Arcadia Book for Waterford is Progressing

I think we are all familiar with the iconic Images of America books published by Arcadia. We may see them at Barnes & Noble, museums, or local bookstores. We get a glimpse of yesteryear from towns and cities all over the United States. Often, we get this nostalgic feeling viewing black and white photos of the historic built environment and prominent people associated with a town/city from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It provides us with a sense of place and why that particular place developed in Anywhere, USA.

It seems like every town or city has at least one Arcadia book published about its history. So, the historic Town and Village of Waterford, spanning a history of two hundred years certainly has one. Right? Well, the answer is no. Recent efforts, led by former Waterfordian, Dick Herzog, plan to change that and get Waterford's first Images of America
book published.

A committee of local historians and Town and Village representatives began meeting at the Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center in October to discuss the possibilities of the book. Things quickly progressed and a application was submitted to the Arcadia Publishing Company in December. A few weeks ago, the contract for the book was submitted.

The Waterford Arcadia Book Committee recently submitted a sampling of twenty historic photographs and captions to Arcadia for approval. The book will contain a selection of 180-240 images with captions, an introduction, acknowledgements, and six chapters, which will cover the following topics: 1. Business, Industry and Prominent People; 2. Neighborhoods and Residents; 3. Schools and Churches; 4. Disasters (Floods, Fire, Town Hall, and Union Bridge); 5. Transportation (Roads, Canals, Railroads, Trolleys & Bridges); 6. Civil Service (Police, Firemen and Military).

The committee is currently in the process of gathering historic photos of Waterford and preparing text for each photo's caption. Future announcements about the book will continue to be made to the public through press releases, newsletters, blog posts, etc. In addition, opportunities will made to the public in the coming months for anyone wising to contribute historic photographs that they may have of Waterford. Stay tuned!