Newtown

9780738511382

$24.99

Newtown changed most dramatically in the period from 1900 to 1960, and Newtown: 1900-1960 captures these changes photographically to show how Newtown became the suburban town with a small-town atmosphere that it is today. The book includes an outstanding array of photographs from three recently discovered collections, including a series on the army maneuvers of 1912, which shows the state of the American army before World War I. Newtown: 1900-1960 begins with the village, which is truly the heart of the town. It focuses on institutions such as the Newtown Savings Bank, which was the business center for almost a century and a half. The book then examines the industrial section of town, Sandy Hook, with businesses that both sustained life and just made life more pleasant. In addition, the book looks at the outlying settlements of Stevenson, Hattertown, Hawleyville, and Riverside, a summer colony that became a year-round place.

Town of Aurora

9780738504452

$24.99

At the dawn of the nineteenth century, resourceful pioneers carved a small community out of the wilderness in far western New York State. An agent of the Holland Company opened the way by surveying a road from Big Tree Indian Reservation to Lake Erie in 1803. One mile section of that road today is Main Street, East Aurora. A year later, a man named Jabez Warren obtained a contract for 1,443 acres of land, which makes up a large part of the Town of Aurora. The earliest settlers arrived, cleared the forests, farmed the land, harnessed the waterpower, and built mills. Their efforts and the richness of the land formed the foundation of a town that in years to come provided food and materials for the the city of Buffalo and nearby areas. Town of Aurora: 1818-1930, presents more than a century of the history of this vibrant community. It includes some notable people and places. In the spring of 1823, young attorney Millard Fillmore opened the first law office in town--twenty-seven years before he became the nation's thirteenth president. In 1832, Aurora Academy, the most celebrated institution of learning in western New York, was incorporated. By the 1890s, Hamlin Village Farm, and Jewett's Stock Farm were world famous for the breeding of harness race horses. In 1895, Elbert Hubbard established the arts and crafts community of the Roycrofters, which flourished into the 1930s.

Silver Spring Township

9781467121897

$24.99

Established in 1757, Silver Spring Township is the fourth-oldest township in Cumberland County. The area was founded by the Scots-Irish, who cleared the area for farming and built taverns, inns, and mercantile businesses. Eventually, the villages of Hogestown and New Kingstown were established; these two villages are still home to many township residents. Rich in history, Silver Spring is home to the Silver Spring Presbyterian Church, the oldest church west of the Susquehanna River. Between 2012 and 2013, Silver Spring Township was the fourth-largest growing township in Pennsylvania. What were once heavily traveled Native American trails have become well-traveled highways and byways, and within a few hours, travelers can be in New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, DC. Through vintage photographs, Silver Spring Township shares and celebrates the history of this well-preserved community.

Deep River and Ivoryton

9780738510965

$24.99

Deep River and Ivoryton, two villages in the lower Connecticut River Valley, were dominated for more than a century by "white gold"-ivory. The growth of the piano industry led to a new use for this exotic and long-treasured substance and, suddenly, the two villages became tied to Zanzibar, the most important exporting place for the tusks of African elephants.

With more than two hundred exceptional photographs and narrative, Deep River and Ivoryton tells the story of how ivory shaped the economy and culture of these villages. Two companies, Pratt, Read & Company and the Comstock, Cheney & Company, employed thousands of people in satisfying the demand for new pianos. Probably more than ninety percent of the ivory processed in this country was handled in Deep River and Ivoryton. The demand for new instruments slowed with the invention of the radio, followed by the Great Depression of the 1930s, and the flow of material stopped altogether in the 1950s, when the use of ivory in the United States was banned.

Staten Island Ferry

9781467121958

$24.99

Take a ride on the Staten Island Ferry and explore the rich history behind New York's maritime attraction.

