Oldtown Folks (1869) is a historical novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
Although her career peaked with the publication of abolitionist novel
Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), Stowe continued to work as a professional
writer throughout her life. A tale of family, faith, and perseverance,
Oldtown Folks displays her impressive imaginative range and admirable
moral outlook while illuminating aspects of early American life that
would otherwise be consigned to history. After the death of his father
and brother, Horace Holyoke moves with his mother to Oldtown,
Massachusetts to live with her family. Staying at the home of his
grandfather Jacob Badger, a prominent townsperson and successful miller,
Horace listens to the stories of local religious figures, workers, and
businesspeople who gather in the Badger family kitchen. Meanwhile, Harry
and Tina Percival--a young brother and sister abandoned by their father,
a British soldier who fled to England after the war--arrive in Oldtown
after escaping abuse at the hands of a foster family. Taken in by the
Badgers, the siblings befriend Horace and slowly adjust to life in a
loving home. One Easter, the children travel to Boston with the local
minister's wife to visit with the wealthy Madame Kittery, who takes an
interest in Harry and Horace and promises them, should they do well in
school, that she will pay for them both to attend Harvard. Strengthened
by the love of their community, anchored by their extended or adopted
families, the three children grow up in a nation brimming with hope and
meaningful change. Exploring religion, philosophy, and the value of
education, Stowe's novel is a powerful portrait of postwar New England
for children and adults alike. Followed three years later by Oldtown
Fireside Stories (1872), Oldtown Folks is an underappreciated
masterpiece from the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, the most influential
American novel of the nineteenth century. With a beautifully designed
cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Harriet
Beecher Stowe's Oldtown Folks is a classic of American children's
literature reimagined for modern readers.
