Columbus History Reference Books

One of the nice things about writing this book is that it has given me an excuse to invest in some good reference books on Columbus history. Sure, I could go to a library and read them for free, but it is invaluable to me to have my own copies. I work a full time job and a part time job, so any time I can work on the book from home while doing the laundry or whatever is a godsend.

In the past week and a half, I have purchased We Too Built Columbus by Ruth Young White, A Fragile Capital by Charles C. Cole, Jr., and a book of Victorian plat maps that was put out by the Franklin County Historical Society. I am particularly pleased about the first and the last.

We Too Built Columbus was written in the 1930's and tells about women's contributions to Columbus history. I've never found anything else that compares to it. Not only does it focus on a largely ignored segment of the population, it has all sort of quirky little stories about Columbus' early days that make for entertaining reading. That's the kind of history I love. I have been trying to get my own copy of this for years, but it is a fairly rare book and has always been up for sale at prices I could not begin to justify blowing my budget on. I finally came across a very reasonably priced copy and decided that I had better snatch it up while I had the chance.

The plat books are great. There are maps from 4 different decades, so you get a nice span of time to see how the city developed. Being able to see who lived where has already come in handy in my research. Thank you to the Franklin County Genealogical and History Society for making this available!

My enthusiasm for the other 2 books should not lead one to believe that A Fragile Capital is not up to snuff. I had read parts of it before I ordered my own copy and would not have spent the money on it if it was just so-so. It has a lot of very useful information. At this point, I am using it for spot reference - something to gives me background information and more primary source leads on certain topics. However, Cole's writing style is smooth and engaging. I would love to have time to sit down and read it from cover to cover. Time to read for fun is a rare luxury for me at this point, though. :-/