Lincoln Logs - Historical fiction describing a town created solely by the logging industry at the end of the nineteenth century, Lincoln, New Hampshire - Jules M. Seletz, Denlinger's Publishers and Bookstore

THE BOOK

Lincoln Logs is historical fiction that describes a town created solely by the logging industry at the end of the nineteenth century. The book illustrates the establishment of the Town of Lincoln, New Hampshire, in the Upper Pemigewasset Valley on the banks of the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River located in the heart of the White Mountains. It is virtually carved out of a dense, bucolic, virgin tract of unspoiled timberland. Within the manuscript, intermingled with real-life people of the era, are accounts of five generations of four fictional families suffering through numerous trials and tribulations, becoming deeply involved in interpersonal relationships and taking an active role in America's wars, from the War of 1812 to Viet Nam.

In addition to the warfare, the novel depicts how close-knit families cope with the Depression of 1893; enter a new twentieth century to face challenging new technology in communication and transportation; deal with Prohibition; muddle through the Roaring Twenties and survive the Great Depression of 1929. Because the book spans more than 100 years, newborn babies become great-grandparents. In the background, numerous new states are admitted to the Union and a host of Presidents reside in the White House.

After 75 years, the town is about to suffer the fate of other mill towns that have lost their industry, Lincoln's mill having changed hands four times before finally closing its doors. A previous New Hampshire Governor, Sherman Adams, a long-time resident of Lincoln and close personal friend of former President Eisenhower, becomes determined to preserve this town. But he must solicit the aid of the state and persuade the members of the community to turn to a totally new economic enterprise—a far cry from lumber, pulp, and paper.

DEDICATION

For the residents of the Town of Lincoln, New Hampshire, and its environs, this novel is dedicated to their ancestry and heritage, their progeny and for those yet to come.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The population of Lincoln was delighted to learn of my attempting to write historical fiction entitled Lincoln Logs, using as its basis the establishment of the town. Anyone I spoke with was most generous with their time and use of their memory. It would be virtually impossible to name each and everyone, but they should know how grateful I am. In all good conscience, at the risk of slighting a few of these good people, I feel I must mention some by name. Many non-residents of Lincoln were equally generous with their time, especially the Civil War faculty on the Mississippi Queen Steamboat.

Patricia Papio, lifelong resident of Lincoln, NH, who first suggested such a novel and was kind enough to lend her complete set of Pycologs and Marcalogs. Patty either knew offhand, or found out information that allowed me to be authentic in my writing.

Trudy Stockton, Library Aide at the Lincoln Public Library in Lincoln, New Hampshire, for her most generous contribution—voluminous hours of meticulously proofreading the entire manuscript, line by line and word by word—a most professional in-depth review that produced numerous suggestions for constructive revisions and corrections.

Carol Riley, Librarian, Lincoln Public Library, Lincoln, NH, who allowed use of the 1964 Bicentennial Commemorative Book and several other items concerning Lincoln's early days.

Mark Nothnagle, Librarian Assistant, Lincoln Public Library, Lincoln, NH, who continued with Carol's generosity in her absence.

Don Goyette, Librarian, Moosilauke Public Library, North Woodstock, NH, who allowed several books to be removed from the library for extended periods of time.

Jean Adams Hallager, Upper Pemigewasset Historical Society, Lincoln, NH, who was kind enough to open the building one winter's day.

W. T. Bishop, Trustee, Lincoln Public Library, Lincoln, NH, for holding court in the Post Office almost daily, offering personal memoirs and reviewing the manuscript.

Charles Harrington, Town Barber, North Woodstock, NH, for use of historical materials within his barber shop along with his keen memory.

Dean Horne, United States Post Office, Lincoln, NH, who had a bit of whimsical historical interest to relate each day.

Michael Reardon, Village of Loon Mountain Homeowners Association, Lincoln, NH, a lifetime resident of the town, for several personal interviews in regard to Lincoln's later years.

Tom Donnellan, Senior Vice Commander, Post 83, American Legion, Lincoln, NH, for a personal interview related to the history of the current building.

Paul Harvey, Sexton, Glenwood Cemetery, Littleton, NH, for guiding me to the Henry and Cowen/Henry family plots.

Mike Dickerman, Bondcliff Books, Littleton, NH, for supplying an armful of documents used in substantiating authentic historical facts and reviewing the manuscript.

Dee Rupert, Littleton Historical Museum, Littleton, NH, who researched the Henry family during their time in Littleton, including the births of the Henry children.

Clifford "Kip" and Dauna Ayotte, Mobil Service Station, North Woodstock, NH, for personal interviews along with their supply of Pycologs and Marcalogs.

Daniel D'Oney, Mississippi Queen Riverlorian—historian who includes river lore—from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

James I. "Bud" Robertson, Civil War Historian, Alumni Distinguished Professor of History, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, Virginia.

William C. "Jack" Davis, a Civil War Historian, a prolific author of numerous books and articles concerning the War, a native of Missouri, now residing in Ohio.

Charles P. Roland, Southern and Civil War Historian, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, now living in Louisiana .

Kent Masterson Brown, an attorney and Civil War Historian, from Danville, Kentucky.

THE AUTHOR

Jules M. Seletz graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1953 as a second lieutenant and the Chicago Medical School in 1958 with an MD. Following five years of postgraduate training at the Boston City Hospital, he practiced as a General and Peripheral Vascular Surgeon for 35 years.

He enjoyed a 41-year military career in the United States Army, with a 15-year civilian break in service, rising to the rank of colonel after starting out as a second lieutenant in 1953 in the field artillery during the Korean conflict. He deployed as a military surgeon to Morocco in North Africa in 1985, to West Germany in 1987, to Botswana in Sub-Sahara Africa in 1989 and finally, to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in Southwest Asia in 1991 during Desert Storm. Retired from the Army in 1994 while stationed at West Point, Dr. Seletz served for the next seven years as a physician surveyor for JCAHO?the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

JCAHO is the nationally and internationally accepted accrediting body for the healthcare industry. During those seven years, Dr. Seletz had several occasions to survey hospitals that have experienced untoward incidents, mishaps and catastrophic outcomes known as sentinel events. He has written five mystery/medical thrillers that involve sentinel events: Sentinel Event; Not Another Sentinel Event; Code Pink, A Sentinel Event; West Point's Sentinel Event and Sentinel Event on the High Seas.

Dr. Seletz is a part-time resident of Marblehead, Massachusetts, but lives and writes in Lincoln, New Hampshire, in the heart of the White Mountains where he enjoys skiing and mountain hiking with his wife of Acadian heritage. Together, they have seven children and twelve grandchildren. He is also the author of a Quartet of historical fiction, Pass In Review, that mirrors his own life during the twentieth century that begins with his father's emigration from Russia at the turn of the last century and ends with the publication of his novels at the beginning of this century. Pass In Review includes Book One, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Book Two, Jacob's Ladder; Book Three, Jacob's Travels and Book Four, Jacob's Novels. For his wife and her progeny, he wrote Pulp, Potatoes, and Ployes, a novel depicting an Acadian Odyssey and the formation of his wife's birthplace, Fort Kent, Maine,

When residents of Lincoln, New Hampshire, learned that Dr. Seletz had written a novel that described the establishment of Fort Kent, Maine, in Pulp, Potatoes, and Ployes, they asked, "Why not one about the creation of Lincoln, New Hampshire?" Early into researching the history of the area, he discovered the formation of this mill town back in 1892 when railroad logging was widely used to be utterly fascinating. So another book of historical fiction, describing this, with a background of United States history, was born. It was entitled Lincoln Logs.

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