Eulogy of the American Factory Town

Baby boomers and their parents lived it. Children grew up listening to the stories – days in the life of a factory town during the peak of the Industrial Era. Legacies of American history forged in the open hearth furnace. It was an iconic time in our history when emigrants came together to build a better life. The best days for these once productive blue collar communities have passed.

Thomas Wolfe observed that “You can’t go home again.” Nostalgia aside, 'home' has moved on. Visiting the place of my birth and my youth in what was once an American factory town was a stark reminder that the American factory town has also moved on.

Eulogy of the American Factory Town chronicles the culturally driven, hardworking communities that once set the pace for prosperity. As we race toward the Information Age, these towns are drying up like rain pools in the sun. A series of anecdotes and short, free-form essays recalls that time.