Learn about Missouri’s heritage with these books from the St. Joseph Public Library
The theme for this month’s book from the St. Joseph Public Library is Missouri Heritage. The books are available at the St. Joseph Public Library, at other Missouri Evergreen libraries, or from one of the SJPL eContent vendors. Visit the library’s catalog at https://sjpl.modiscovery.org to find these or other great books to enjoy.
Play Me Something Quick and Devilish: Old-Time Fiddlers in Missouri by Howard W. Marshall. Opening the cover of this book you find a CD of fiddle music featuring 39 tracks from Missouri fiddlers. Some of the sections in the book include fiddle music of the old French district, African American fiddlers, German-speaking Missourians, Civil War Era, Irish and the railroads, Indian fiddlers, Victorian times, traditional fiddling and the dawn of jazz. Included in each section are a history of the music, photographs of musicians and sheet music of some songs.
Show Me Missouri Women: Selected Biographies by Mary K. Dains. Over 200 Missouri women are divided into categories covering a wide range of individuals, from pioneer women, writers, educators, artists, reformers, entertainers, athletes, to club women. Biographies of each are written by a variety of authors and include pictures of many of the subjects. The women included range from early Missouri pioneers to modern movers and shakers. The articles are written in a variety of easy-to-read styles.
Orphan Trains to Missouri by Michael D. Patrick. It has been estimated that 150,000 to 400,000 children rode the orphan trains. Of these nearly 100,000 came to Missouri. The huge numbers of uncared for children in the city of New York cause the orphan train solution from 1854 to 1929. The first orphan trains were not well thought out but the process evolved and improved. Firsthand stories from the orphans and their descendants in Missouri are told. Reunions of their descendants are still held.
A Living History of the Ozarks by Phyllis Rossiter. Not completely in Missouri, the area referred to as the Ozarks makes up a large section of southern Missouri. It is both a geographic designation and a cultural one. Divided into areas separated by geography and ancestral groupings, the author shows how the Ozarks developed into an area that is both homogenous and diverse. Photos, maps and appendices round out a well-presented account of a unique part of both the state of Missouri and the United States.
Missouri Caves in History and Legend by H. Dwight Weaver. The bones of a variety of ice age animals have been found in Missouri caves. Later the caves were used for saltpeter, gunpowder, mushroom, and wine production. Guano and Onyx were mined in the caves. War and outlaws saw Missouri caves used for storage and hideouts. Families used the caves on their farms to keep food cold and as shelter from storms. Many surprising stories and facts from the history of Missouri caves are in this little book.
