I want to recall the memory of Beck, but didn't want to fill up Tom's Hanover Furnace thread. I was thinking of Beck while thumbing through some of his books looking for information.
Why did many of us love Henry Charlton Beck? Sure, he had his flaws in not having all of the data correct, but the man was a great emotion evoker, he drew us in with his writing style, often leavings us pining (pun intended) for more of his written history, so we could dwell there, and soak in the simple life, to roam around where they who came here before us lived. Our interest was in how they lived, where they worked, how they spoke, and the habits they had.
A good example of what I'm talking about can be found at the very end of "Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey", in his chapter of Atsion. As he closes the story, he describes the area of Atsion as he's driving away through Indian Mills. It's almost as if we are sitting aside him in the cavernous, dusty hot, old 1930's car he's probably driving in:
"The tiny white chapel on the hill carries on his work. There are a few weather-beaten, unpainted houses up the chapel road. Near the railroad station is another group, their roofs aslant as if they were discussing what is to become of their town. In the hope of some new strange manifistation to complete those queer happenings at Atsayunk of the Atsiyonks, we made one more, a sort of final visit. The sun was blazing down on the blinding sand-rims of the new road. There was no breeze to whisper in the pines. Beside the lake shore whose waters hide snags of stumps, campers from the city had pitched their tents....On strings before them were bathing suits, shirts, flimsy wearing apparel. Parked among the trees were weather-stained automobiles. The smell of gasoline filled the grove....New gravel on the old trail threw up a smoke-screen behind a speeding car. One tree was bleeding from a purposeless ax-wound. A swimmer was bubbling loudly (in) the cedar water. We returned home. The least self-respecting ghost, be he from the unkempt graveyard or the cupola that may be a belfry, has no further business in this new Atsion."
God bless Henry Beck
Why did many of us love Henry Charlton Beck? Sure, he had his flaws in not having all of the data correct, but the man was a great emotion evoker, he drew us in with his writing style, often leavings us pining (pun intended) for more of his written history, so we could dwell there, and soak in the simple life, to roam around where they who came here before us lived. Our interest was in how they lived, where they worked, how they spoke, and the habits they had.
A good example of what I'm talking about can be found at the very end of "Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey", in his chapter of Atsion. As he closes the story, he describes the area of Atsion as he's driving away through Indian Mills. It's almost as if we are sitting aside him in the cavernous, dusty hot, old 1930's car he's probably driving in:
"The tiny white chapel on the hill carries on his work. There are a few weather-beaten, unpainted houses up the chapel road. Near the railroad station is another group, their roofs aslant as if they were discussing what is to become of their town. In the hope of some new strange manifistation to complete those queer happenings at Atsayunk of the Atsiyonks, we made one more, a sort of final visit. The sun was blazing down on the blinding sand-rims of the new road. There was no breeze to whisper in the pines. Beside the lake shore whose waters hide snags of stumps, campers from the city had pitched their tents....On strings before them were bathing suits, shirts, flimsy wearing apparel. Parked among the trees were weather-stained automobiles. The smell of gasoline filled the grove....New gravel on the old trail threw up a smoke-screen behind a speeding car. One tree was bleeding from a purposeless ax-wound. A swimmer was bubbling loudly (in) the cedar water. We returned home. The least self-respecting ghost, be he from the unkempt graveyard or the cupola that may be a belfry, has no further business in this new Atsion."
God bless Henry Beck
