Jared Frederick, instructor in history at Penn State Altoona, will have his new illustrated narrative, “Images of Modern America: Altoona,” published this April.
For over a century, Altoona, Pennsylvania, was a bustling industrial hotbed. The 1968 end of the Pennsylvania Railroad, a decreasing population, and a dying downtown slowly made the city a shadow of its former self. However, recent developments reveal potential, as seen in the corporate presence of Norfolk Southern and Sheetz. Additionally, the growth of Penn State Altoona, regional health care systems, and the Altoona Curve baseball club continue to make the city and its environs a unique place within the heart of the Allegheny Mountains.
In this book, Frederick presents the story of Altoona within the broader context of American history. Tracing local people, businesses, and culture from 1945 to the present, he interprets a city still in the process of remaking itself. Through rare images, Frederick exhibits lost local history as well as surviving treasures worth saving for the benefit of posterity and pride.