By Journal Times staff | Posted: Sunday, September 2, 2007 12:00 am
In his new book, Racine historian and author Gerald Karwowski said he tried to cover things people could relate to. Karwowski achieved his goal with the photographic history he compiled in "Racine," one of the newest additions to Arcadia Publishing's Postcard History Series. The book is full of postcards that document Racine's history.
Some of the buildings depicted on the postcards are still standing, Karwowski said. "With my book people can walk down the street and point to places that are part of Racine's history."
Karwowski, 59, said he calls himself a "student of history" because he has no formal training as historian. He has written a of number booklets, newspaper articles and for years entertained hundreds of groups around town with a program called "Racine In History."
Karwowski retired after a 30 year career at the J.I. Case Co. and has served the community as a Racine Landmarks Commissioner, trustee and vice-president of the Racine County Historical Society. During the past 20 years Karwowski, his wife Marie and daughters Lisa, Aria and Erica have created a small private homespun local history museum they named Oak Clearing's on their family farm near Union Grove. A devoted collector, for the past 40 years he has gathered one of the largest local history archives in Racine County.
Karwowski will sign copies of his book Friday when he joins two other Racine authors - Margo Drummond and Mark Hertzberg - at Barnes & Noble Booksellers for a book signing.
More information about Racine County history and Karwowski can be found at http://www.racinehistory.com/
Recently, Karwowski spoke with the Journal Times about Racine County history.
Tell us about your new book.
The new Arcadia Postcard History Series book "Racine" is the first book to be totally illustrated utilizing vintage Racine postal views. Traditionally, Racine historical books were printed in small lots and sold locally. Today, the Internet and national book sellers have opened up a new market place for local interest books, creating a new branch of the information highway. The thoughts of this expanded audience and the following questions guided me while laying out the book.
Why did you choose this topic?
I chose Racine as the topic because it was the easiest thing for me to write about. I felt it was time to share some of the local history memorabilia that I collected during the past 40 years. I didn't have to go far for postcard views or research materials - everything I needed was pretty much at my finger tips. However, I did tap other local resources when I came up short. There is a lot of history around here if you know where to look. It's tucked away in every corner of the City.
What do you think people will find the most surprising thing about Racine that you reveal in your book?
I think the most surprising thing revealed in the book is the spectacular changes that have taken place throughout the last 100 years. The many exclusive views in the book all work together to illustrate Racine's interesting past.
Lastly, but perhaps most basically, this book would not have been possible at all without the local Racine historians and photographers who throughout the years have gathered and documented the endless trail of historical facts and photos for future generations to enjoy.