DELAWARE FROM RAILWAYS TO FREEWAYS

Tabler presents this eclectic collection of tales about the “First State” in the 19th century.

The second book in the author’s intended trilogy on Delaware history covers the 19th century, with a bit extra on either end. From early town planning through the Civil War, suffragists, and early automobiles, Tabler takes the reader through a series of vignettes about intriguing, amusing, or notable incidents in the history of Delaware, compiling a gallimaufry of colorful characters and political shifts. Ten sidebars highlight compelling aspects of local culture and customs, such as “Return Day” (a celebration of rival political parties working to resolve their issues),scrapple, and whipping posts—which, surprisingly, were still legal until 1972, making Delaware the last state to abolish them. Instead of aiming for a comprehensive account of the region, the author chooses an eclectic approach that makes the reader’s experience seem like spending an afternoon in a quaint local history museum with an enthusiastic docent. The contents are entertaining and varied, offering glimpses of little-known aspects of American history, from Colonial-era enmity between Whigs and Tories to inventions such as the Manby mortar, a cannon-like device used in rescuing people from sinking ships, to a bartending goose. Striking images (including full-color photographs and maps) and brief introductory remarks are grouped in the first 74 pages, with more detailed text following from page 75 on—this requires readers who want more than captions to keep flipping forward and back to read a full story. Presenting the material in chronological order often separates related incidents and themes, and Tabler doesn’t always connect the events being discussed. For example, violent incidents occurring during the elections of 1787 are mentioned in two adjacent entries that don’t reference each other—although they illustrate that hot tempers and contested votes are nothing new in American history.

Overall, the author’s selection of topics seems somewhat arbitrary, more a collection of random items than an organized sequence of major events. This approach yields sometimes odd juxtapositions, with the Underground Railroad and scrapple’s humble origins presented back-to-back and a pioneering astronomer profiled between accounts of Civil War hardships. In a few cases, Tabler includes information that is only tenuously tied to the state, as when relating the famous “cherry tree” story about George Washington, invented by Parson Weems, even though it appears that Weems’ only Delaware connection is that he once preached at St. Peter’s church in Lewes. Overall, however, the author achieves a nice balance of humorous and serious elements. Tabler’s straightforward writing style is appropriate for the material, but it is often marred by awkward phrasing and clunky sentences. The author is also overly fond of puns and sometimes falls back on clichés (“Combustible plant working conditions were accidents waiting to happen”). The 140 engaging, high-quality images are arranged to provide context for present-day photos of artifacts and locations. While all of the images have source references (the acknowledgments cite more than 40 organizations and individuals), no sources or notes are provided for the text.
Striking images and amusing stories paint a colorful (if disorganized) portrait of 19th-century Delaware.