Other editions of book Black Forest Souvenirs, Collected in Northern Pennsylvania

This illustrated volume was published in 1914. Excerpt from the Explanatory Preface: The writer of these lines has always felt the thrill of the words Black Forest. As a small boy he used to gaze at the bold outlines of the Allegheny Mountains, on the opposite side of the broad valley from the old fashioned home where he spent most of his time, which formed the southern boundary of the vast regions of hemlock, spruce and pine. All kinds of fancies flashed through his mind, dreams of strange races of people, of Indians, of outlaws, of witch- es, ghosts, lumbermen, wild beasts and birds, that must inhabit this wilderness. And for more definite information he took to inquiring of the old people and strangers how the Black Forest really looked, how big it was and who lived there. The general replies were that it was a vast do- main of enormous trees, mostly evergreens, that it was sixty miles from east to west, and forty miles from north to south, that hunters, lumber- men and some farmers lived in it, also many bears and deer, a few panthers, and that until a few years previously there had been wolves, elks and countless flocks of wild pigeons. As the result of this information a great long- ing arose in him to visit the Black Forest, to see it with actual vision, rather than with the eye of faith. Every account of lumbering or hunt- ing that had its location there which appeared in the county newspapers was eagerly read, and enlarged in the imagination; every person was questioned who might have views of any kind concerning it. But life with its strange deprivations with- held this joy until the summer of 1898, when the writer was a young college student. But it was not too late, much of the Black Forest remained, in range after range of hemlock-clad mountains, even though the big lumber companies had com- menced their cruel inroads. Many of the old pioneers and hunters, as well as a few of the Indians, still lived, and were ready to impart their stories of the past to any respectful listen- er. And those days and nights in the original forest, amid strange scenes and stranger imag- eries will never be forgotten. In 1899, 1900, 1901 and 1902 other pilgrimages through the forest were made, on foot, on horseback or in car- riages. The impression made in 1898 was fur- ther cemented into the soul by a host of fresh experiences and dreams. Then life withheld the Black Forest until 1907, although in the meantime the famous German Schwarzwald had been visited and admired and reverenced. Dialect stories are galore ; there is hardly room for more of them, even though the Pennsylvania mountains are still without their Charles Egbert Craddock, John Fox, Jr., or Amelie Rives. There seems to be a valid reason for writing out these legends. They treat of a phase of life that is no more, in a region which has been laid waste, that can never be restored. They are a chapter added to American folk-lore, especially as relating to the Indians. It is interesting to observe that some of them undoubtedly have a common origin with legends across the sea. This summer, while the writer was on a driving trip in the Blue Mountains of Eastern Pennsyl- vania, in Berks, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Lebanon Counties, he found legends similar to ones col- lected in the Black Forest. If the writer had been born in time to make his first trip through this matchless forest in 1878, or even in 1888, instead of when he did, he is certain that he could have collected many more and far more quaint old tales. Think of the pioneers and In- dians who went to their graves with their stories unrecorded ! The modest graves in highland cemeteries in 1898, and many thereafter, whose occupants the writer was not fortunate enough to meet bear mute testimony to this.

Black Forest Souvenirs was inspired by Henry Shoemaker’s early experience in the Black Forest of Germany and the mystical draw of its vast expanse of hemlocks, spruces, and pines interspersed with lumbermen and roaming wildlife. On trips to Clinton, Potter, McKean, and Lycoming Counties in Pennsylvania between 1899 and 1902, Shoemaker discovered forests still intact, evoking the romantic ideal of the German Schwarzwald. However, upon returning to the mountains five years later, he found these forests desolated by the logging industry, practically a ruin—a vision far from the romanticized wilderness he had encountered early in life. This destruction inspired Shoemaker to attempt to preserve the region’s folklore, recording stories and tales told by elderly residents of the area. Traversing the line between fact and fiction, Black Forest Souvenirs reveals a pristine landscape preserved in the minds of its people. This collection of legends from the northern regions of the state was originally printed by the Bright-Faust Printing Company in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1914 and includes photographs by William T. Clarke.

Excerpt from Black Forest Souvenirs: Collected in Northern PennsylvaniaAs the result of this information a great long ing arose in him to visit the Black Forest, to see it with actual vision, rather than with the eye of faith. Every account of lumbering or hunt ing that had its location there which appeared in the county newspapers was eagerly read, and enlarged in the imagination; every person was questioned who might have views of any kind concerning it.But life with its strange deprivations with held this joy until the summer of 1898, when the writer was a young college student. But it was not too late, much of the Black Forest remained, in range after range of hemlock-clad mountains.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

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EXPLANATORY PREFACE. The writer of these lines has always felt the thrill of the words Black Forest. As a small boy he used to gaze at the bold outlines of the Allegheny Mountains, on the opposite side of the broad valley from the old fashioned home where he spent most of his time, which formed the southern boundary of the vast regions of hemlock, spruce and pine. All kinds of visions flashed through his mind, dreams of strang places, of people, of Indians, of outlaws, of witches, ghosts lumbermen, wild beasts and birds, ... All that must inhabit this wilderness for more definite information he took to inquiring of the old peoplc and strangers how the Rlack Forest really looked, how big it was and who lived there. The general replies were that it as a vast domain of enormous trees, mostly evergreens, that it was sixty miles from east to west, and forty miles from north to south, that hunters, lumbermen and some farmers lived in it, aIso many bears and deer, a few panther, and that until a few years pre-iody there had been wolves, elks and countless flock of wild pigeons. As the result of this information a great longing arose in him to visit the Ulaek Forest, to see it with actual vision, rather than with the eye of faith.........

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Excerpt from Black Forest Souvenirs: Collected in Northern PennsylvaniaAs the result of this information a great long ing arose in him to visit the Black Forest, to see it with actual vision, rather than with the eye of faith. Every account of lumbering or hunt ing that had its location there which appeared in the county newspapers was eagerly read, and enlarged in the imagination; every person was questioned who might have views of any kind concerning it.But life with its strange deprivations with held this joy until the summer of 1898, when the writer was a young college student. But it was not too late, much of the Black Forest remained, in range after range of hemlock-clad mountains.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.