Authors Bring Local History to Life

By Jennie Cottrell | Published May 7, 2013

From stories of the Seneca Quarry and DC’s history told via a comic book to tales Fairfax County’s Civil War civilians and Frederick Douglass, history lovers will have plenty of entertainment at the Gaithersburg Book Festival on May 18. Panel discussions include Civil War Era DC and DC & MoCo History.

Included in the day’s fantastic line up of local history authors and books are:

Garrett Peck, aka one of our Literary Patron Saints, with “The Smithsonian Castle and The Seneca Quarry”
Garrett is a a literary journalist, local Washington-area historian, and author of four books, including “The Prohibition Hangover: Alcohol in America from Demon Rum to Cult Cabernet” (2009); “Prohibition in Washington, D.C.: How Dry We Weren’t” (2011); and “The Potomac River: A History and Guide” (2012). Garrett leads tours of Seneca quarry and the Temperance Tour of Prohibition-related sites in the nation’s capital. Read a Q&A with Garrett.

John Muller with “Frederick Douglass in Washington, D.C.: The Lion of Anacostia”
John is a local journalist and historian and contributor to Capital Community News, Greater Greater Washington, and other Washington, D.C., area media. His writing and reporting has appeared in Washington History, The Washington Post, The Georgetowner, East of the River, The Washington Informer, Suspense Magazine, and Next American City (online). He is a member of the Historical Society of Washington and a member of the planning committee for the annual D.C. Historical Studies Conference.

Charles V. Mauro with The Civil War in Fairfax County: Civilians and Soldiers”
Charles Mauro is a local historian and the author of six books. In “The Civil War in Fairfax County” he gives voice to the silent majority of the participants in the Civil War: the civilians. His book, “A Southern Spy in Northern Virginia: The Civil War Album of Laura Ratcliffe,” is the story of an album that Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart gave to Laura Ratcliffe, a spy who lived in Frying Pan, now Floris, Va., during the Civil War. Chuck also has written two books about the history of Herndon, Va., where he now lives. He is a member and past president of the Historical Society of Herndon. Read a Q&A with Charles.

Matt Dembicki with “District Comics: An Unconventional History of Washington, DC”
Matt is a local comics creator who edited and contributed to the comic anthology “District Comics,” named one of The Washington Post‘s best books of 2012. He also edited and contributed to “Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection,” a 2011 Eisner Award nominee and 2011 Aesop Prize winner. Matt was also the writer and artist on the 2012 graphic novel “Xoc: The Journey of a Great White Shark.” In 2005, he co-founded the D.C. Conspiracy, a comics creators collaborative in Washington.

And while it may not be a traditional “local history” book, we also want to mention:

Karen Yaffe Lottes and Dorothy Pugh with “In Search of Maryland Ghosts: Montgomery County”
Karen is an historian and museum educator. She worked for many years as education director for the Montgomery County Historical Society (MCHS) and is currently a museum consultant. She has developed site-specific and county-wide local history programs, including “In Search of Ghosts,” one of the first history-based Halloween programs in the Washington, D.C., area. Dorothy has had a lifelong interest in history which she was able to turn from hobby to vocation when she volunteered for many years at the MCHS’s Library and Archives as an assistant librarian and researcher. She has researched and written extensively about the history of Montgomery County. Read a Q&A with Karen and Dorothy.