Considered the ""Best Ride in New York City,"" the Staten Island Ferry has been immortalized over the years in art, literature, film, and music. In the 19th century, cross-bay ferry riders complained of dangerous and unreliable private service. On October 25, 1905, the newly incorporated City of New York assumed ownership of the service, and the Borough class--the Brooklyn, Bronx, Richmond, Queens, and Manhattan ferryboats--was introduced. These were the largest ferries on the East Coast and made the crossing in 22.5 minutes. Today, the ferry is recognized as a New York icon and a symbol of the borough. A favorite destination for tourists, the Staten Island Ferry carries 22 million passengers annually. On a typical day, 109 trips move about 70,000 people across the harbor, making the Staten Island Ferry one of the most reliable forms of mass transit in the city.

Eleanor Roosevelt's Valkill

9780738510972

$24.99

Governor's wife, president's wife, United Nations delegate, teacher, political activist, author, newspaper columnist, business owner, traveler, and mother-Eleanor Roosevelt was truly "First Lady of the World." With her very busy life, she sought peace, solitude, and renewal. She found all three at Valkill, her small stone cottage on the Roosevelt Estate in Hyde Park, east of the Hudson River. A National Historic Site, Valkill is operated by the National Park Service and is the only site in the country dedicated to the preservation of the memory of a presidential first lady.

With detailed description and some two hundred stunning images-many published here for the first time-Eleanor Roosevelt's Valkill depicts the events and times of the first lady at Valkill, the place where she felt most at home. In addition, the book traces the development of the site and reveals the depression-era business that was located there, a furniture factory and metal forge known as Valkill Industries.

Millville

9780738518084

$24.99

The town of Millville, Florida, was born out of the need for lumber to build houses and ships in the late 1800s, when settlers coming to St. Andrews Bay had no way to travel but by sailing vessels. Millville had a sawmill, a shipyard, and several stores. In the winter of 1885-1886, several families
organized a Sunday school. They built a small schoolhouse, and the newly formed Watson's Bayou Literary Society met. By 1910, it was the largest community around the bay and the center of commerce and industry for the area. In 1913, leaders incorporated the town, and voters elected W.I. Singletary their first mayor. The future was bright. By 1918, 2,000 residents lived in the town
ith hotels, a theater, 31 business establishments, and several churches. Millville was still the largest town on St. Andrews Bay, but just to the west was the growing town of Panama City. In 1926, Millville was annexed into the incorporated limits of Panama City.

Overbrook Farms

9781467121590

$24.99

Railroad capitalists founded Overbrook Farms in 1892 as the first planned community along the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The partners envisioned and developed a new community model on farmland purchased from the John M. George estate. Visionary and innovative amenities included independent on-site steam-heat plants and a dedicated water supply. The grand homes were built in a range of styles designed by some of America's most celebrated architects. Overbrook Farms' name derives from the stream that originally flowed under the tracks of the Overbrook train station. Today, Overbrook Farms is a residential neighborhood in Philadelphia and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. More than 100 years later, nearly all of the 400-plus original Overbrook Farms structures remain intact through the efforts of the community as well as those of the Overbrook Farms Club, America's oldest continually operating neighborhood association.

Jonesborough

9780738518046

$24.99

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.

Willingboro

9780738510880

$24.99

Located between Philadelphia and Trenton, Willingboro has a three-hundred-year history of forward thinking. Founded in 1688 by Thomas Olive, a Quaker who left England seeking religious freedom, Willingboro evolved from an agricultural community longing to rid itself of British rule to a suburb unique in the United States. Using many vintage photographs and historical documents, Willingboro chronicles the rich lives and experiences of its residents, including William Franklin, the last royal governor of New Jersey, and track star Carl Lewis. This volume explores Willingboro's beginnings as a quiet farming community, which was a planned Delaware River crossing site for Washington's army during the Revolutionary War. Close to two centuries later, a Long Island developer replaced the farms with eleven thousand affordable homes that became America's third Levittown. Willingboro is the finest example of post-World War II suburban planning, affirmed in 1960 by the Westinghouse Corporation's decision to use the town as the backdrop for its "picture of everyday American life" advertising campaign. Willingboro gained international attention for its groundbreaking design, campaign visits from John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, lakefront resort created through the construction of the Philadelphia subway system, and renowned jazz festival.

