By Steve Esser
YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. — What happens to the places that time and people forget? Are they lost forever, never to be thought of again?
For Young Harris College English professor, Matt Bruen, that was a question he refused to answer “yes” to. Bruen, author of “Keeper of Lost Places” (Rothco Press), decided he would remember those places and record them for others to learn about.
In his book, he has recorded several places around the United States – mainly east of the Mississippi River – that over the test of time would have disappeared – footnotes in this country’s history, not to be discussed or remembered.
“I had kicked around the idea about all these areas that we, as a society, had forgotten about – overrun, lost,” Bruen said, an avid historian in addition to an English professor. “I love writing about places I’ve been to and seen, so I became a collector of these lost places and started writing about them when I first got here to YHC.”
The places range from the Poconos in the northeastern U.S., where Bruen spent much of his childhood, to areas like Centralia, PA., or even closer to this region, such as the Copper Basin and Smoky Mountains.
In many cases, the stories don’t have happy endings, pointing to cases of neglect or, at the very least, borderline unethical decisions made by people in government or positions of power.
“American society has a hard time living up to our values,” Bruen admitted, as his research often pointed to decisions made by greed, power or other less altruistic motivations. “I wanted to tell the stories some people didn’t want to tell or were hoping might be forgotten.”
Bruen, who focuses his own teaching on early American literature, such as the works of Herman Melville, credits his mentor Liz McHenry, author of Forgotten Readers (Duke University Press), with his concept. McHenry wrote about literature and the social conditions of print culture and the literary community for African Americans between 1830 and 1940.
“It’s really easy to forget things, we all do. And it’s easy to forget places,” Bruen said. “And what people don’t realize is that when you forget a story or a place, you can lose that place. That was my role here, to keep these places … remember them.”
“Keeper of Lost Places” is available from retailers like Mystery Control, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble among other outlets.
Bruen will have a book release party Sept. 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Hatcher Hall in the Rollins Campus Center on the YHC campus.
About Young Harris College
Young Harris College is a private baccalaureate and master’s degree-granting institution located in the beautiful mountains of North Georgia. Founded in 1886 and historically affiliated with The United Methodist Church, Young Harris College educates, inspires, and empowers students through an education that purposefully integrates the liberal arts and professional studies. The College has four academic divisions: Fine Arts; Humanities; Mathematics, Science, and Technology; and Professional Studies. Approximately 1,400 students are enrolled in its residential and Early College programs. The College is an active member of the NCAA Division II and remains a fierce competitor in the Conference Carolinas. For more information, visit yhc.edu.
