The latest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s “Images of America” series features Syracuse and Lake Wawasee. Titled “Syracuse and Lake Wawasee,” the new book uses more than 200 historic photos to give readers a view of the area through the 1940s. The work of authors Erin Lomax and Ann Garceau, the book features many historic structures, hotels, restaurants, steamboats and many of the pastimes residents and visitors enjoyed around Syracuse in its lakes. Lomax, 31, is an Indianapolis native who spent summers in Syracuse. As a young adult, she moved to Syracuse full time. She began working as a librarian at the Syracuse Public Library. Her interest in the history of Syracuse was sparked by a digitizing project that she and Garceau initiated through the library and the Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Society. Garceau grew up on Lake Wawasee and graduated from Syracuse High School. Her family ties to the area reach back to 1910 when her great-grandmother and grandparents first came to the lake on the B&O Railroad and traveled by launch to Morrison Island. After graduating from Purdue, she taught elementary school for 28 years while she and her husband, Art, raised their two daughters. Although they lived west of Indianapolis, summers were spent at the lake. “The photographic legacy left by previous generations allows us to peek briefly into their world. The images themselves weave the history of Syracuse through all of its triumphs and tragedies – and through the people who shaped them,” the authors said. A portion of the profits from the sale of the book will be donated to the Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum. Along with resources from the local museum, local collectors generously shared their images to enhance production of the book. Book signings are planned as follows: • 6 to 8 p.m. June 5, Pioneer Cottage at Oakwood Park. • 10 a.m. June 21, Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum annual meeting, Syracuse Community Center. •5:30 to 6:30 p.m. June 21, Syracuse High School Alumni Reunion social hour, Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum. •June 28, 7:30 to 10:30 a.m., Wawasee Property Owners Association family breakfast, Oakwood Inn, Syracuse. “Syracuse and Lake Wawasee” is available at area bookstores, independent retailers and online retailers or through Arcadia Publishing at 888-313-2665. Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the U.S.
