All Titles

With its expansive, scenic views off the Parkway, discover why the mountain village of Blowing Rock is known as the Crown of the Blue Ridge.

The beautiful and mountainous area of Blowing Rock, North Carolina, has a rich history dating back to the days when the Native Americans passed through on the Nickajack Trail, which led into Tennessee.

Blowing Rock derives its unique name from a rock outcropping near the town, where the winds defy gravity and have the ability to blow light objects thrown from the rock back to the rock. During the 1790s, several families settled the area, and by the mid-1850s, inhabitants of Blowing Rock along with summer visitors from Lenoir enjoyed the beauty and comfort of the mountainous area. The construction of the Lenoir-Blowing Rock Turnpikeafter 1845 provided easier access to America's Switzerland, and visitors or cottagers, as they were called, soon began building second homes in the area.

The images contained within Blowing Rockprovide readers with a glimpse into the small-town charm, friendly faces, and inspiring scenery that ensure the town's future as a destination for those who yearn for the comfort of mountain life.

Discover the contribution and history of the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad through pictures from the earliest days of building and development.

The Alexandria, Loudoun & Hampshire Railroad laid track from Alexandria through Fairfax County and into Loudoun County towards the coalfields of West Virginia. In 1900, the Southern Railway, which had taken over the line, extended the railroad into Bluemont on the east side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Washington & Old Dominion Railway leased the Southern Railway's line in 1912, went into receivership in 1932, and was reorganized into the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad in 1935. The employees excavated the roadbed by hand, built stations and electric locomotives, reconfigured passenger cars, replaced diesel motors, and rebuilt bridges. Eventually, public roads and a lack of shipping and receiving industries forced the railroad into abandonment. Through old photographs, Washington & Old Dominion Railroad explores the efforts that went into building, operating, and maintaining the railroad whose right-of-way has now become the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority's Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park.

Gear up for a frightful journey into the mysterious Ocala National Forest.

Central Florida is known as the happiest place on Earth. But an hour’s drive from the amusement parks lies a forest swirling with mystery. For generations, locals have whispered about a dark energy coming from the Ocala National Forest and drifting into nearby towns. Supernatural beasts and apparitions. Ghost lights galore. From cults to monsters to the spirts of those who ventured in yet never reemerged, the woods have long been a source of rumor and tragedy. The vengeful Coyote Woman who dispatches those with evil natures. The soldier of Fort King who vanishes when addressed. The spectral monk of Astor, on the hunt for his killer. Author and folklorist Christopher Balzano takes readers among the trees and beyond to offer a glimpse into the true stories, urban legends and haunted folklore whispered among the residents of these deep woods..

Durham is a progressive New South city, one in which both the white and black populations have economically and culturally prospered over the past
century.

Durham's Hayti opens a door into the community's past that will allow you to walk down
familiar streets into a time that may seem distant, but is not that far removed, and to experience the full life of Hayti, from its churches and schools to its businesses and recreational pursuits.

Lake Lure, North Carolina, is known as the ""Gem of the Carolinas,"" surrounded by majestic mountain cliffs and fed by the idyllic Rocky Broad River.

Twenty-five years after Dr. Lucius Morse and his brothers Hiram and Asahil purchased Chimney Rock in 1902, their dream of creating Lake Lure and the town of Lake Lure was realized. A popular tourist destination, Lake Lure hosted famous figures through the years, including Franklin D. Roosevelt and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Also significant in film history, it provided the backdrop for Dirty Dancing and Last of the Mohicans. Lake Lure showcases the rich community, tourism, and recreational history of this mountain community.

130 years after its opening, the once small agricultural college has become Virginia's largest university- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

When Charles Minor opened the doors of his new land-grant institution in late 1872, there were only 29 students, 3 faculty members, and a single building in the town of Blacksburg, Virginia. From the humble beginning of donated livestock, seeds, machinery, and books, the university now known as Virginia Tech has emerged as a leading research university that is consistently ranked among the nation's best colleges. In addition to housing some of the top engineering and business schools, the university also has a tremendous athletic program that continually produces many of the nation's top ranked athletes. The Campus History Series: Virginia Tech illustrates the university's evolution through over 200 archival photographs, including rare and fun bites of campus history, such as the old cadet rat parades, the first ring dance, the Highty-Tighties, the Huckleberry, and even the evolution of the school's mascot, the Hokie Bird.

Understanding the history of Alexandria, Virginia is key to the early history of the United States. This throrough overview examines its long and storied history, from former colonial tobacco port to vibrant modern community.

Alexandria has a long and storied past. Founded as a colonial tobacco port by English and Scottish merchants in 1749, the city prospered. It became the social and economic center of Northern Virginia and the upper Potomac region. When the nation's capital was established in 1791, Alexandria became a part of the District of Columbia. In 1833, a canal intended to increase tradeand revenue nearly bankrupted the city. By the time Alexandria retroceded to Virginia in 1847, it had lost its standing among maritime cities on the Eastern Seaboard. Notable residents have included politicians and military heroes, such as George Washington, Robert E. Lee, and Gerald R. Ford, as well as cultural icons Willard Scott and Jim Morrison. Today's Alexandria includes descendants of free and enslaved African Americans and the progeny of 18th- and 19th-century European immigrants who have joined with "new" Americans to create vibrant 21st-century communities.

Discover the history of Warm Springs and how their healing waters attracted Franklin D. Roosevelt; restoring hope and charity to the country.

