Folklore and Legends of Rochester: The Mystery of Hoodoo Corner & Other Tales (American Legends)

There is a lot of history packed into the pages of this book on the early history of Rochester, New York. What I found of particular interest is the story of an Iroquois indian by the name of Handsome Lake who wrote a Constitution or Code of Ethics for the Iroquois nation.The following are excerpts taken from the book."The constitution - the Great Law of Peace - is one of the oldest constitutions in the world. The document is often mentioned along with the likes of the Magna Carta in terms of the greatest political documents in history. It described a federal union of five (later six) Indian nations: Mohawk, Onondaga, Seneca, Oneida, Cayuga and Tuscarora. It provided a framework for working out problems among the nations' members and described political and social systems that were balanced and egalitarian. Benjamin Franklin, who served as an Indian commissioner, studied the Indian way of life, published accounts of treaty negotiations and cited the Iroquois model in his arguments about relations between the British and the colonies. Each individual nation had a system for choosing its leaders, and there were impeachment provisions as well, ensuring that leaders governed in accordance with public consent. Historians have shown that the federal system of the U.S. government and the U.S. Constitution were patterned in part on the Iroquois system."There is a section dedicated to the building of the Erie Canal which is exceptional. Even if you are not from this area, you would have to be caught up in the history of this area and from this book that make for a great read.

This is an excellent concise history of Rochester, New York. Not many know that before Rochester became a company town it was the spiritual hub of the north-east. The author paints an amazing picture of the major incidents and personalities - tying them to one location, downtown, and local indian, anglo, and african-american folk religion and folk-medecine.

I am a native of Rochester and the information in this book is very interesting. I would love more books like this.

I have always been interested in the history of Rochester."Folklore and Legends of Rochester" is a delightfull account.

The local folklore was very interesting but the purported "Hoodoo Corner" allegedly connecting everything is contrived and tenuous at best. Basically a classic example of trying to contort facts and legend to fit into a predetermined narrative. So Midtown Plaza failed because of its geographical proximity to Hoodoo Corner, really?Still a fairly cool book for us local history buffs.

Borrowed this book from the library and so glad it was not a purchase. I went into it expecting it to be much more folklore and much less like a history book. It was not until chapter 10 (over 3/4 through the book) that it finally got interesting. If you are looking for a book that outlines the history of Rochester, this is it. If you are looking for something that gives you more of a folklore tale, keep looking.