All Titles

The area known as Manatee County opened for settlement at the close of the Second Seminole War in 1841.

This was due to Congress's passage of the Armed Occupation Act of 1842, which allowed settlers to claim 160 acres of land at a cost of $1.25 an acre if they were able to bear arms and live on the land for five years. It wasn't long before settlers appeared up and down the beautiful Manatee River, led by Josiah Gates and his family on the south side. Many of his friends had suffered losses with the collapse of the Union Bank in Tallahassee and were anxious to join him. The opulent shores on both sides of the river quickly enticed other settlers to make their claims, offering a cornucopia filled with some of Florida's best resources for growth and prosperity. This volume provides a pictorial account of those lives, which were caught in the struggle to carve out a niche against all odds in a place that faced epidemics of yellow fever, malaria, typhoid, and a third uprising of the Seminole Indians. In 1861, Florida seceded from the Union, which was followed by the Civil War with a Union victory in 1865 that brought an end to slavery and plantation ownership.

Anderson County, created in 1826, played a huge role in South Carolina's past. Many of those stories remain untold.

Learn the story behind the person who discovered ether and the connection to one of Anderson's stately manors. Encounter the day Anderson was taken over by armed militia--a spectacle that thousands gathered to see and that newsreels across the country covered. Discover the connection between Anderson County and one of the largest scandals in history that kept millions from winning huge prizes by eating a Big Mac. Author Liz Carey details the lesser-known history of Anderson County.

New Bern was a valuable port city during the Civil War and the Confederates made many attempts to reclaim it.

On March 14, 1862, Federal forces under the command of General Ambrose Burnside overwhelmed Confederate forces in the Battle of New Bern, capturing the town and its important seaport. From that time on, Confederates planned to retake the city. D.H. Hill and James J. Pettigrew made the first attempt but failed miserably. General George Pickett tried in February 1864. He nearly succeeded but called the attack off on the edge of victory. The Confederates made another charge in May led by General Robert Hoke. They had the city surrounded with superior forces when Lee called Hoke back to Richmond and ended the expedition. Author Jim White details the chaotic history of New Bern in the Civil War.

A collection of rare and vintage images documents the fascinating history of Russell County from 1786 to present.

Russell County was formed in 1786 from a portion of Washington County. It was named for Col. William Russell, who assisted in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. Early settlers, who were mostly English and Scotch-Irish, endured geographic isolation as they shaped the ways of life, attitudes, products, legends, and realities that would ultimately usher Russell County into the information age of the 21st century. In 1774, Daniel Boone led the defense of the Clinch River settlements during Dunmore's War, the war between the colony of Virginia and the Shawnee and Mingo Indians. The Virginia-led attack was designed to remove the last obstacle to colonial conquest of the area. By 1858, Russell County had been reduced from 3,000 square miles to 483 square miles. Other counties formed from all or part of Russell were Lee, Tazewell, Scott, and Buchanan. A portion of what is now West Virginia was within the original boundaries of Russell County. The county seat, Lebanon, is a vibrant destination for industry and technology.

Jonesborough, as the oldest town in Tennessee, was once the capital of their own state, Franklin. Although that did not last, the history of this town was impactful in many of the important events of the young country.

Originally established in 1779 as the seat of Washington County, North Carolina, Jonesborough is the oldest incorporated town in Tennessee. Early pioneers were given land grants to settle west of the mountains, but by 1784, they no longer trusted their political leaders in North Carolina. They created their own local government and established the state of Franklin, naming Jonesborough the original capital of the ""lost"" 14th state. Never recognized by Congress, Franklin eventually fizzled out and Tennessee was formed. Although Tennessee was a slave-holding state prior to the Civil War, Jonesborough produced the earliest regularly published periodical devoted to abolishing slavery. Today, Jonesborough is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with many buildings fully restored. In this volume, readers will see the Christopher Taylor House, which was built about 1778, and the Chester Inn, which hosted many famous guests in its original days, including Presidents Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, and James K. Polk.

Camp Forrest was a training, induction, and combatant prisoner-of-war (POW) facility located on the outskirts of Tullahoma, Tennessee.

It was a self-sustaining city where over 70,000 soldiers were stationed and approximately 12,000 civilians were employed throughout World War II. In 1942, the camp transitioned to an enemy alien internment camp and was one of the first civilian internment camps in the United States. By the middle of 1943, it had transitioned into a POW camp and housed primarily German and Italian prisoners. After the war ended, the base was decommissioned and dismantled in 1946. In 1951, the area was recommissioned and expanded into the US Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Complex. Few remains of this important World War II facility exist today; however, the images within provide a glimpse into the effects and realities of a global war on American soil.

