Name: Willowbrook Ballroom
Brand: Bonnie Classen
SKU: 9780738583990
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Willowbrook Ballroom

9780738583990

$24.99

The Willowbrook Ballroom was originally built as an outdoor dance pavilion named Oh Henry Park by Austrian immigrant John Verderbar. Wildly successful, it was enlarged and fully enclosed in 1923, and a 10¢-a-dance policy was implemented. Destroyed by fire in 1930, a determined Verderbar hired a crew of 200 carpenters, and a new facility was built to the tune of a then-staggering $100,000. In 1959, it was renamed the Willowbrook Ballroom, and dancers have since enjoyed the big band sounds of Count Basie, Teddy Lee, Harry James, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. As record crowds flocked to the 6,000-square-foot dance floor, the Willowbrook also became a favorite setting for weddings, proms, and other once-in-a-lifetime events. Today, at the height of its popularity, the Willowbrook is one of only five ballrooms of its magnitude in the United States and the only one remaining in the greater Chicagoland area.

Arabs of Chicagoland

9780738534176

$24.99

Arabs first settled in Chicagoland in the mid-19th century, when immigrants from all parts of the world were flowing steadily into the U.S. As tensions in the Arab world flared, immigration increased--the first to arrive were Lebanese Christians, followed by Muslim Palestinians. Today, there are more than 250,000 Arabs in the Chicago area, with equal numbers of Christians and Muslims. A part of the fabric of Chicago, Arabs serve in many roles, from business leaders to elected officials to judges, doctors, engineers, journalists, and more. In the wake of the tragedy of September 11, 2001, Arab Americans have come under great scrutiny and have suffered much misunderstanding. Now, this book, which explores their integral role in Chicagoland's growth, is especially important.

Fostoria, Ohio

9780738520056

$24.99

Fostoria, Ohio, was formed in 1854 with the merger of Risdon to the north and Rome to the south. It was named after Charles W. Foster, a local businessman who served as the town's first mayor. A town of 15,000 in northwestern Ohio, it is known around the world for its many railroads and, at one time, many glass factories including the well-known Fostoria glassware. "As the great City of Fostoria celebrates its 'Sesquicentennial' we all look forward to our next 150 years, but at the same time look back on where we have been. Paul Krupp's first book on Fostoria gave a great historical and yet personable account of Fostoria. Volume 2 continues with more wonderful insights of the rich heritage of our great city."-Mayor John Davoli, City of Fostoria, Ohio.

University City, Missouri

9780738520063

$24.99

In 1904, from a plot of land that would soon become University City, eccentric publisher Edwin Gardner Lewis shone the beam of what he claimed was the world's largest searchlight over the World's Fair in nearby St. Louis. Several years later, he claimed an even greater possession: a city, created around his publishing complex, complete with his own mayoral office, wide boulevards, and beautiful residences. The story of University City is one of urban wonder: from the city's "Hilltop Neighbor" and namesake, Washington University, to the diversity showcased in today's University City. The historic images in this volume illustrate the area's founding and development, from the largest printing press of the time, capable of producing 300,000 eight-page newspapers an hour, to the lion sculptures at the city's famed "Gates of Opportunity," standing proud as the city's everlasting symbol.

Atchison County

9780738590820

$24.99

Located in the extreme northwest corner of Missouri and bordered by Nebraska and Iowa, Atchison County was named for Civil War Maj. Gen. David Rice Atchison, whose biggest claim to fame is that he was president of the United States for one day. Native American tribes such as the Potawatomi, Ioway, Sac, and Fox all passed through this area or called Atchison County home. After the Louisiana Purchase, settlers began their trek west, and Atchison County was a major crossroads as it was bounded on the west by the Missouri River. The county was divided into townships, and three of them, Bluff, Tarkio, and Polk, lost at least half of their land in what was claimed later by the State of Iowa in the Honey War, a bloodless territorial conflict. Agriculture has always been a way of life in Atchison County; in 1877, the county assessor reported over 1,600 mules, 49,000 swine, and 6,700 horses. Today, Atchison County boasts many self-employed farmers and ranchers, as well as a swine-breeding facility that employs 65 people. In addition, it has an 18-bed hospital, three public schools, three newspapers, two wind farms with 100 wind turbines, and many other businesses.