Swedes of Greater Worcester

9780738510897

$24.99

By the late nineteenth century, Swedish immigrants began arriving by the thousands in New England, attracted by the area's heavy industry. In particular, the steel and ceramic shops of Worcester provided a livelihood for many of them. As a result, new areas of Swedish settlements developed throughout the surrounding towns.

Swedes of Greater Worcester captures the area's Swedish heritage through a collection of images that displays everything from vintage weddings to ski-jumping events and stories known only by the families of the Swedes who first traveled to Worcester. These images represent a time when the Swedish element was a vital and vibrant part of the identity of the greater Worcester area.

Worcester

9780738588339

$24.99

Lois Yeulenski, a native and lifelong resident of Worcester, has created a delightful journey into the past which will appeal to young and old alike.

Since the development of photography in the mid-nineteenth century, the camera has been used as a tool of both discovery and preservation. Photographs bring alive our image of the past and can open a floodgate of memories and nostalgia or inspire curiosity and a sense of history. In this fascinating visual history we see Worcester through the eyes of those who have lived, worked, and played there for the last 120 years. We are led on a journey down Main Street of the past, and watch it grow and expand along with the surrounding community. The people who make up the heart of this community are here as well; while daily life has changed a great deal over the last century, the pride and passion for life characteristic of the people of Worcester remain strong to this day.

The Chemung Valley

9780738500171

$24.99

Authors Diane L. Janowski and Allen C. Smith combine an interest in the evolution of the commercial and residential landscapes in their home town with an exquisite collection of images in The Chemung Valley. This engaging pictorial history captures the people of Elmira, New York, at work and at play and preserves the memories of yesteryear. In The Chemung Valley, discover the people and places of Elmira's early days as well as scenes from other areas of Chemung County, including Horseheads, Elmira Heights, Big Flats, Pine City, and Pine Valley. The images in this edition, all of which were selected from the permanent collection of the Chemung Valley History Museum, represent all aspects of life in these communities. Both authors are award-winning creative photographers.

Meeker

9781467132022

$24.99

The free-roaming Ute Indians were the first modern-day people to live in the White River valley. After mounting tensions erupted into violence and the Indian agency near present-day Meeker was attacked, the Ute were soon evicted from northwestern Colorado in 1881. By that time, adventurous people were pressing in at all sides to settle the area. Settlers drawn by land speculation and ranching populated this rural area. Ranching, hunting, guiding, and coal, oil shale, oil, and gas extraction were the ways people made their livings, or hoped to, in this region. Meeker had it all with a touch of Wild West and a promise of the American dream--and all in a setting that would lure Teddy Roosevelt himself. Inside this book are glimpses of the people, traditions, celebrations, and ways of life of those who lived here before us.

Detroit Tiki

9781467145329

$21.99

A fun-filled and nostalgic exploration of Polynesian Pop in the Motor City

When the South Sea craze swept over the nation in the mid-twentieth century, the wave of island-themed décor and tropical cocktails did not pass by Detroit. The Tropics and Club Bali offered a warming escape from dreary Midwest winters. At its completion in 1967, the Mauna Loa was the most expensive restaurant built east of the Mississippi. With its lush interior and celebrity patrons, it did not disappoint. The Chin Tiki, with its exquisitely handcrafted features, was no less an exceptional destination. Even today, long after the Polynesian craze faded, a new generation has taken up the tiki torch and brought island flavor and flair back to the city.

Join author Renee Tadey on a sweeping journey through the tiki destinations of Detroit.

