In the Beacon Light Lambertville, NJ 1860 to 1900

For the person familiar with Lambertville and interested in its history there are many details; the city's growth, modernization, conflicts, and entertainments. There is a more universal story here as well. The years commencing with the Civil War and ending with the Spanish American War are often labeled the Victorian Age. It was a period of industrialization, westward expansion, invention, and social upheaval. These movements have been researched and described in many books of American history. By examining the local columns of a newspaper, one gets a glimpse into the impact these larger events and movements had on ordinary life. A historic movement, a new invention, a political shift arouses the historian's analysis and paints our picture of the times. But how did the ordinary individual who was living at that time see and experience these historic events? This book addresses this question.