Description
While the original plan had intended for Volume III to be the last of my series titled Our Town—Ilion, New York, the availability of so much untapped material left to share made foregoing a fourth edition too inviting a proposition to leave unwritten. For those who are familiar with my three previous works, this book is both the same and different.
The similarity lies in the format. Once again, the chapters are generally arranged in chronological order, and each segment stands alone with no specific interconnection or relevance to those on either side of it. This presentation style makes picking up and putting down the book easier, as the readers do not have to refresh their memories in terms of recalling where they left off in order to reestablish continuity.
As for being different, a whole new array of topics is explored. They range from biographical pieces about Warren Schulz and Burton Seymour to discussions of the little-known but interesting topics like the unusual Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Ilion, created just before and shortly after the turn of the 19th century into the 20th, and the pioneering Remington Agricultural Works that prospered for a time with its varied product line in the shadow of Remington Arms. The hometown efforts to support the war effort between 1941 and 1945 are chronicled, as is the history of the many bridges built around town over the years.
Like this edition’s three predecessors, a lot of diverse ground is contained within its covers. In my mind, the foursome collectively offers a nice buffet of topics. Has the history of the village finally been written? Even after having produced over a thousand pages across a quartet of volumes, the answer is still “not yet.” Much yet much remains to be shared. But hopefully in reading this book or any of my preceding works, you will become much more aware of Ilion’s multifaceted history…and in turn prouder of the community many of you call home.
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