings known as Slocum's Hollow, with a meager population of 100, to the booming industrial town fuelled by anthracite coal and iron production that Scranton became, Mr. Brown skillfully weaves Scranton's history with intricate familiarity and detailed narrative into a truly fascinating story.

Anyone who has ever wondered or wanted to learn more about how industrialization changed the face of our nation's small towns will find this an excellent read. I give it 4 pawprints!