Northglenn

9780738596754

$24.99

On June 30, 1959, over 15,000 people came to view Perl-Mack Enterprises' five show homes built at the corner of 104th Avenue and Grant Drive. Named "the most perfectly planned community in America" by Life magazine, the developers named this new community North Glenn and built it into a community designed with designated industrial, commercial, recreational, and school areas around a central, regional shopping center--the Northglenn Mall. Facing annexation from surrounding cities, concerned residents formed the North Glenn Civic Association and encouraged residents to go to the polls in April 1969 to vote for incorporation. The name was changed to the City of Northglenn, and it went on to be a vital city, winning awards for revitalizing the largest park in its extensive park system, E.B. Rains Jr. Memorial Park with Webster Lake, as well as being named Tree City, USA, and Playful City, USA, several years in a row.

Bolinas and Stinson Beach

9780738528953

$24.99

This is the story of two small towns, Bolinas and Stinson Beach, and the body of water that separates and joins them. Although San Francisco's packed urban skyline is visible from its shores, this part of West Marin is isolated in spirit and in fact. For thousands of years the territory of the Coast Miwok Indians, this land became the six-mile-long Briones Mexican land grant, a ranch that lasted less than a decade before being overrun with entrepreneurs, farmers, and failed gold miners. The towns that they built have been visited by earthquake, shipwreck, forest fires, ranchers, rumrunners, bohemians, and the National Park Service, and all of these have shaped their story. While Bolinas maintained its spirit of isolation, removing the road sign that might beckon visitors, Stinson Beach grew from a tent camp for urban refugees to a favorite coastal beach town visited by millions annually.

Logging in Plumas County

9780738559292

$24.99

Located within the northern Sierra Nevada mountain range, the forests of Plumas County were once seen as a source of endless timber. Lumber was needed during the Gold Rush for water flumes, mine timbers, and an array of buildings. While timber was abundant, the abilities of the early settlers to harvest, transport, and mill the logs were often very limited. Markets remained relatively local throughout the second half of the 19th century until the completion of the Western Pacific Railroad in 1909. This sparked a new rush of industry into the region. Vast tracts of untapped Plumas County timber were bought up by speculators, and many sawmills were erected. Logging in the western United States moved from animal power to steam engines to internal combustion in the space of about 50 years. While Plumas County's lumber industry was reflective of these developments, it also found its own identity as a timber-producing region that was nearly unequaled.

Haunted Reno

9781626199484

$21.99

The flashing neon lights of Reno harbor a ghastly past. With its wide-open gambling, divorce laws and around-the-clock casinos and bars, the Biggest Little City in the World was a rough and wild town with a turbulent history. Victims of Priscilla Ford's Thanksgiving Day massacre haunt a downtown street. After a disappearance and death shrouded in mystery, the spirit of Roy Frisch still lingers near the location of George Wingfield's home. Lynched by a mob for a death that never happened, the angry ghost of Luis Ortiz still walks the bridge at night. The queen of haunted Nevada, Janice Oberding, unearths the goulish history that put the "sin" in Nevada's original Sin City.

Haunted Lake Tahoe

9781626199460

$21.99

Lake Tahoe's natural splendor conceals its haunted history. Locals say the ghosts of the Donner Party haunt their doomed campsite in the Sierras. Wealthy recluse George Whittell is said to have never left his beloved Thunderbird Lodge, though he died in 1969. The ghosts of Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe and members of the Rat Pack are thought to gallivant in the showroom and cabins of the Cal Neva Lodge, a popular celebrity retreat. Prisoners from the past may remain in the old Truckee Jail, and the restless spirit of a murdered showgirl might linger in the Tahoe Biltmore. Travel back to Tahoe's golden age and explore where glamour meets ghoul with the queen of haunted Nevada, Janice Oberding.

Bangor

9780738537023

$24.99

Bangor has grown in many ways since Jacob Buswell and his family, the first white settlers, built their cabin by the Penobscot River in 1769.

