The history of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, through the end of the Twentieth century, told through reminiscences, diaries, letters, pictures, and anecdotes collected by the Author over the past forty years.

His Life and Adventures offer an inside account of the brawling racism common in the early nineteenth century and sharply detail the rowdy male subculture of the times.... History of My Own Times is one of the few first-person accounts of a rural artisan in pre-genteel America.

Developed in 1797 by Scotch-Irish settler John Wallace, Waynesboro was a quiet rural village in Pennsylvania's fertile Cumberland Valley. Until the 1850s, the town's chief distinction was its location astride two main roads, which enabled local farmers and artisans to deliver their goods to bigger markets, such as Baltimore. During the next half-century, the mechanical genius of George Frick, Peter Geiser, the Landis brothers, and other visionary industrial leaders transformed the sleepy village into a major manufacturing center and patented inventions still used worldwide today. Waynesboro's location amid rolling farmland and forested mountains, which made the surrounding area a popular resort destination at one time, ensured that industrialization did not come at the cost of scenic beauty. Around Waynesboro is a photographic treasure that documents the many historical milestones and individuals of the area.

During the first half of the 18th century, Pennsylvania became home to a variety of German-speaking sectarians. One such group was the Snow Hill Cloister, which was founded in 1762. In this book, Denise A. Seachrist tells the story of Snow Hill, exploring its spiritual and work life, its music, writings and craft traditions.