Local Author Pens New Book on Mechanicville’s History

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - June 28, 2013 - PRLog -- The newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America series is Mechanicville by local author Paul Loatman Jr. The book boasts more than 200 vintage images and memories of days gone by in this New York community.

In 1764, groups of independent craftsmen began forming a small settlement near the junction of the Tenendehowa Creek and the Hudson River that eventually came to be called Mechanicville. Although neighboring farmers classified them as lowly “mechanics,” residents chose to embrace the derogative term rather than shrink from it. In 1815, the Mechanicville Post Office opened its doors and the community’s identity began to grow.

A century later, Irish, Italian and Polish-speaking immigrants had transformed the village into an industrial city. New York State’s smallest municipality became the proud host to the largest book paper mill in the world. Simultaneously, Charles Steinmetz, a renowned scientist, was paving the way for major expansion in the electrical industry with innovations at the local hydropower plant.

Serving as a postindustrial bedroom community in recent decades, the city continues its transformation with the opening of an advanced nanotechnology center nearby. Images of America: Mechanicville sheds light on this unique past by sharing rare photographs from the city’s history.

Highlights of Mechanicville include:
•   Showcases vintage photographs, the majority of which came from the author’s private collection and the collection of the Mechanicville Public library.
•   Highlights the community’s industrial and economic infrastructure which has all but disappeared, reflecting the changes of the post-industrial mill-town.
•   Discusses the historical background of the area and how they relate to the images, much of this knowledge is based upon extensive interviews of local citizens.
•   A portion of the author’s proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit the Mechanicville Public Library.

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online.  

Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States.  Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places.  Have we done a book on your town?  Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com.