The fourth president of the United States, James Madison, and his wife, Dolley, stamped their influence throughout Culpeper, Orange, Madison, and Rappahannock Counties with their plantation, Montpelier, and the enslaved men and women who supported them.

One of those enslaved men, Paul Jennings, whose sons later became Union soldiers during the Civil War, penned his memoir in 1865. The legacy of slavery undergirds the region, and its ravages are undeniably on the faces of minority residents. The Civil War also has a footprint throughout the region; one example is the Battle of Cedar Mountain where, more than 85 years later, the first regional high school for minority children was built. Celebrants include World War I veteran Newman Nighten Gibson, of the 370th Infantry; Nannie Helen Burroughs, who founded a school for African American girls in Washington, DC; and Edna Lewis, who became a master chef in New York in her 30s and later was honored by the US Postal Service on a forever stamp.

Memphis has been described as both "the Metropolis of the American Nile'? and "a small town with a whole lot of people in it. '?

This volume of vintage photographs captures the unique mix of urban culture and rural roots in a community where great bridges and modern buildings tower within sight of old cotton plantations. In some 200 historic photographs accompanied by insightful captions, Memphis traces the development of this truly American city. From the age of steamboats that carried cotton, lumber, and industrial products throughout the Mississippi River Valley to modern networks of railroads and highways, Memphis' location on the Fourth Chickasaw Bluff has made the city a natural transportation and distribution center. In spite of the devastating yellow fever epidemics of the 1870s and the disastrous floods of the 20th century, the commercial and cultural life has nevertheless flourished. Action scenes of urban life depict the busy streets, fine buildings, beautiful parks, and thriving commerce of pre-World War II Memphis. Within these pages, the city's heritage and diversity are reflected in a variety of photographic essays, including the annual Mid-South Fair and Historic Beale Street.

Roan Mountain depicts this history of this small and diverse appalachian community.

Roan Mountain, a 6,286-foot-high peak, straddles the Tennessee and North Carolina state line in the Appalachian Mountains. Home to world-famous rhododendron gardens, the Appalachian Trail, the site of Gen. John T. Wilder's historic Cloudland Hotel, and record-breaking lofty balds, thousands of visitors, including explorer John Muir and Vice Pres. Richard Nixon, have ascended Roan Mountain over the last two centuries. Biologists, botanists, and tourists have enjoyed its unique natural setting. At the mountain's base and on its slopes, rural communities have endearing histories. Decades ago, the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad passed through the village at the foot of ""the Roan."" The railroad brought wealthy passengers to the mountain-top Cloudland Hotel. It also allowed local industrialists the opportunity to export the area's natural resources. The people of Roan Mountain are proud of their history and have displayed it annually for more than a half-century during the Rhododendron Festival.

Interesting tales of beauty, progress, intrigue, and murder are chronicled in this volume on Breathitt County, Kentucky.

Settled by English and Scotch-Irish descendants who ventured ""over the mountains"" in search of adventure, land, and fortune, Breathitt County, Kentucky, has a long history. ""Bloody Breathitt"" was the site of a long series of feuds that lasted from the early days of the ""Cattle Wars"" until the 1970s and beyond. Through the years, the city of Jackson and Breathitt County have experienced booms and busts centered on its natural resources, which included salt, timber, oil, and coal. Since its establishment on April 1, 1839, the county has been a place of educational opportunity through community schools, school districts, Lees College, and a vocational school. From its rugged mountain roots filled with feuds to a community working to embrace new technology and the reemergence of timber and coal industries, Breathitt County has always been in transition, and its continued growth must be grounded in a firm understanding of its past.

Today's non-military, coeducational Linsly School continues to enrich students in grades five through twelve with values of honesty, sportsmanship, hard work, and discipline. Through rare and never-before-seen vintage photographs, The Linsly School chronicles the fascinating and inspiring story of the tribulations and successes of the school itself, and the people who worked, sacrificed, and dreamed to make it happen.

Take a visual, historic tour of the world's longest known cave system with caving enthusiasts Bob and Judi Thompson.

Mammoth Cave National Park is made up of more than 53,000 acres. The region is characterized by what geologists call karst topography, a landscape dotted with sinkholes and caves. One of America's first tourist attractions, the cave was opened to the public in 1816, and was preceded in popularity only by Niagara Falls. The park was established as a national park on July 1, 1941, a World Heritage Site on October 27, 1981, and an international Biosphere Reserve on September 26, 1990.

The 200 vintage images found in Images of America: Mammoth Cave and the Kentucky Cave Region represent a look back at over 100 years of photography and tourism at Mammoth Cave and other caves that make up the Kentucky Cave Region. Rare images of early transportation, hotels, cave guides, cave tours, as well as important cave discoveries, and cave explorers such as Floyd Collins, are shown throughout the book.