Pennsylvania Yesterday & Today - Hardcover

Pennsylvania’s rich past comes to life in this book, with spellbinding historical images set alongside beautiful color photographs of the state today. From the halls of Philadelphia, birthplace of the Constitution, to the now-peaceful battlefields of Gettysburg; from Pennsylvania Dutch Country to the steel mills of Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania: here is the Keystone State as it was and as it is, town and countryside, city skylines, landmark sights and scenes, a tour of living history at its most compelling.

The history of Pennsylvania and its people is the history of American ingenuity and progress: a colony established on the principles of political and religious freedom; the site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence; a center of industrial innovation; and a rich melting pot of peoples and cultures throughout the centuries. From the horse-and-buggies of Pennsylvania Dutch Country to the glass-and-steel skyscrapers of Philadelphia, and from the lush Delaware and Susquehanna River Valleys to the peaks of the Allegheny Mountains, Pennsylvania’s character unfolds in a rich tapestry of people and places.

            Pennsylvania Yesterday & Today explores the myriad experiences and landscapes that have defined the Keystone State through four centuries. Author/photographer Blair Seitz brings together historical photographs and illustrations with current color images to reveal the connections between our past and our present: the changes and the continuity of our architecture, the evolving natural landscape, the transformation of cities and towns through good times and bad, and the vocational and recreational pursuits of our citizens.

We encounter the area’s first residents—Native American tribes and early European settlers—and relive the emergence of a young nation with visits to numerous historic sites. Landmarks in the nation’s fight for independence (Valley Forge) and its fight to preserve the union (Gettysburg) are brought to life in historical illustrations and in photos of modern-day re-enactments. The resurgence of once-vital centers of commerce and industry—Reading and Allentown, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, Altoona and Lock Haven, Pittsburgh and Erie—the state’s diverse cultural and religious heritage—the Moravians of Bethlehem, the Amish and Mennonites of Lancaster County—and the customs and events enjoyed by millions of Pennsylvanians are on display in lavish imagery and detailed description.