Publisher Description

On November 23, 1893, Judge R. W. Archbald signed the decree making Taylor a borough. A century earlier in 1782, Cornelius Atherton, originally from Massachusetts, became Taylor's first permanent settler on a hill overlooking Keyser Creek. He and his family helped to build what was then a small farming community. The birth of the railroad brought with it a change of industry. In the mid-1850s, the Union Coal Company sank a shaft, built a breaker, and began to ship coal. When the company went out of business, New York City financier Moses Taylor bought up the abandoned coal land and reopened the mines. What was once called Unionville was renamed Taylorville in his honor, and this was later shortened to Taylor. Through vintage images, Taylor documents the many transitions of this tight-knit community.

Author Biography

Margo L. Azzarelli is a living historian and writer/researcher for Azzarelli Family Historical Productions. She serves as editor for the Taylor Historical Society and volunteers her time to the Lackawanna Historical Society, which provided many of the photographs that enhance the historical beauty shown in Images of America: Green Ridge.

Review Text

Title: Scranton author, Margo L Azzarelli talks about 'Taylor' and 'Green Ridge' Author: Marnie Azzarelli Publisher: Examiner Date: 6/13/2011 "Taylor" is available for purchase at the "Lackawanna Historical Society," the "Anthracite Heritage Museum," and the "Taylor Community Library." It is also available to loan at the Albright Memorial Library located in downtown Scranton. To Margo L Azzarelli, history is not just facts strewn out on a page, only to be read by bored students in class. To her it's a mystery waiting to be solved: "I love to learn new things," Ms. Azzarelli said. "Researching is my favorite part. I find it exciting to put the puzzle pieces of our past together." In August, it will be a year since the release of her first "Images of America" book: "Taylor," a successful hit selling almost a thousand copies. "Taylor," is a look at the first white settlement in Lackawanna County through a collection of images, painstakingly picked out by the author herself. "That was the hardest part," Ms. Azzarelli says. "At first it was difficult to get the limit of pictures needed to complete the book. Just like a lot of history in the area, the pictures were scattered everywhere." Luckily with great support from the Taylor community, Ms. Azzarelli had enough images to finish her first book. With the success of "Taylor," Ms. Azzarelli got the green light from Arcadia Publishing to start her second book in the "Images of America" series: "Green Ridge." When asked how her idea for Green Ridge (a section of Scranton) came about she said that a few months ago at Barnes & Noble, while looking to see how many copies of "Taylor" were left, she met two women that used to live in the area before moving out west. They asked Ms. Azzarelli if there was a book on Green Ridge. "I said no, and then a light bulb went off in my head: there's my new book." Ms. Azzarelli went on to say that she always had a love for Green Ridge. "Every Christmas my parents would drive through Green Ridge so we could look at all beautiful Christmas lights on the mansions." The Victorian era mansions are a staple in the Green Ridge area, and are filled with timeless history that Ms. Azzarelli can't wait to share. Besides being an author Margo L. Azzarelli is also a researcher and writer for Azzarelli Family Historical Productions, and a board member for the Taylor Historical Society. She is also the Scranton History Today Examiner. "Green Ridge," is set to be released in the summer of 2012. Ms. Azzarelli will be signing books at the Taylor Walmart on June 18, 2011 at 11 am.

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