The great historian Edward Gibbon once noted that "History...is, indeed, little more than a register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind." Though cynical, Gibbon's observation contains a certain kind of beauty, for the simple but all important reason that it rings true. Indeed, what would history be without the wars, the scandals, and all the unwisdom that pervades human affairs? It would be a scant tale, a short story of dull, vanilla flavored fiction, rather than the long, rambling, and scandalous record of a species too clever by half.
Though as my comments indicate, studying history has made me a bit of a cynic, to me the subject is still worth learning, not for the cliche reason that "those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it", but for the simple reason that the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind often make for a great read. You don't believe me? Read about the lives of the Roman Emperors, or the twisted tale of Henry the VIII. I guarantee you, the history is stranger than any fiction you could conjure up.
Of course, Roman rulers and English Kings didn't have a monopoly on human foibles and folly, and there has been no shortage of misbehavior right here in Chester County. Indeed, what could be more interesting than the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of the place we call home? Accordingly, I am going to go through some of the early scandals and court cases in Chester County and see what I can find. Some of the names may ring a bell, and reading about the disputes that needed to be settled would do much to illuminate the type of world early residents of the county were living in.
Check back with you soon.
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