Over the course of the nineteenth century, Bangor developed into a cosmopolitan center of Maine, but to this day it retains some of the proud characteristics of a town that was once the lumbering capital of the world. Collected in this fascinating visual history are over 200 photographs that together reflect the city's rich and diverse history. The photographs show more than a century of change, with stirring images of four-masted schooners in the harbor, of log drives, of floods, and of fires. People fill the book: Amelia Earhart and Presidents Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Nixon, and Kennedy pictured on visit; the Brady Gang, shot by the FBI in 1937 as the nation's most wanted criminals; and especially the hardworking men and women who built Bangor into the ""Queen City of the East. ""

Council Bluffs

9781467112284

$24.99

All traces of Captain Caldwell's Potawatomi settlement and the Mormon safe haven of Kanesville were gone from the Indian Creek hollow by 1900, when Council Bluffs already seemed a 20th-century city of bright lights, steam, and smokestacks. The old western trails and steamboats disappeared as the city on the east bank of the Missouri River opposite Omaha became a major American railroad center and the industrial and commercial hub of southwest Iowa. Vineyards and orchards surrounded a growing city, with more acres under glass for greenhouses than anywhere else in the country and a daily stop for the Zephyr, Hiawatha, Rocket, Challenger, and other streamlined passenger trains. The West End was filled in, and new neighborhoods like Danetown and Little Vienna grew with new immigrants. All of the people of Council Bluffs faced fires, floods, and tornados as the "Blue Denim City," where America's mail was sorted survived economic upheaval, urban renewal, and eventual resurgence in the last decade of the century.

Ojai

9780738555775

$24.99

A resort community surrounded by mountains, Ojai is the gateway to Los Padres National Forest, the Sespe Creek Valley, and Lake Casitas Recreational Area. The setting offers inspiring views of and from Chief Peak and the majestic Topa Topa bluffs. The sleepy, spa reputation of Ojai (pronounced Oh-hi) belies one of the busier civic schedules of any California community its size. This corner of Ventura County is home of the world-renowned Ojai Music Festival and the century-old Ojai Tennis Tournament, as well as a concentration of top-quality boarding schools. It's a meeting and greeting place known for its painters, sculptors, photographers, musicians, and filmmakers. The valley also welcomed the New Age when it was still very new--as many of the area's denizens are committed to the well-being of body, mind, and soul--and has been favored through the years by such resident spiritual leaders as the philosopher Krishnamurti.

Levi Strauss & Co.

9780738555539

$24.99

When Bavarian immigrant Levi Strauss opened his wholesale dry goods warehouse on the San Francisco waterfront in 1853, he likely had no inkling that his business would become one of the world's largest clothing companies. Levi Strauss & Co. started with imported clothing, bedding, and notions to supply the many small stores serving the Gold Rush and the expanding American West. By 1873, he and partner Jacob Davis invented the very first blue jeans, which were soon worn by working men from Los Angeles to Laramie. Strauss parlayed his business acumen into social progress by giving back to his community and embedding a company culture committed to positively impacting society. In this spirit, the Levi Strauss Foundation was created after World War II, formalizing the philanthropic work started by Strauss himself a century earlier. All the while, the company has evolved with successive generations of family owners, expanding product lines to meet the ever-changing needs of consumers around the world.

Campobello Island

9780738511474

$24.99

During its long, legendary history, Campobello Island has been known by many names: the Native American word for it was Abahquict, French explorers called it Port aux Coquilles, and the English named it Outer Island. Campobello rises on the outer edge of Passamaquoddy Bay just across the water from Eastport, Maine, and only a stone's throw away from the Narrows at Lubec, Maine. Campobello Island features rare historical photographs gleaned from the collection of the Campobello Public Library and Museum, other archives, and private collections of many local families. The book chronicles the century-long rule of the Owen family, depicts the fishing villages of Welshpool and Wilson's Beach, salutes the island's military heroes, and captures the faces of countless residents, including the Roosevelts, who were members of the summer colony for more than half a century. The story of "Sunrise at Campobello" rounds out this extraordinary history.

