"Our Town-Ilion, New York: A Selective Look at 300 Years of History - Volume III"

1965 Alumnus and Faculty member - Joseph Daniel Collea Jr.

July 2024

Our Town-Ilion, New York: A Selective Look at 300 Years of History
New book by 1965 Alumnus - Joseph Collea


As a follow-up to his first and second books about our community's storied past, Joe Collea has just published a third book on the same topic. Titled Our Town-Ilion, New York: A Selective Look at 300 Years of History Volume III, this edition is not intended as a sequel but rather instead a further look at the people, places, and events that were a part of the village's long, unique, and fascinating story which has spanned almost three centuries.

If you are seeking light summer reading, Joe is pleased to announce that the third volume in what now constitutes his trilogy on the history of the village of Ilion is now available. The format is the same with chapters arranged chronologically. Instead of a continuous thread running through the volumes, each chapter stands alone. This makes it easy to put down and pick up the book by not having to remember how the previous chapter ended. In this way, each volume constitutes a collection of essays. Copies can be obtained through Amazon.com at the same price as the first two editions.

Of note to past and present residents, this work comes at an opportune time. With our town having lost all of its industrial identity over the course of the last fifty years - with the recent departure of the Arms being the final erasure—reflecting on what has been accomplished over village's three centuries in existence is impressive, gratifying, and comforting. The industries may be gone, but a remarkable, indisputable heritage of manufacturing success and leadership remains in a community that has long been a comfortable, desirable place to live and raise a family.

In acknowledging and celebrating our town's rich history, much exists of which to be proud, a reoccurring strain that is evident across all three volumes. After reading these books, the takeaway might well be that Ilion is by no means a "lost cause," for resiliency has always been part of the community's character. Downturns have existed in the past, but the upside is that its people have persevered, turned the page, tightened their belts, and continued on over a span of three hundred years. Given the existence of this indomitable spirit, the village's future should be viewed not as a forlorn hope to be weathered, but rather a challenge to be surmounted.

All of Joseph Collea's books are available on Amazon.com.

 


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