"This book is yet another expression of the careful social observations Walker Evans and James Agee offered in Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. Patapsco Valley, Maryland, thereby has joined the lucky company of Hale County, Alabama--both places that become, in the hands of an alert photographer and an attentive writer, something quite else: social texts that keep helping us find ourselves.... A valley's portrait becomes an aspect of a nation's ongoing story.... To Alison Kahn and Peggy Fox, then, for giving us Patapsco, we owe gratitude for a splendid, observing effort exceedingly well done, but also for the compelling summons they tender us; through meeting these Marylanders, we get a boost toward ourselves--our similar journey through time and space in America." -From the introduction, by Robert Coles
The love of place shines through in this documentary effort about a historic valley that saw the birth of industry in Maryland, the nation's first railroad, and the nation's first cross-country highway. This compelling portrait of the region is viewed through the memories of its elders from all walks of life. Through their collective memory, we gain a true sense of the cultural legacy of Maryland's historic Patapsco River Valley.
