The Potomac River: A History & Guide - Softcover

Peck, Garrett

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1609496000 ISBN 13: 9781609496005

Publisher: The History Press, 2012

Synopsis

The great Potomac River begins in the Alleghenies and flows 383 miles through some of America's most historic lands before emptying into the Chesapeake Bay. The course of the river drove the development of the region and the path of a young republic. Maryland's first Catholic settlers came to its banks in 1634 and George Washington helped settle the new capitol on its shores. During the Civil War the river divided North and South, and it witnessed John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry and the bloody Battle of Antietam. Author Garrett Peck leads readers on a journey down the Potomac, from its first fount at Fairfax Stone in West Virginia to its mouth at Point Lookout in Maryland. Combining history with recreation, Peck has written an indispensible guide to the nation's river.

About this title

About the Author:

Garrett Peck falls down Georgetown's Exorcist stairs every chance he gets, yet he can't exorcise his passion for history. A literary journalist and history dork, he is the author of The Prohibition Hangover: Alcohol in America from Demon Rum to Cult Cabernet and Prohibition in Washington, D.C.: How Dry We Weren't and leads the Temperance Tour of Prohibition-related sites in Washington. The Potomac River: A History and Guide is his third book. A native Californian and a Virginia Military Institute graduate, he lives in lovely Arlington, Virginia.

Review:

"In recounting the history of the sites and cities along the Potomac, [Peck] raises the very awareness that's necessary to saving the river." - DCist, April 26, 2012

"Peck churned out one quirky anecdote after another, giving the audience a catalog of fun facts to pull out at happy hours." - National Journal Daily, May 8, 2012

"From sourcing the rivers' origins far from town to highlighting many interesting stops along the way, Peck does a great job of providing short stories of our region. It's a quick, easy read filled with lots of fun photos that doesn't read like a textbook." - Rick Snider, Monumental Thoughts, March 27, 2012

"Peck has just finished a chronicle of and guide to Washington's primary waterway, all the way from West Virginia to the Chesapeake watershed. Make your next tubing trip a little more educated." - Washington City Paper, May 18, 2012 

"The Potomac River has shaped history. It's also an awfully nice place to go for a hike. Both these aspects of the river are explored in [Peck's] new book." - Huffington Post, May 24, 2012

"Peck has once again done yeoman service in ferreting out and elucidating some of the more fascinating aspects of our shared local history." - Hill Rag, June 2012

About this edition

• Publisher: The History Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1609496000
• ISBN 13: 9781609496005
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176