As Americans moved West and filled the land with farms and settlements, they established many small towns.
A few of these, due to location or other factors, grew to become the cities of today. But what did all these little crossroad and riverside communities of the late 1700's and nearly all of the 1800's have in common?
At the center of the community would be a church. Established, constructed, and maintained by the members, church buildings of various sizes and styles were dotted across the frontier (and the recent frontier).
Meeting house
Many communities grew large enough and had enough of a diverse population to maintain more than one. Perhaps the members followed a different doctrine. Or worshiped in a different language. Some decorated their buildings inside and out. Others built and remained plain.
In 1851, the fictional town of Elm Ridge, Illinois contained five churches worshiping in two languages. Find out in the sweet historical romance, Stitching a Dream, how Polly Black navigates waves caused by these differences.
Link to the Kindle edition is here: https://amzn.to/3VwoeFh
No comments:
Post a Comment