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Located in what was considered the "lost provinces," the small school that became Appalachian State University provided a much-needed education for the economically depressed population of western North Carolina.

The regional university that today boasts over 17,000 registered students had its humble beginnings as Watauga Academy in 1899. Blanford Barnard "B.B." Dougherty and his brother Dauphin Disco "D.D." established the school for mountain children in the western North Carolina town of Boone. Dougherty, who remained president of the school for 56 years, envisioned an institution that would eventually serve not only the region but the state. Today, the school's reach extends well beyond North Carolina borders, attracting students and faculty from throughout the Southeast and the rest of the country. This book documents the visual history of Appalachian State, focusing on its varied transformations from a local academy and eventually into a top-ranked university.

This South Carolina island, which once flourished and folded under the bondage of slavery, is now a place where all races live and celebrate its rich heritage.

On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces at Fort Johnson fired upon Federal-occupied Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, etching James Island's name in American history as the starting place of the War Between the States. Before the island was a battleground for war skirmishes, antebellum plantations lay nestled between the thickets of live oaks; fertile soil yielded sea island cotton that required the labor of thousands of enslaved people, and a rural planting community existed in the shadow of nearby Charleston. More than this, though, James Island was and is a beloved home to generations of proud families and individuals. The Gullah culture and language, derived from the original West Africans brought in bondage to the Carolina coast, thrive and are treasured here, and James Island is a beautiful community welcoming to everyone.

The history of Jackson is filled with gripping tales of horrors and heroism. Join Ryan Starrett and Josh Foreman as they reveal the hidden past of the City with Soul.

A recording company founded in the mid-1960s with the expectation of competing with New Orleans and Memphis was a national success, outlasting its better-funded rivals. Known as the "Devil's Backbone," the Natchez Trace is the graveyard for countless travelers slain by the road's numerous serial killers, brigands and land pirates. Yet one mass grave stands above the others: the Boyd Mounds, which hold the remains of thirty-one Choctaws. Although legend has it that the father of Jackson, Louis LeFleur, was a Canadian trapper famous in high society for his dancing, the truth is even stranger.

A kidnapping, a brutal murder, an international manhunt, and a diabolical priest… This is the true story of the murder of eight-year-old Alma Kellner.

On a bitterly cold day in December of 1909, young Alma Kellner simply disappeared from the altar of St. John's Church in Louisville. Her body was found four months later near the site of the church, and news of the murder rocked the city. The manhunt for the suspect Louisville police Captain John Carney eleven thousand miles across the country, and even to South America, to return the killer to justice. While a man was tried and convicted to life in prison for the crime, suspicion lingers that the true culprit was the murderous and maniacal Catholic priest Hans Schmidt, the only priest to have ever been executed in the United States. Author Shawn M. Herron details the fascinating story of a tragedy that still remains a source of mystery to this day.

Metairie was the first suburb of New Orleans; an outgrowth to the west by young families seeking larger lots, open air, and affordable new housing.

Those suburbanites shared much in common with previous generations of New Orleanians who had migrated westward from the original town (now the French Quarter) to high land along the Mississippi River and the Metairie Ridge. When Jefferson Parish was established in 1825, it included all New Orleans faubourgs west of Felicity Street--what we now know as Uptown New Orleans. These would become the first cities in Jefferson Parish: Carrolton, Jefferson, and Lafayette. By the early 1900s, the westward expansion continued into what we now call Old Metairie and Bucktown. During the mid-20th century, Metairie boomed and is now one of the largest communities in Louisiana. While many residents consider themselves New Orleanians, even those born generations after their families moved to the suburb, Metairie has its own unique history.

Perched near the eastern edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Waynesville is an attractive destination with stunning vistas, cool mountain air, and small-town charm.

For centuries, the Cherokee lived and hunted in what is now western North Carolina, and after the Revolutionary War, white settlers moved into the area from all directions to farm and build a new life on the frontier. By the end of the 18th century, families had established a small community known as Mount Prospect. In 1810, the town was renamed Waynesville after the Revolutionary War general ""Mad"" Anthony Wayne. With the coming of the railroad in the 1880s, Waynesville blossomed as a summer retreat for guests who came to stay at numerous boarding houses and hotels. By the early 1900s, Waynesville's neighboring town, Hazelwood, became a hotbed of industrial growth with lumber mills and assorted factories producing furniture, leather goods, and rubber products, and the town would eventually merge with Waynesville in 1995.

Journey back in time for a visual history of the Derby City in the Victorian Age!

On August 1, 1883, the eyes of the nation turned to Kentucky as thousands crowded the lanes of Louisville's Southern Extension. Tugging a silken cord, President Chester Arthur set the machinery in motion for an event that changed the town forever. Touted at home and abroad as the 100 Days that Louisville Opened Its Doors to the World, the occasion was the inauguration of the Southern Exposition, an early world's fair with a wide variety of mechanical, scientific, and cultural displays showcasing the latest advances in the cotton industry.

In the first 88 days, an astounding 770,048 visitors came. As a result, tremendous growth occurred, the city's first suburb eventually sprang up, and the site became populated with a new neighborhood containing architecturally opulent residences. Known as Old Louisville today, it counts as one of the country's largest historic preservation districts, with hundreds of magnificent structures providing a glimpse into a fascinating Victorian past.

John Allen Tucker, PhD, and Arthur Carlson as they uncover the past of East Carolina University in this unique history.

East Carolina University was founded by the State of North Carolina in 1907 as a teacher training school meant to provide professionally trained faculty for schools in the eastern part of the state. Within two decades, the school matured into a teacher's college. Although coeducational from the start, the vast majority of the student body early on was female. Following World War II and the gender transformation of higher education resulting from successive GI Bills, East Carolina emerged with increasing balance as the male student body grew to match the female population on campus. In subsequent decades, East Carolina continued to expand academically, emerging as a research university with a medical school and a dental school. Today, ECU is a leading producer of K-12 teachers in the Southeast as well as a leader nationwide in training practitioners of family medicine. The impressive development of East Carolina has flowed from its embodiment of the school's ethic of service to the local community and, in the broadest context, the best interests of humanity.

North Carolina State University provides a unique look into the history of this university from its beginnings in 1889 to present day using vintage images.

North Carolina State University opened as a land grant institution in 1889. Born out of debate and indecision, it was established as the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts--the college of the common man. There was indifference and resistance from the educated about the usefulness of a program for the sons of farmers and mechanics with a curriculum of ""useful and practical arts."" Within three decades, the school surpassed all expectations in its contributions to the state's economy. In 2000, NC State was the largest educational facility in North Carolina and had outgrown its early derogatory epithets. This work passes the formality and function of the brick and mortar of buildings and gets to the heart of the students, alumni, and educational community. It is truly a celebration of possibilities and dedication and a tribute to the history of North Carolina State University and the citizens of North Carolina.