On 2008-08-31 Alan Petrulis, Flushing, NY wrote: Yorktown is not a glamorous place. It does not have great natural wonders, popular amusements, or sites of great historical importance. Relatively it is not even a very old town having sprung up as a commuter community from the railroads that pushed northward from New York City. One might easily wonder why anyone would even bother to produce a book on this place. But Yorktown, like the thousands of other such towns across America is the place where we buy our groceries, fill up the tank of our car, watch our children grow, live our lives. There are many things close to home that can bring us as much joy as those we find on exotic vacations, that is if we open our eyes to them. This book is a reminder of life´s small pleasures, the things that we should keep ourselves more closely attuned to for they are apt to disappear before we know it.
While Acadia Publishing has produced many books on small towns it must be noted that this volume is part of their Postcard History Series, and indeed nearly every illustration in this book comes from a postcard. This is significant because for the most part postcards represent images that were important to a community as a whole, not just one person as a photograph can be. They may be biased representations but ones that give us insight into what people once thought important rather than just being an impersonal slice of life. The cards found in this book seem to range widely in significance from an image of a farmer´s Holstein Bull to the large public bridges built over the Croton Reservoir, yet they were all deemed equally important at that time to be placed on a postcard.
The book begins at a logical point highlighting the railroad that turned this once rural farming community into a town. It is followed by chapters on the countryside in which hotels and bungalows sprang up to provide rest and recreation for city dwellers among the areas many lakes. It also covers places that relate to the local economy from the downtown stores to the area´s agricultural heritage. It goes on to cover Yorktown´s notable private homes, historic churches, and municipal buildings. There is even a section on the bridging of the Croton Reservoir that so strongly impacted the area´s geography. While most of the images seem to predate the First World War they are not restrained to any one period to give us a full history up to the present time. Postmark dates are often referred to, which is a nice touch. A map is also included showing the Town´s older structures overprinted on a more modern map. Though the scale makes it difficult to read it remains a valuable addition to those closely involved with the Town´s history.
But perhaps the most interesting illustrations are those that depict the quiet streets and roads of the area that create a deep sense of character. This is very much a book of place where the landscape is not the setting for a story but the leading player in it. Many images taken from the small villages within the town such as Mohegan Lake, Shrub Oak, and Amawalk all contribute to this feeling. Despite the rural nature of this township it is surprising how much has changed over the years. After awhile I was happy to find a picture of a building that hadn´t burnt down or a farm that wasn´t turned into an apartment complex.
It is obvious that a great deal of effort was put into labeling each postcard for much insightful information is attached to each. That alone makes this book a valuable resource for anyone interested in Yorktown or even Westchester County´s history. While the various subjects that comprise each chapter combined with the exacting captions of each picture add up to a good summary of the area´s history, it is unfortunate that there is no narrative outside of the small introduction to tie all this information into a more clearly understandable story. A small history of postcards is also included but it is too brief to provide a clear perspective on the book´s illustrations. Those truly interested in the area´s history can easily overlook these flaws. The visual information that was gathered to make this book possible paints a rich history of Yorktown. History was once relegated to the story of Kings, now it´s about all of us.. And summed up by saying Yorkyown (A Postcard History). Currently Yorktown (NY) (Images of America) has an overall rating of 8 over 10.
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Arcadia Publishing claimed Yorktown explores the rich history of one of the northernmost towns in Westchester County. With vivid images, the book follows Yorktown from its early establishment as part of the Van Cortlandt Manor, through its key role in the American Revolution, to its development as a thriving residential and business community. Nestled in the Hudson Valley, Yorktown retains its pristine natural surroundings, including Teatown Lake Reservation. It has been a farm community, a hamlet with nurseries and orchards, and a summer colony with a local theater district and artistsí colony. It once served as a breadbasket and milk bar for New York City and played a part in providing the city with clean water. Ý