Peter Parley's Tales

Samuel Griswold Goodrich, 19th Century Author
Information from: Boston Public Library, Rare Books & Manuscripts, University of Washington Digital Collections

In Ridgefield, CT stands the classic Little Red Schoolhouse known as the Peter Parley Schoolhouse, named in honor of its most famous student Samuel Griswold Goodrich. How is that you might ask? Samuel was born in Ridgefield, Connecticut, the 6th of ten children, the son of a minister, in 1793. He would attend this “Lane Street School” from 1799-1803.
 
You may already be familiar with Pater Parley's tales. But it was Samuel Goodrich who entered the world of book publishing in 1816 at the young age of 23. In the early 1820s Goodrich came to the conclusion that children as well as adults preferred to read truth rather than fancy and that it would be possible to present truth--history, geography, science, etc.-- in such a way that it would be more interesting to children than fairies, giants and monsters. So, he became a publisher and writer of children’s books. In 1827, Samuel Goodrich introduced his pen name character, Peter Parley, an elderly, quirky, but also lovable old Bostonian who enjoys telling stories to children. With his gouty foot and crooked hat, Parley introduced his first book for children entitled Peter Parley’s Tales About America.  
 
He became so popular that other children’s writers attempted to copy his likeness all over the world, but he could not fight the frauds. Goodrich is self-credited with writing over 170 books that sold over 7,000,000 copies and numerous periodicals, though he was clearly not the sole author. 
 
His 170 volumes told stories of history, geography, science, nature, animals, and people of the world. He wrote in short paragraphs while featuring black line engravings that captured the biographies of the famous and the little known. Many of Parley's "facts" were of questionable accuracy (Laplanders ask the advice of black cats, and Peter the Great once worked as a carpenter to learn how to build ships.) Interspersed with these "facts" is a liberal sprinkling of moral preaching. There were also evidences of Goodrich's prejudices and biases (These people are ignorant and superstitious.)

The frontispieces of most of the books are portraits of the author in varying states of health. Although he is depicted as an older man he was in fact a young man in the 1820s and 1830s. He steered clear of fairy tales saying, “Common sense tells us not to take children into scenes of crime and bloodshed, unless we wish to debase them.” Goodrich was a fascinating character and the members of the Ridgefield Historical Society have created marvelous videos that tell the story in great detail. 

The Peter Parley Schoolhouse is curated by the Ridgefield Historical Society where docents tell stories about the charming schoolhouse and Peter Parley himself. For extensive information on the history of the school, Samual Goodrich (a.k.a Peter Parley), his works, and the preservation of the Peter Parley Schoolhouse, visit the link below and the wonderful RHS videos. (2 parts)

RIDGEFIELD HISTORICAL SOCIETY and the PETER PARLEY SCHOOLHOUSE