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An Interview with J. Michael Morrison, the Author of King of Prussia

How did you come up with the idea for the book?
In 2003 I created www.historicreeseville.com, a website dedicated to the history of King of Prussia, Pa., using the town’s former name.  I was immediately contacted by the King of Prussia Chamber of Commerce (now the Greater Valley Forge Chamber of Commerce) asking if I would mint them using me as their link to the history of King of Prussia, and how the whole thing began.  Apparently my website was noticed by Arcadia, and I was asked if I would be interested in writing a book about the history of King of Prussia, a more in-depth depiction than that which appears on the website.  I enthusiastically agreed, and the rest as they say, is history.

 How long did the project take?
I began in earnest in April 2005, roaming the town and photographing what little remained, in an attempt to somehow furnish the 200 required photographs as directed (I had about 10 when I started).  I finished the book at the end of September, which would make it about five months total from beginning to completion.

What new things did you learn about your subject from researching the book?  Did anything surprise you? Did you uncover any lost hidden treasures or secrets?
I learned that very little exists in the way of old photographs of the town and its people.  The majority of the collections I encountered included mainly copies of old newspaper articles, or copies of old photos, unfortunately useless for my purposes, except for background research.  Fortunately, several postcards DO exist, and that’s where I began my hunt.

What surprised me is that nobody ever attempted to collect photographs and stories of King of Prussia and preserve them in one place.  And once collected, make them available to the public in one form or another.  Some items existed at the nearly defunct King of Prussia Historical Society, others existed at the Upper Merion Township Public Library, and the rest was held privately.  I hope this book will be the beginning of collecting the photographs, artifacts, and stories of a very important town, and preserving them for posterity under one roof.

I must say, the lost and hidden treasure that I uncovered was the Upper Merion Township Senior Center.  When faced with the task of collecting a minimum of 200 photographs, I began by contacting the senior center, and was welcomed with open arms.  I was able to complete my collection due to the hard work of my many friends at the center, who rummaged through their attics and basements to dig up their wonderful pictures that might have been forgotten had it not been for this project.  Coincidently, the theme for their “Fall Fling” this year was “Picturing our Past”, and it fit right into what I was doing with the book, and I was invited to share my collection in late September at their annual gathering.  

Why do you think people will enjoy the book?
People will enjoy the book because it provides a glimpse of how King of Prussia began, and retraces to beginning of the town which only exists in distant memory.  King of Prussia has changed so completely from its humble beginnings, that it is impossible to tell where it all began without my book as a guide.  

What will the media find most interesting about the book?
It may surprise them to learn that many historic structures were demolished in the name of progress, and to this day there has never been a Historic Preservation Ordinance enacted to protect what little remains. 

Feel free to add anything else you think is pertinent for readers to know.
When I began putting this book together, I was motivated first and foremost by the desperate desire to raise awareness about the need for historic preservation in King of Prussia, since most of our significant early landmarks have already disappeared, and the handful that are left have a bleak future at best.  I was reminded of a passage written by my grandmother, when she helped prepare a report to our township from the newly formed historical society.  She said, “The importance of balance in all things is basic to the well-being and happiness of mankind.  Nowhere is this fact more evident than in community planning.  Therefore, it would seem apparent that an examination of our community’s historic heritage should be among the first functions of any planning agency.”  It’s almost as if we’ve stood idly by and allowed forceful developers to have their way with our community in the name of progress, and before long we’ve allowed our history to fade into distant memory.  A second motivation for this book was to introduce our town to curious readers, and present the many theories which attempt to explain how King of Prussia actually got its name, and allow the reader to decide which one fits best.