Huntington

9781467122276

$24.99

A flea market discovery that became an art museum sensation, this collection of photographs by Levi Holley Stone presents the city of Huntington, West Virginia, as it has never seen before. Stone's lens reveals a city of contrasts: a blend of broad boulevards and crumbling alleys, a mix of monuments and mud. It is a place where cars share the road with horses, roughnecks loiter in pool halls, and theatergoers enjoy extravagant musicals direct from Broadway. Newcomers flocked to this commercial hub on the Ohio River, and Stone's images of steamboats, trains, and motorcars show how they traveled. He captured the river, too, when it was frozen enough to walk across and furious enough to drown the city more than once. Stone was born in Huntington in 1898, and he photographed his hometown obsessively. Even his closest friends never knew that the photographs they took for granted were sensitive works of art.

Marshfield

9780738545721

$24.99

Marshfield, a seaside retreat famous for its beaches, hotels, and ocean views, has always shone in summer. It was the home of some of the country's leading families, specifically the Winslows and the Websters, and worldrenowned concert singer Adelaide Phillips, as well as the site of the first radio broadcast in America, engineered by Reginald Fessenden at Brant Rock on Christmas Eve 1906. Today the town's various villages retain the identities that defined them in the early 1900s, from hardworking Green Harbor to beachy Brant Rock to serene Sea View to the rolling Marshfield Hills. Marshfield has celebrated its heroes, survived the great Ocean Bluff fire of 1941, and, most importantly, preserved its history through several historic preservation projects around town.

Muscatine's Pearl Button Industry

9780738550930

$24.99

The Mississippi River town of Muscatine produced billions of pearl buttons. By 1905, Muscatine made 37 percent of the world's buttons and earned the title of "Pearl Button Capital of the World." The rise and fall of the pearl button occurred over a period of 75 years. John Frederick Boepple, a German immigrant button maker, launched the industry in 1891. The button and clamming industries started small but quickly overwhelmed the town. Clamming became the Mississippi River's gold rush while large automated factories and shell-cutting shops employed nearly half the local workforce. Entire families--men, women, and children--contributed to the industry, giving weight to the popular local saying "No Muscatine resident can enter Heaven without evidence of previous servitude in the button industry." Although the industry peaked in 1916, several decades passed before the American-made pearl button buckled under the pressure of foreign competition, changing fashion, limited availability of shell, and the development and refinement of plastic buttons.

Natural Bridge

9781467122382

$24.99

Natural Bridge, located in the historic Shenandoah Valley, is one of the most recognized and visited geologic landmarks in the country. The massive 90-foot-wide arch spans Cedar Creek, which runs 200 feet below. Legend says that George Washington, as a young land surveyor, carved his initials on its wall. In 1774, King George III granted ownership to Thomas Jefferson. Natural Bridge was often regarded as the "Eighth Natural Wonder of the World" during the 19th and 20th centuries. The site became a popular venue for events, ranging from conventions to the annual Easter Sunrise Service. Hotels, inns, and cottages were built to accommodate travelers, and on-site attractions--including a show cave, a wax museum, and a Monacan Indian village--broadened visitor appeal. Natural Bridge remained privately owned until 2014, when the title was transferred, allowing it to become a state park; the bridge will now truly belong to the people, a concept that would have made Jefferson proud.

Guarding Door County

9780738534237

$24.99

Jutting out of Wisconsin into the blue waters of Lake Michigan, the scenic peninsula of Door County is endowed with the longest coastline of any county in the nation. Since the mid-1800s, the region has boasted a strong maritime industry, dependent on the constant vigilance and efforts of U.S. Coast Guard units. The county has been home to as many as 12 historic light stations, as well as three life-saving stations. Beginning with Pottawatomie Light in 1837 and Sturgeon Bay Canal Life-Saving Station in 1886, keepers and surfmen survived both boredom and peril to ensure safe navigation and commerce, while rescuing those in distress. Through archival photographs, stories of
shipwrecks, rescues, service, and pride spring to life. Rare rescue images of the Otter, a schooner which wrecked in 1895, are especially noteworthy.

