Rochester History is a peer-reviewed biannual journal produced by the Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County in partnership with Rochester Institute of Technology’s Department of History. It is published by RIT Press in both print and, in the future, a digital format. The journal is funded in part by the Frances Kenyon Publication Fund, established in memory of Ms. Kenyon’s sister, Florence Taber Kenyon, and her friend Thelma Jeffries.
The journal publishes deeply researched and engaging articles that explore a wide variety of diverse and inclusive historical topics and perspectives pertaining to Rochester, Monroe County, and Western New York. We encourage you to review previous issues: https://roccitylibrary.org/digital-collections/rochester-history/.
We invite article submissions that further the journal’s mission of increasing knowledge of and interest in local history and culture while placing local issues into a national and global context. We also accept reviews of recent work, such as books, exhibits, films, and digital projects, as well as contributions for two forthcoming new special features, “ROC Artifact” and “Teaching the ROC.” ROC Artifact is a feature that highlights an image of an object, document, or map, accompanied by a short essay. Teaching the ROC is a feature intended for educators of history either at the middle or high school levels, at universities, or in museum settings. Detailed submission guidelines can be found on our webpage: https://roccitylibrary.org/digital-collections/rochester-history/.
Rochester History is a subscription-based journal. For information on how to subscribe, please see the RIT Press website or the Rochester Public Library website.
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DIRECTOR’S CORNER
Patty Uttaro, Director, Rochester Public Library
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LETTER FROM THE EDITORS
Christine L. Ridarsky & Rebecca Edwards
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Transforming Music in the Flower City: Hermann Dossenbach’s Year in Europe, 1911–1912
Lisa Kleman
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BOOK REVIEW Declaring Disaster: Buffalo’s Blizzard of ’77 and the Creation of FEMA by Timothy W. Kneeland
Christine Keiner, Rochester Institute of Technology
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ROC ARTIFACT A Secret Revealed: Charles Ott and the Ku Klux Klan
Christopher Brennan, Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County