Richard P Kollen

Lexington, Massachusetts: Treasures from Historic Archives Richard P Kollen

As history's raw material, documents serve as our gateway into the past. In this exciting new book, Lexington historian Richard Kollen places these faded and crinkled relics within their historical context to reveal a picture of a bygone society. This collection of essays describes the ordinary and the extraordinary in Lexington's history. Kollen paints a rich portrait of colonial and post-Revolution life, from the infamous Battle of Lexington to misconstrued Puritanical marriage.

This engaging book is organized according to three basic and timeless categories-- matters of home and community, matters of finance and matters of war. Kollen's easy style relates a time long gone to present issues and shows how Lexington's history can enrich and broaden our view of American history. Learn how baseball, the national pastime by the early 1850's, influenced Lexington just as it continues to influence America today. Read about Joseph Fiske, a doctor who treated both British and American troops during the Revolutionary war, as well as the tradition of society dances in Lexington. This collection of documents humanizes history, allowing the reader to enter into the past.