Wall Township

9780738501628

$24.99

Author Richard Napoliton has created an engaging portrait of early life in Wall Township, New Jersey. Imagine how one lived at the turn of the century: there were no police, fire departments, or first-aid squads to call when a crisis arose. Residents relied on family and neighbors to solve any problems. Most babies were born at home, knowledgeable residents set bones, and the dead were laid out in the homestead instead of funeral homes. And, of course, there were no phones or electricity available. From the time Wall Township was founded in 1851, it has been constantly evolving. Towns have entered and left the township, businesses have changed hands, and buildings have been turned, abandoned, or razed. Napoliton has created this historical account of the township to share with residents the personal details that are so often forgotten, featuring scenes of little-known cemeteries, businesses, homes and farms, schools, churches, and Allaire. Imagine horses delivering gasoline for early cars, or Boy Scouts camping in the abandoned Allaire Village in the 1930s and 1940s. Within these pages, discover how the first auto races progressed from an amateur weekly event to a professional salaried affair.

Connecticut Whistle-Stops

9780738510033

$24.99

Richly illustrated, Connecticut Whistle Stops: Greenwich to New Haven tells the fascinating history of a rail line and the communities it serves. The motto of the state of Connecticut is Qui Transtulit Sustenet, which translates loosely from the Latin as "He who commutes thrives." The state was founded by commuters of a sort: itinerant preachers looking for congregations. Much later, when the railroads finally came along, the state bloomed. Today, Connecticut's rail line from Greenwich to New Haven is a thriving transportation network for Manhattan-bound commuters. Each workday, roughly 85,000 commuters ride the New Haven Line into Grand Central Terminal in New York.

Profiled in Connecticut Whistle Stops are ten rail communities along the coast. Full of eye-catching photographs, the chapters highlight the impact that the rail line has had on Greenwich, Stamford, Darien, South Norwalk, Westport, Fairfield, Bridgeport, Stratford, Milford, and New Haven. The history offers all the elements of an award-winning movie: laborers building the railroad, America's best-known tycoons financing a rail monopoly and then running it into the ground, bankruptcy, and rebirth.

Riverdale Park

9780738587721

$24.99

From the day in 1800 when George Calvert, father of University of Maryland founder Charles Benedict Calvert, saw the land that would become the heart of Riverdale Park along the Anacostia Trails Heritage Area, this territory has drawn a fascinating array of people and industries that continues to inspire visitors and residents alike. A small town of beautiful historical houses and thriving businesses grew up around the trolley car and railroad lines. Prominent politicians, war heroes, a Nobel Prize-winning poet, and a pioneer of the bluegrass banjo have all called Riverdale home. The memory of an innovative airplane manufacturing company that helped the United States win World War II still hovers like a ghost over the original factory at the north end of town. All of this is documented in the photographs and recollections gathered in Images of America: Riverdale Park.

African Americans in Culpeper, Orange, Madison and Rappahannock Counties

9781467129947

$24.99

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.

African Americans in Culpeper, Orange, Madison and Rappahannock Counties

Around Lima

9780738509839

$24.99

Some twenty miles south of Rochester lies what was historically the "crossroads of western New York." Lima and its neighbors in the Genesee Valley are unique in many ways. An excellent network of trails had been developed by the Iroquois long before the area attracted its first permanent settler in 1788. As immigrants streamed westward, inns opened at this crossroads to serve them, and some of the travelers stayed to become farmers, tradesmen, and merchants. In the mid-1800s, Lima had several photography studios and a wealth of architectural gems, many of which still remain. Today, Lima has more than fifty structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Around Lima explores the fascinating evolution of Lima and the diverse adjoining towns that were inexorably connected. It illuminates the elegant streets of Lima, the rich heritage of nearby Bloomfield, the covered bridge and stone mills of Honeoye Falls, and the grandeur of the resort days of Avon Springs, which rivaled Saratoga Springs. Appearing within these pages are glimpses of Susan B. Anthony and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, as well as accounts of the Underground Railroad and a winter morning's journey to see Abraham Lincoln.