The Western Chautauqua
by Tim Tomlinson

A new history of New Piasa Chautauqua sponsored by the Chautauqua Historical Society and Historic Elsah Foundation. This book tells the story of how this Illinois Chautauqua survived and prospered over a 125 year period and features new information and new pictures of the hard times and good times of a special place.

Did you know that New Piasa Chautauqua is the last remaining permanent assembly Chautauqua in Illinois? There were over fifty such sites in Illinois at one time. How did this community survive and prosper? What made it different from other such communities? Find out this and more in this fascinating book.

About the Author
Timothy R. Tomlinson, Associate Director emeritus of the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, has considerable experience in the field of history. He holds an A.M. in American Social History from Boston University and was a John Hay Fellow in history and the Humanities at Harvard University. He is a Fellow emeritus of the Social Science Education Consortium and the Mexican Academy of Traditional Medicine and Folklore, which awarded him the Martin de la Cruz Medal. Tomlinson currently serves on the boards of Historic Elsah Foundation and the Chautauqua Historical Society. He is the editor and principal writer for the Society’s Newsletter. Tomlinson has also served four terms on the board of New Piasa Chautauqua. He and his wife, Rose, have been Chautauquans since 1969. Tomlinson is active in the Chautauqua Network and lectures often on Chautauqua history. He is working currently on a scholarly article on Dr. Benjamin St. James Fry, one of the Western Chautauqua founders.