Local history book club to meet Jan. 13

The January meeting of the WCHS local history book club will focus on the life and work of Mathew Brady.

The Washington County Historical Society’s local history book club will meet from noon until 1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13, at the historical society headquarters located at 167 Broadway in Fort Edward.

Historical society membership is not required.

The January meeting of the book club will focus on the life and work of Mathew Brady.

Born to Irish parents in Johnsburg, Warren County, in 1822, Brady was a renowned photographer who was best known for his photos of the Civil War and of famous people in the 19th century.

Brady studied under inventor and photographer Samuel Morse and later had galleries on Broadway and in Washington, DC. He died in poverty in New York City on Jan. 15, 1896.

Future sessions of the club will include discussion of books about the larger Adirondack area as well as some works by local authors. The proposed list of topics includes Ulysses Grant’s final days at Mount McGregor, Benedict Arnold’s building of the first Navy in Whitehall, the Underground Railroad and the impact of Shay’s Rebellion on Washington County.

For more information, email Connie Harris Farrington at [email protected].