Heaven’s Ditch Book Presentation with Author Jack Kelly
At Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site
Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site welcomes author Jack Kelly on Tuesday, October 25th at 6:30 PM in the Enders House to give a presentation on his new book, Heaven’s Ditch: God, Gold and Murder on the Erie Canal. Heaven’s Ditch is a page-turning narrative that offers a fresh and exciting look at a heady, foundational moment in American history.
In his new work, Kelly explores the spiritual and political upheavals along this “psychic highway” from its opening in 1825 through 1844. The book explores the stories of America’s first celebrity daredevil, the man who envisioned the apocalypse, and the boyhood of Joseph Smith and the birth of Mormonism. Readers will also encounter America’s very first “crime of the century”, treasure hunting, searing acts of violence, a visionary cross-dresser, and myriad of fanatics, mystics, and hoaxers.
Jack Kelly is a journalist, novelist, and historian, whose books include the award winning Band of Giants, and Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, and Pyrotechnics : The History of the Explosive That Changed the World. Kelly has also contributed to national periodicals including The Wall Street Journal, is a New York Foundation for the Arts fellow, and has appeared on The History Channel and National Public Radio. He grew up in a town in the canal corridor adjacent to Palmyra and currently lives in New York’s Hudson Valley.
There will be a brief Friends of Schoharie Crossing meeting prior to this free presentation. Refreshments will be provided and donations are always appreciated.
For information about this event and more, please call the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516, email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov, or visit Facebook at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation oversees 180 state parks and 35 historic sites, which are visited by 60 million people annually. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com, connect on Facebook, or follow on Twitter.