Indiana's Lincolnland

9780738552330

$24.99

Illinois may be known as the "Land of Lincoln," but Abraham Lincoln spent the formative years from the age of 7 until he turned 21 in southwestern Indiana, living with his family on a farmstead in the rolling hills of this beautiful rural area.

The Lincoln family moved from Kentucky, crossing the Ohio River and settling in an area known as Little Pigeon Creek in December 1816. Now known as Lincoln City, the town is just one of several stops on a back roads tour that takes wanderers through many historic sites, representing important moments in the life of a great man. Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, is buried here, and the cabin where his cousin lived and Lincoln spent the night still stands. Those who want to retrace Lincoln's life in southern Indiana can do so easily by following the narrow roads that traverse the 20-mile area where he lived and traveled during those 14 years when he called Indiana home. The people of the region still claim Lincoln as one of their own.

The Trout Valley Hertz Estate, and Curtiss Farm

9780738561608

$24.99

John D. Hertz, of rental car fame, discovered Trout Valley (then a part of unincorporated McHenry County) in the 1920s.

He built a mansion, barns, and polo grounds on the banks of the Fox River, calling his new country estate Leona Farms. Famous landscape architect Jens Jensen designed its scenic landscape, fishing streams, and ponds. Here Hertz raised racehorses, including two Kentucky Derby winners, and hosted Gatsby-like parties for the rich and famous, including Myrna Loy, Will Rogers, and Walt Disney. Eleanor Roosevelt was once a guest too. In 1943, Hertz sold his estate to Otto Schnering, of Baby Ruth and Butterfinger fame, who transformed the grounds from a lush playground to the headquarters of a 10,000-acre farming operation. Old-timers still remember Schnering's six-pony hitch carrying joy-filled passengers down Main Street, the state-of-the-art livestock arena, and the trophy-winning cattle raised at Curtiss Farm.

The Trout Valley Hertz Estate, and Curtiss Farm

Atlantic

9780738584294

$24.99

The history of Atlantic is rooted in the story of unrelenting entrepreneur Franklin H. Whitney. His passion inspired a strong and enterprising breed of men who embraced his vision and settled in the lush hills and valleys of Cass County, Iowa, in the decade following the close of the Civil War. The railroad provided the impetus for rapid growth and prosperity, and Whitney's vision of a new city became a reality when his recommendation for a depot site was approved. Within six days, Whitney's agent, Thomas Miller, had built the first house from which Whitney ordered furrows plowed to the railroad grading. Atlantic was thus born. The town grew rapidly, and by 1869 civic and social organizations, churches, newspapers, banks, schools, and businesses were thriving. Atlantic also had its share of shady characters, outlaw gangs, and disasters. The photographs and stories in this book provide a glimpse into the lives of Atlantic's intrepid developers and the city they established in the valley of the Nishnabotna.

Lincoln in Black and White

9780738561622

$24.99

Lincoln, Nebraska's capital, grew from 45,000 to 55,000 residents in the years 1910-1925. The state's second-largest city, Lincoln was also home to Nebraska's second-largest African American community--a "small town" within the midwestern city. Local race relations were a study in contradictions. Public education and residential neighborhoods were relatively integrated; employment and social institutions were increasingly restricted. Within this setting, a laborer named John Johnson--a native of Lincoln and son of a black Civil War veteran--produced remarkable images as an itinerant photographer of the Lincoln scene, especially of its black community. Johnson left very little written record, so knowledge is fragmentary of his working techniques and of his collaborators or assistants. But his visual legacy takes people through the streets, onto the front porches, and into the backyards and living rooms of a vibrant community.