How and/or when did you get you
hooked on history?
As
a kid, I visited Fort Niagara near Niagara Falls. I became fascinated by the
reenactors in their scarlet uniforms, and by the guns and pageantry. Military
history, then American history in general, has intrigued me ever since.
What role does
history play or has it played in your personal life?
I’m
lucky to live in the Hudson Valley, where towns date back to colonial times and
where many of the events of the Revolution played out. Every day I pass a house
where General Israel Putnam made his headquarters. Up the road is the oldest
operating American inn. I’m a strong advocate for historic preservation because
I think the places and artifacts of the past are crucial to our collective
imagination.
Have you thought
about your future career? Will history be a part of it?
Having written
about the canal era, I’m moving on to write a book about the railroads and
their role in shaping nineteenth century America.
Why is
studying/knowing history important?
Cicero said that
not to know what happened before you were born is to remain forever a child.
Understanding the past informs each person’s judgment in ways that are elusive
but very real. I think an understanding of history is a duty of citizenship.
What is your
favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?
I am a fan of
American History from the Revolutionary era through the nineteenth century.
Whatever era I’m writing about becomes my favorite.
What is the story
behind your new book Heaven's Ditch: God,
Gold and Murder on the Erie Canal?
I grew up along
the canal and very near Hill Cumorah where Joseph Smith found the golden plates
that contained the Book of Mormon. The story of the visionary outbursts along
the canal has always intrigued me. Researching the book, I developed an
appreciation of the enormous impact the canal had on America’s history and
character
Why is the
construction of the Erie Canal such an important part of American history and
why did it attract so many unusual characters?
The canal broke through the barrier of the Appalachian
Mountains and speeded the settlement of the interior. It opened the Midwest and
gave the nation easy access to the tremendous resources of the interior. The
frontier – and western New York was the frontier in those days – attracted
