The Bradford County Historical Society will host a program titled Waiting for the Queen: A New Novel Set at French Azilum scheduled for Friday, July 18, 2014 at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. There is no admission charge for this event but donations are appreciated. To reserve a seat, participants are asked to register by calling 570-265-2240 or by email at info@bradfordhistory.com.
The program will be presented by Joanna Higgins, author of various short stories as well as a new book titled, The Anarchist. Although a fictional account, Waiting for the Queen brings to life the historical site of French Azilum in Bradford County. Joanna will read a brief passage from the book and explain the historical background and her inspiration for the book, which was written for young readers.
A description of the book follows:
“Fifteen-year-old Eugenie de La Roque and her family barely escape the French Revolution with their lives and the clothes on their backs. Along with several other noble families, they sail to America, where French Azilum, as the area came to be known, is being carved out of the rugged wilderness of Pennsylvania. They don’t know that the village awaiting them is nothing like the home they’ve left behind – there are no festive balls or carefully manicured gardens, to say nothing of the luxuries once provided by their many servants.
“Hannah Kimbrell is a young Quaker who has been chosen to help prepare French Azilum for the arrival of the aristocrats, but Hannah wants nothing more than to be home with her mother and new baby brother… In this wild place away from home and the memories they hold dear, Eugenie and Hannah find more in common than they first realize…”
“A story of friendship against all odds, Waiting for the Queen is a loving portrait of the values of a young America, and a reminder that true nobility is more than a royal title.”
This program is part of the 2014 Friday Night at the Museum programming series that is held the third Friday of each month from May through October. Each event is held in the Great Room at the Bradford County Historical Society, located at 109 Pine Street, Towanda, PA. Refreshments are provided at each program and the museum is open a half-hour prior to the event.
Other Friday Night at the Museum programs scheduled for 2014 include: The Towanda of the 1870’s, August 15; Remarkable Women of Bradford County, September 19; and Towanda’s Early Water Supply, October 17.
The Bradford County Historical Society is a recipient agency of the Bradford County United Way. For more information about the society and its programming schedule, museum or research center, visit www.bradfordhistory.com or check out the society Facebook page at facebook.com/BradfordCountyHistoricalSociety.
