In this column, I answer questions about my new book, “Voices of ’76: Americans Speak of Our Freedom.”
Question: What is your new book about?
Answer: It is a compilation of interviews with prominent citizens in the time period after the bicentennial celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1976.
The book captures the sentiments of well-known residents of Sussex County about the 200th anniversary of our country’s birth.
It was released Sept. 12.
Q: How did this book come about?
A: This book has two authors, myself and Carrie Papa. The idea was conceived by Carrie and most of the work was performed by her.
She has written several books prior to this. One of her books, “A Mile Deep and Black as Pitch: An Oral History of the Franklin and Sterling Hill Mines,” was done in a similar fashion.
In that book, published in 2004, she interviewed miners who had worked in the Franklin and Sterling Hill mines, mining for zinc. They explained their experience during those busy years of the local mining story, especially in the first half of the 20th century.
Most of these hardy workmen are gone, and this provides us an intimate story of their lives. The current book, “Voices of ’76,” is a follow on from that one.
Q: Why the long time between that book and this one?
A: Carrie had worked for several years on the project. She had health problems crop up. Around 2016, she contacted me and asked if I would carry forward the work she did and get the manuscript published. I said yes, of course.
She passed away shortly thereafter. Her daughter got the files and boxes to me about a year ago. Even though I had much on my plate, I accepted the challenge and, well, here it is.
Q: Why would this book, “Voices of ’76,” be of interest to people in Sussex County?
A: Good question. There are many prominent citizens who are interviewed. These people were in important positions in 1976, and people who were alive back then would know many of them.
Those who are still with us would remember some of them as teachers or high school administrators. Some were town mayors or political figures. I know that one of my favorite teachers, Mildred Harden, was one of those interviewed.
Another reason is the perspective of the people who provided comments. They were in a jubilee type of year as we are now, anticipating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence next summer.
For them, the milieu of their era, the spirit of the times, was provided by the likes of Richard Nixon and the Vietnam War holding a high place in their consciousness.
Q: What would you like readers to take away from the book?
A: Reading what our civic leaders back then had among their considerations, we could see that they had problems also, like we do, of course. Today, we have a different set of concerns high in our minds.
Q: Where can we get the book?
A: The book is available in paperback at Sparta Books in Sparta and Broad Street Books in Branchville. It also is available on Amazon.
Bill Truran, Sussex County’s historian, may be contacted at billt1425@gmail.com He is the author of “Lewis Morris and the Declaration of Independence.”