Customer Reviews

Sure Signs: Stories Behind the Historical Markers of Central New York: Central New York

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After meeting the author, I had to read his book, Sure Signs. The Mr. Ford spent many months researching this fasinating topic that highlights important events in NY State and US History that every New Yorker should become familar with.

A proud heritage is revealed on the blue and gold signs that dot NY highways, but Mr. Ford has gone far deeper to reveal to us how people from Elizabeth Blackwell to Bonapart have shaped NY State's history. He includes the Iroquois Confederacy, the Women's Rights Movement, the Civil War and much more, all which make New York a great place to live.

Most important are the many unknown people who we ought to know about, where they came from and what they contributed to our nation and state. Sure Signs is a sure pleasurable read. History buffs can learn more from Mr. Ford's reasearch than they can by reading academic books that lack detail only a lover of history can find.

This book is a nice consolidation of information about Central New York's historical markers. It's good to have all of this information in one place.

The big question about the historical markers in New York State, for me, is "on whose say-so were these erected?" and Mr. Ford's book does not address this. Nowhere can I find documentation that indicates that the information on these signs is accurate. If a sign says that so-and-so was an original settler, or that an Cayuga council fire was located nearby, where is the "foot-note" that tells us the source of this information? I have asked this question of those in Albany who should be in the know and have received stony silence in return.

I'm sure that in most cases these markers reflect historical facts accurately, but my current research cannot find the original source for these. It is interesting that some counties have few markers, and others, such as Cayuga County, have significantly greater numbers oif them -- and I doubt if the number of signs has anything to do with the actual historical sites in a county. Someone was on a bandwagon to get more of these erected, and I have to wonder if, on occasion, these "facts" were invented. Mr. Ford, if you know where these came from, please let us know.

In particular, I'd like to know more about the one near Meridian (erroneously placed in the Town of Conquest, rather than in the correct Town of Cato, in Mr. Ford's book) that indicates the location of a "Permanent Village and Perpetual Council Fire of the Cayuga." All the research I have done shows no Cayuga village anywhere near that location, and if the "trail to Onondaga for salt" also mentioned on the sign existed on the road at that location, it was going the wrong way.

Please, Mr. Ford, did someone just make some of this stuff up?