The Spirit of Warm Springs is what Franklin D. Roosevelt described as the peaceful atmosphere and healing qualities he found along the slopes of Georgia's Pine Mountain. But long before FDR, the warm springs attracted people. Legend has it the Creek Indians used them for healing. European settlers used them as a revenue source. In the 1800s, the springs became a resort area, and the village of Warm Springs, Georgia, was founded. Rail brought visitors to this farming community for decades until travelers sought different destinations. By the 1920s, Warm Springs began slipping into the Great Depression. Destiny intervened when Franklin Roosevelt arrived in Warm Springs seeking a cure for his polio. After his first visit, he was able to move his leg. The news drew others afflicted with polio. Warm Springs provided FDR with hope. He returned the gift through New Deal programs and the March of Dimes while restoring hope in America. The waters are still used for healing, the town of Warm Springs thrives, and FDR's Little White House is a memorial to ""the foremost statesman and political leader"" of the 20th century.

This pictorial history of Islamorada illustrates the people, places, and events that have shaped the area's cultural and natural history.

The name Islamorada came to fruition after Henry Flager's engineer, William Krome, purchased 15 acres of Upper Matecumbe property in 1907. When he registered his parcel as a town site, he called it Islamorada. A faded newspaper clipping, with May 7, 1907, handwritten in the far right corner, reported: ""On the northern end of Upper Matecumbe Key a new town known as Islamorada has sprung into existence. . . . It is believed that Islamorada will become an important tourist stopping place in winter as the location is beautiful and the fishing convenient and excellent."" Today, Islamorada refers to a collection--a community--of islands that includes Plantation, Windley, Upper Matecumbe and Lower Matecumbe Keys, as well as two islands designated as state parks, Indian Key and Lignumvitae Key. While Islamorada has always been known for its fishing, these islands boast some serious history, too.

Author Tony Kail traces Memphis's colorful Hoodoo heritage from the arrival of Africans in Shelby County to the growth of conjure culture in juke joints and Spiritual Churches.

Widely known for its musical influence, Beale Street was also once a hub for Hoodoo culture. Many blues icons, such as Big Memphis Ma Rainey and Sonny Boy Williamson, dabbled in the mysterious tradition. Its popularity in some African American communities throughout the past two centuries fueled racial tension - practitioners faced social stigma and blame for anything from natural disasters to violent crimes. However, necessity sometimes outweighed prejudice, and even those with the highest social status turned to Hoodoo for prosperity, love or retribution.

Most people have heard the song: ""Tis Irish I am and 'tis proud I am of it."" But, what does it mean to be Irish?

When the Irish first came to Savannah, it meant they were either ""lace curtain"" or ""old fort."" Lace curtain inferred that the family was prosperous, usually Protestant, and had come to Savannah with letters of introduction, money, and a plan. Old fort meant that the family had come to America in desperation and to Savannah with little but the clothes on their back, the desire to work, and hope for a better future. Old fort Irish were generally Catholic, attending Catholic schools and depending on the Church for far more than just Sunday worship. Today, the Irish have spread all over Savannah like shamrocks, making these designations a thing of the past. The Irish are involved in every facet of Savannah life, from politics, to business, to education. Catholicism remains the predominant religion and churches abound, as do Catholic schools. When the ""Season of St. Patrick"" begins, the Savannah Irish begin celebrating.

Author Beverly Mount-Douds highlight's Florida's Forgotten Coast in her book compiled of historic images collected from Gulf County citizens.

Carved out of Calhoun County on June 6, 1925, Gulf County is one of Florida's youngest counties. The county seat, Port St. Joe, was founded in 1913, and construction of the St. Joe Paper Company's plant in 1937 revitalized the area. The popular fishing site Wewahitchka was the county seat until voters elected to relocate it to Port St. Joe in 1964. Until recently, Port St. Joe was a typical company town, anchored by the paper mill headquarters. The town is near St. Joseph, where Florida's first constitution was drafted in 1838, and which was later destroyed by yellow fever and hurricane surge. Today Gulf County is a thriving, growing area of industrial and recreational resources with nostalgic reminders of a glorious past and a promising future. Port St. Joe and Wewahitchka remain away from the hustle and bustle of large cities.

Vintage postcards and photographs depict the history of this Arkansas resort, Hot Springs.

From its rise in the 1800s until well into the twentieth century, Hot Springs was a famed resort known worldwide. The grand hotels and world-class bath houses that sprang up around the government-protected springs drew countless visitors, ranging from the  famous and wealthy to those of humble means, all seeking the health and pleasure promised by the Spa City's promoters. In the words of a railroad tourist guidebook from about 1910, A stay at Hot Springs, be it ever so brief, always remains a pleasant memory afterward. It was the writer's good fortune to spend a few days at this popular resort—not as an invalid, I am happy to say, but as a tourist—and I certainly never bathed in more delightful water than that which flows so abundantly from the hot springs of Arkansas. There is buoyancy, a magnetism about it that is simply indescribable. Such has been the experience of countless visitors over the years. Readers will find much of the history of this storied resort in Hot Springs, Arkansas, which is profusely illustrated with vintage postcards and photographs, all carefully interpreted by the authors, Ray and Steven Hanley, with research assistance from Mark Blaeuer of the Hot Springs National Park staff.

In this volume of vintage, black-and-white photographs, readers are fortunate to experience a Laurens County of a different era. The rhythmic patter of horse hooves and squeak of wooden wagons meant people were hard at work, and the ringing of a bell called students to a one-room schoolhouse. The landscape encompassed patchworks of farms and bustling mill villages before the region found the conveniences of modern technology. Some of those who fashioned the area into its present state-where pride in culture and heritage stand at the forefront-take center stage in this pictorial history. Laurens County will spark the memories of those who lived its history while illustrating the tales with images for future generations.