In the Seven Mountains: Legends Collected in Central Pennsylvania

by Henry Wharton Shoemaker

Originally published in 1913 by the Bright Printing Company, In the Seven Mountains belongs to Henry Shoemaker's robust corpus of tales and legends based on the folklore of Pennsylvania. This volume presents stories from the Seven Mountains, located in Mifflin, Centre, and Juniata Counties, through which Shoemaker traveled by carriage in 1912, stopping to speak with local residents and visit "scores of localities of historic and legendary" importance. In his distinctive literary voice, Shoemaker recounts colorful legends--tales of ghosts and hauntings, of elusive mountain lions and their "celebrity" hunters--as well as human interest stories, many of which feature central Pennsylvania landmarks such as Tussey Mountain and Bald Mountain. Weaving narratives of the supernatural, local history, wildlife, and Native American lore, Shoemaker preserves the region's unique cultural heritage in a series of fantastical stories that blur the lines between truth and fiction. The text, reproduced in facsimile for the first time since its original printing, includes illustrations by S. W. Smith and W. W. Sholl.

454 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1913

About the author

Henry Wharton Shoemaker (February 24, 1880 – July 14, 1958) was a prominent American folklorist, historian, diplomat, writer, publisher, and conservationist.

Shoemaker was born in New York City, but was closely associated with Pennsylvania, where he spent summers in childhood and took up residence later in life. His father, Henry Francis Shoemaker (1845–1918), was a railroad magnate, investment banker, and close confidante of future Senator and Vice Presidential candidate Charles W. Fairbanks. His mother, Blanche Quiggle, was the sole daughter of railroad magnate and diplomat Col. James W. Quiggle of Philadelphia and Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. He attended the E. D. Lyons Classical School and Columbia University. He then served in the military and attained the rank of Colonel. Attracted to foreign service, he worked in European embassies before returning home to enter a brokerage venture with his brother William. His brother died in an elevator accident, and Henry closed the brokerage.

Reviews

[Patrick Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being from the area that this book is written about I found it very informative and fascinating. Knowing all the small towns, mountain ridges and rivers drove the book home for me. The legends of the area go back centuries and this book covered the time from of around 1600 to 1800.

Henry Shoemaker is well known in the area as a collector of historical information and stories in the area, he wrote several books about the locations in central Pennsylvania in the early 1800s. The Seven Mountains area was on the frontier at this point as the settlers were pushing west and the Indians were pushing back.

These are the stories of the first settlers and what they faced from Indians to the man eating wild life. Stories that were passed down from generation to generation. The stories that were true but that grew into legends of the area.

This was a very interesting book that I would recommend to anyone in the area, anyone who is interested in the frontier, the French & Indian war or frontier life in general.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

What fun to read a book and know the names and places first hand. But, my, what liberties the author has taken with tall tales.

[Matt Purvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

First short story collection I’ve ever got to read

[Jess G · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m from the area & was excited to read. However it was very dry & hard to keep my interest.

[Deb Grove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book about Legends and stories in the Seven Mountains area of PA. Shoemaker wrote this in the early 1900s and traveled the area before that talking to elderly who had inhabited the area in the 1800s. Stories about wolves, panthers, Indians and ghosts. One chapter is about Indians having a distillery at Bare (sic) Meadows. Covers northern Huntingdon County, Mifflin, and Snyder county -- New Berlin, New Lancaster, Treaster Valley and a place called Indianville we can't identify. Some are probably exagerrated and tall tales. Others are just interesing from the standpoint of life in the area in the 1800s.